The voice of freedom. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1839-1848, 1848-02-03
d Q III M n..nita ii o ms.
Correspondence of the Voice of Freedom.
ROCKFORD, ILL.,, Jan. 10, 1913


Dear ce-When l mailed my last sheet to
YOU, was about starting for the "West,' and IN a
few hours crossed the Mississippi river to D"6"Qe,
where inquired for the cest, and the "Hawke-eyes"
of Iowa informed me that the west is on the other
side of the Rocky Mountains, somewhere in Oregon!
so have given up the search, and am on my way
to Chicago. | should be pleased to give you
proper idea of this portion of the Mississippi valley
but find myself incapable of portrayng these De"U
teous groves and splendid praries, and believe that
if could explore the whole surface OF this earth ana
then throw off invisible Telegraphic news to the
planet Jupiter ;-survey his rich and beautiful soil,
and pass along to Saturn's fertile grounds, Humln-
ated by seven satellites and magnificent rngS;-
then step on to Herschel, and extend my views a
little further;-go through hundred other Solar
Systems and unnumbered worlds, should then re-
turn to the great Mississippi and excaim, rer this
is the Fairy" land! As l promised you some
statistics of the lead region, will extract little
from notes which have taken inmy travels through
the mining country The extent Of country i'll
which gaena is formed, ranges about one hundred
miles north and SOUTH and sixty miles east aud west
making an area of six thousand square miles, Inc
number of miners is estimated at about twelve
thousand. which would average two miners to the
square mile The one, (Which is called mineral -
by the miners J is sold on the ground to smeters,
who pay from S.to 20 dollars per thousand pounds
The amount of money paid yearly for mineral
averages from one million to million and halt OF
dollars.
From the fact'that few are fortunate in striking
what the miners call big lead,' hundreds come
here with money, and expend thousands of dollars
in searching and prospecting" who finally leave
the country disguised. The number who strike a
big lead" and those who leave the business de-
iected, are considered to be about equal. This es-
innate does not include those who find floating
mineral" enough to pay their board, sometimes,
for several years, and who are always expecting
fortune soon to smile on them III the shape OF
"big lead :" The miners say that there is KIND
Of employment in their business which binds the
mind so strongly into the belief that they shall
eventually succeed that the longer they labor I'M
successfully, the stronger is their belief that thel
"lead" will be great one.
There arc no geological laws by which the mlnei
can take differences to assist him, and the greer
" sucker" of Illinois is as liksy to strike "lead
as the oldest practical miner. 1t is said that "many
of these Adventures are unfortunate men in bust
ness disappointed politicians, pro
fessonal men-inveterate money seekers-youni
men weary of study and confinement-old mel
with sailors and soldiers scars, -emphaticaly in
dependents of every grade of character, from tn
street drunkard to the ornament i'll professional life
with the noblcst qualities of head and heart"
Several estilnations have been made of tn
amount each miner would receive, if the none
paid for "minerals" was equally distributed be
tween them, and these estmations would give onl
from ten to twenty cents per day to each MINER
The following facts will present some idea OF tn
chances the miner has to obtain a fortune in tn
mining business. The "bg leads" (or larg
veins of ora, are sometimes found in the creVices
seams Of the magnetism lime stone, which forms tt
crust Of this portion of the earth. Above this rocl
is a soil, from ten to twenty feet deep, in whic
floating mineral is sometimes found, and the min
is obliged to dig through this coat of earth in ord
to ascertain whether there is crevce in the roc
and the best judges say that one hundred openin
through the soil are made where one crevice
found and fifty crevices are found which conta
no minerals to one that contains any. Thus, tt
miners chance of success, is one in five thousan
vet with all this before their eyes, there are hu
dreds, indeed thousands of unsuccessful miners
the lead " diggns" who are laboring under the
f1uence of a prominent, and most wonderful organ
hone But were it not for the lost labor Of the
visionary men, (Which is estimated at more til
two millions Year, lead, used in this count
would have to be imported; for, no capitalist wol
risk his money in the uncertain business; and,
fact. the business would ruin all the capitalists
the country in few years 1t is supposed that,
a thousand feet below the surface, this whole lie
region is n mass of solid "mineral." Then,
MnLER's doctrine had proved true, and the Ea
had been burnt up in 1913, a river of melted Ii
would have flown from this country as large as
Mississippi! Yours, respectfully,
T'PAvrSForl
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