New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1853-10-10
LAKE SUPERIOR.

tnsre nd
GoGgBrC NINE, MONDAY Aug. u, lisa
I, nav be of some value II people who think d
very easy matter 10 set miners work here elssnr
away the rock and getting cut copper. u write Cd
,cue notes OF confab with Mr. Merryweather, SaYG.
intepdent of the Magnetic and G,geb'e Mines Ia MD
he hasbeen giving me particular account Of the ~
and hiudrances and little mseres attendant uPoa -
ting the miners 10 work upon tn VEINS waieA crsM
TIE two locations omit bis account Of the long sn@
dreary winter passed upon the locations by the oussa
pre-emptors. and also ~ the difficulty atteniins u
foru attn of companies 20 work the veins. lie ~
done all he could and Vet Il cannot De- said That -
veins are opened sufficiently 70 exhibit more h1at
surface show" IL is the FIRST time have been ~
TO form a lively idea Of the impedimeuts which -
want OF roads, and 4 means OF regular communics1m
with the settled country below, throw In the sx 4
tie development of this rich mining region. ThcWh
story Of . man who gave quarter OF dollar to -
leailsn and called back the solicitor OF the dcaAsa
to give him dollar 20 get il 10 them. Some such pre
portion seems 10 exist between the wages paid uansn
in proving up veins and the preliminary expenses M
next time Congress grants lands To enable some Lees
10 ret dozen bales of cotton "a market, Il Is BE
hoped an appropriation will be tackled 20 II Tor the raj
road which must some time other connect lake NJ
perior with Green Bay.
II seems that the original preemptcrs Of the presst
Magnetic and Gogebc locations placed their lands
the hands of Mr. Merryweather, he being well Aas~z
To the business men of Detroit and being familiar sa
the tracts themselves having surveyed this sec;ea Il
country originally. The formation ~ the Companies
ard other preliminary steps do not belong 70 this
sketch Suffice il TO say that capitalists were hana
willing to risk trial of the veins. and enc year No
Mr. NJ returned 10 the 0ntonagou empowered 10 begin
operations.
Here he engaged a few men, and started with aI "a
Septsu Der following the old ira 20 The Ohio Trap keck
Mine there being direct route Ia the place wser
he WAS bound They Travelled in true Lake Supersf
Il, L. all on foot snd laden with their blankets, PROV
scns, axes mining tools, powder, %c They made
twelve miles the first day. and slept at night andes
rude bush hut thrown together in few minutes Ia
second day thew passed the aforementioned NINE sa
were again obliged 10 encamp as before. They wee
now bsyond any trace OF road but the woods are ne
very difficult ~ traverse this route and th' 1ifd
da, they reached their journey end IN good s'asea
having bur eight miles to 60 and beng guided IN snrf
course by the range of bluffs on which the mas are
situated.
Two months we're wholly occupied by the men a tAs
erection of DOLLHOUSE sufficiently large AMI 60 Mort
,bIr to answer Tor the party during the winter ia e.
ergiue the clearing made by the pre"mPtOr romss-
ing and burning logs, telling trees aud burning Them
cutting out and clearing horse track through tho
woods eight miles. 20 the Norwich Nine and IN pack
inc provisions in the same old laborious iron
Ont.nogob upon their backs The bill Ut fare all tbs
time was as follows: Pork beans, h0nr bread aud eo-
fee and only BIS changing the order OF these did shy
secure variety The packers of the provisions wefe
auxiously looking forward TO the freezing OF the o.
NJ intended to have a full supply brought up by hef
trains Snow came and the river did not freeze, asa
for several weeks his men subsisted upon prOysoss
borrowed from the Norwich and other mines 10 has
been no thing for the men upon locations oe
driven off by starvation. and at earlier date hls
might have been the here. About Christmas sos
ever. Mr. VI succeeded in purchasing yoke Of ozn
somewhere in the neghboIhOod for an exofbllans
price and some two tuns OF hay twenty miles ef) v
iced them with, Mt $50 per tun. About hall o. tSs
was drawn to the location upon sled, over roai
rather track, part of the way cut Tor the parpse
through the woodworking on the whole rather
costly load Of hay. Their track soon filed up waA
snow 20 a. to be- impossible and the rest Of the ny
rotted where IL lay. While the load lasted howeSx,
the oxen were diligently employ ed in hauling proyssas
to the list Of which certain luxuries we're added
butter. sugar. dried apples and-that Yankee necet
sity--a keg of mOasses The loads brought average
about half tun and each occupied the team four days
two to reach the mouth of the Ontonagon and tve
in returning After three four trips, the lak
of hay gave out, and what with teamlng, drawing ~,
&c the oxen gave out also but they were in gpA
condition, and ~ the men could not feed them, NJ
ate them Pretty good beef they were too, was ~.
and while they lasted pork and beans boiled we're az
discount The rest of the supplies were drawn "
hired teams at 81 per barrel, or 81 per cwt BY ~
time twO miners az work on each location, blxH
ing here and there upon the veins discovered In -
trap, and the rest OF the men were employed IN ~
tending the clearings. Notwithstanding the dsadva'
tsQes attendant upon the want Of team, tho men y
ing obliged to all the logs TO heaps for burnngv
main strength, nine acres OF land ready VIZ
spring opened for potatoes and turnps Az the ende
liz months this land, four small log houses, three
four mineral bearing veins, exposed tO the depth
teen or twenty feet, all that could be shown 10 y
turn for an outlay Of some 5000.
The difficulties OF Mr. NJ, in dspOsing OF sufhcisf
stock Of these Companies below TO raise funds to ms<
these constant demands-diffculties arising from -
detective laws Of Michigan at the time, and the VT
Of faith in the mineral resources Of this partcaf
TegiOE-lOm a chapter OF which have nothing Ia n
here Success attended bis efforts, however, andh
returned from New-York and Detroit about the eDia
May last
A. summer opened the roads dried up and the besss
full Lake Superior summer on, prospects brisht
ened, and il may be supposed that things began to-
smoothly and real progress 10 be made To some ~
tent this ia true, and ii there Was capital sufleeDta
the country, could Eastern capitalists be indueedn
open system Of plank or railroads, which should -
along the foot Of the mineral ranges and connect
a trunk road 10 OntonagoD on the north, and ~
after with road across the State, on the south
winters labor of fifteen twenty hands would Dc
fcient to enable real mining operations 10 begin ne
suing summer. Twelve miles OF trunk road ~
Ontonag0n and 80 OF 40 Of branches, would accom-
date all the mines OF this district at present, and wss
undoubtedly pay good dividends. But there - 90
system Of roads and the best Mr. Merrywestber 60
do on his return TO purchase two small 1snsa3
horses one for each location, TO pack his saPphe'
thus far since all things needed at the mines iof
and beast, have been brought upon their oseks
tie river Take the history Of barrel Of nouf ~
example Of the expenses attendant upon ieedins -
upon a new location.
This article costs on an average at Detroit ~
Der barrel Freight 10 the Saul, 80 eta nauilng -
the portage TO Lake Superior, ~ ~ cts ife'gn En-
Ont nagCn 50 ets There being no harbof mere - -
ct. is the charge for landing in boats, and - ~
when landed is charged for storage From oo'on>
it ascends the river to Ceilings Landing on large