New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1853-08-29
LAKE SUPERIOR.
The CIiG and North American Mines.
ConespoDde1ce Of The n. Y. Tribune.
EACTE pTVpp Tnesdsv aug


How soon do you expect get down 70 the solid coP-
"perl" He made Indifferent reply, and soon after
the question was renewed Upon inqGirlng what the
gentleman meant, II appeared that he bad formed the
idea that the mineral veins Of Lake Superior became
richer and richer they are sunk upon until at length
the lode is pure mass Of copper
Had that gentleman only visited and examined the
Cliff vein, do not know as Ls ideas On the subject OF
veins would be cause OF surprise. wet through it
with friend yesterday ON both Of the locations where II
wrought and say that the stories Of is extra0r
dinaIy richness are by exaggerated. The old
Cliff is still the mine il was in the days when its first
great masses sustained the sinking fortunes of this
try There is grand eps Of the pure metal IN sight
like the famous one OF that but an Immense quantity OF
copper in smaller is lying in the levels and drifts
or eciirg from the yet unpasfed rock The mine is
too well known tone,d any description The only thing
new tO vas the announcement OF deerin nation to
put toe question to practical estwhether the green
stone which crowns the bu extends to any great depth
and if 81 whether it is really nOnproductye rock far
down from the surface This is an important question,
and one which shouldbe solved
On leaving the cliff, crossed the low ground 10 the
shaft which the North American Company has sunk
upon tie CHI vein the entrance 10 mine which has
probably made er, alter aud quicker returns fo the cap
al expended upon il than any other mine OF the baser
metals opened Probably other such instance
will and this worthy Of 0otce as remark
atle instance Of extraordinary good fortune II seems
that the success of the company in It's former opera
IL
ious thought was entertained of abandoning their mine
BE this il may, it finally determined to try the
Cliff vein where In the low ground by the little river
crossed TO their location and shaft begun in June
1851. Nine miners employed that year, II the
next, aud an average of 40 this At the time Of our
visit, ~ Of them were engaged in getting in pieces
single mass All the great masses previously discovered
ecpsed by this and begins TO think il possible
that the time may when copper shall no longer be
nned-Only quarried.
Descending the shaft by ladders about 20 feet we
came 10 d large excavation in the rock from which
drafts galleries extend to the north aud SOUTH in the
former OF which, tilted up against the wall, like the
huge roof Of house, was the great mass We had de-
seconded to see 1t has been cut in two aud the thin
irregular portion has fallen to the bottom OF the drift
few feet below Around the main body in com
panies of three at work with their long steel
cbisels and sledges cutting through the pure
metal This piece was % feet long by 20 wide, aud
from inches to about feet in Thickness The extreme
length of the originally about Al feet. It's
weight has been estimated high as $50 to 800 tuns,
and recent careful computation by a gentleman of
much experience in such matters makes il at the very
least 300 having value Of 100000
Twas much interested by the account given me by
the discovery and un.covery Of the mass The shaft
was sunk few feet west of the vein, and of
fourteen feet made IT, find it, At the point where
it cut few pounds of copper were seen projecting
from the north side. The drift happened to be seen
Just below the and the miners wrought on uncOn-
projecting points showed that copper there At 30
ret they sruckA If 40 tuDs. This was thought
to be discovery IL was uncovered and blasted down,
and then the returned to the entrance OF the drt
and began blast away the rock on the vest side OF the
point OF copper which had been found in the crcsscut
Week after week and month after month passed away,
and than half year had elapsed before the con-
stanty increasing curiosity IL know the extent OF this
deposit was gratifed At the beginning Of june the
huge excay alton was finished aud the east side of
lop feet nv m lpny
hung this unIiyaed reward of mining enterprise The
next step 10 place huge tmbcrs the DRIFT be-
low the ends resting in holes cut in the walls deep
hole was then made behind the and charge OF %
to 80 pounds OF powder placed within the opening be-
ing filed with loose pieces of rock, sand, DC. This
tore il from the wall and tilted il against the opposite
side, il lying ready for the slow and te-
dOus process of cutting up None of this has yet
been shipped the piece for the Worlds Fair being from
the iorty-tUn mass
In the southern drifts are to be seen points OF copper
projecting at distances forty and fifty feet apart which
requires but little faith to suppose may prove 20 be
parts Of another aud still more wonderful discovery of
what Dame Nature can do when she sets out
Capt. Paul gave me some statistics of the present
state of the mine The greatest length of level is only
$40 feet greatest depth l66 feet amount of Stopping
done only 40 iathoms The entire cost of this mine
above and below the surface is less than S65OOOraher
profitable mining VIII We consider that Two years and
two months have not yet elapsed since operations
mepced Up August |, l40 tuns of copper had been
shipped and from $50 to 800 tuns known 10 exist
still in the ground A. 7.
Z. S.-Since the above have been through the Min
uesota mine and though such that above de-
scIbed is 20 be seen, stilbut this use n taking
Mail Routes on Lake superior.
Correspondence Of The n. Y TIibuOe
oNToNAGON. wednesday August Il. 1853.
Il have been wishing for long time to subscribe for
The SsmiHtekiy TnbEne but III summer are so con-
stanty occupied that have time read IT, aud 10
winter the nails regularly aud the bundles of
newspapers are often left that there is trying
to get them What is true of paper true of al.
You Eastern people who are up here for few weeks
when navigation Open find no difficulty 10 getting your
papers and letters and cannot conceive of the dcul
lies under which labor for the greater part of the
year The price of such paper The Selas- Heekly
TriIHne is of account woasoever could but get
III but 10 Subscribe and pay for H. and get but strag
Cling COPY or so through all that part OF the year when
We have abundance of leisure to read IT, is only au az
prsvation All your principal papers AT the East as
much interested III the establishment OF regular mail
route 10 this section Of the country are and just
SO soon as YOU can succeed in procuring this OF the De-
partment your subscription lists will ne increased here
an hundred fold we want NewYork, Boston, Pitts
burg AID Philadelphia paPers-but what = the use of
spt nding cur money for y hat We cannOt getl"
This il almost literal transcript of the remarks Of
tie leading men Of the mines from Copper Harbor 10
the Eost westerly mine of the OntOnagon district All
want newspapers, and al complain OF the difficulties of
Get ing them. good deal Of feeling is also expressed
in T,siion to the PoSt-0fice Dep rtmeBt, which is
thought 10 have neglected this section of the country
Whether this be 50 or not, il would seem that some
better arrangement than the present might be made
before the ensuing winter AZ all events were private
ais allowed, there would be diiulty in establish
pg route BY which the mails would be much more
ehable dian they now are. The best-iaforned men
ere say tbat private all would pay wen even now
- he