New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1848-11-30
AMERICAN ANTIQUITIES.
The Use Of Copper by the AberisIne..

T. The Editor Of The T1bnas.
Your paper Of the date Of the 2lst inst contains
statement OF the interesting fact Of the discovery
not only Of the evidences Of ancleu, mining ia the
Copper region Of Lake Superior. bat also OF large
masses Of Copper, in the native state, which the
ancient miners bad succeeded in detsching from
the rock, and which still remain 70 attest their in
dustry and the extent Of their mining operations.
From this statement it appears that the vein be.
longing to the Minnesota Company exhibits traces
Of having been worked for a distance Of two miles
and that it is one Of the open cuts Of the Aboriginal
miners covered by fifteen feet Of accumulated soil
Beneath trees four hundred years old,was found q
mass of pure Copper weighing 1857 lbs from
which every particle Of rock bad been removed,
and which was supported by saids and surrounded
Boy traces Of fire. Here to- according O. the
statement Were found various COpperimp ements
ON which Il is inferred that the ancient miners
preserved the arts Of welding and hardening Cop
pcr-arts now unknown
That the Copper Mines of tho North west were
ancientiy worked by the Abongines. was made
known soon alter the commencement OF modern
explorations n the same quarter but the Tact
above stated serves to give as more enlarged no.
tious of the extent of their operations. aud inn
plies az expenditure of labor which We were un-
prepared T. look for The particular mass Of Cop
per above mentioned Is no doubt the same refer
red % o. a letter from q gentleman At Lake Supe
rior to q friend at Buffalo, published in June last.
and believe, copied iu Ihc Tribpne. Several
additional facts OF interest stated ~ that let
ter. 10 seems that the places where the ancient
mining was carried On. are indicated by icpres-
sious ar open cuts on the courses OF the richer
VEINS ipOn eXcavatiug these, abundant evil
deuces of their artificial origin are discov cred CON
l.r..h ..l re
stone axes hammers etc Traces OF fire are also
frequent. Some of the ancient excavations are
found ID extend 10 the depths Of thirty icet and
the immense mass of Copper already mentioned
seems 20 nave been detached from the rock at that
depth. and aiterwad moved. on an inclined
plane. 10 considerable distance toward the sur
lace when from some cause or other, It was
abandoned. At the bottom OF the shaft were
found skid OF black OAK, from eight 10 twelve inch
In diameter. which were chaued through As If
burnt Large wooden wedges We're also discov-
cred IN the same situation. From the quantity
Of charcoal and ashes found around The mass OF
Copper the upper surface of which sNas smoothly
hammered, II was cOniectured that fires had been
built around 1t for the purpose OF detaching the
rock which might be effected by dashlng cold wa
ter upon II while heated.
At the Copper F alls and Eagle River, as at the
Vulcan aud Minnesota Mines. the ancient shafts
are frequently discovered. Prot. w. W. MATHEK.
the eminent Geoogist. m private letter refer
ring to the two mines FIRST named says d" On q
hil south OF the Copper T ais Mine IS an excava
ton several feet ia depth and several rods IN
length, extending along the course OF the rIver.
Fragments Of rock, &c thrown out Of the eXcava-
ton are piled up along its sides, the whole ovor"d
with soil. and overgrown with bushes and trees
On removing the Accommodations from the eXcaVa
ton. stone axes Of large size, made OF green-stone,
and shaped to receive withe handles are found
Some large round greensboro masses, that had
apparently been used for sledges, were also
found. They had round holes bored IN them, 70
the depth OF several inches, which seemed to have
been designed Tor wooden plugs 10 which wlthe
handles might be attached, 50 that several men
could swing them with sufficient force to break the
rock and the projecting masses Of Copper Some
of them were broken, aud some of the projecting
ends of rock exhibited marks of having been bat
tered in the manner here suggested"
The great Ontonagon mass OF virgin Copper,
now deposited at Washington, when found exhb-
tied marks of having bad considerable portions
cut, from 1t aud the ground around It was strewed
with fragments OF stone axes, which had been
broken in endeavors TO detach portions of the
mass. Iii not impossible that this mass was one
OF these which had been brought TO the surface by
the ancient miners.