The miners' express. (Dubuque, Iowa) 1849-1854, 1853-09-14
THE MINES OF LAKE suHEKIOl

Rufus Homer. Esq. editor Of ~ Deteoit =
.adccrtiscr, recent tourist 10 Lake Superior,
gives, through the columns Of his paper, the
following notes upon the mines. The public
very properly feel lively interest in all that
relates to these grest scures Of mineral wealth {
Az much interest is at present attaching to
the Lac Ii Belle location, from The rumor
that il has been sold by Messrs. S,bley and
Mendle baum 10 English parties al high figure,
some description of il may not be inappropriate,
through active mining operations have long
since been abandoned there. Lac La Belle ~
beautiful sheet o: water, lying just back Of
bay de Grse, or Bette Giise bay. A moun~
tain s64 feet in height rises above Lac La Belle
and forms project in the scenery Of that re-
gion, and at the base Of il is the site Of Lac In
Belle mining works. The rock of which the
mountain is composed is chioriie and feldspar
OF highly crystalline texture, and is supposed
to be OF more recent formation than the trap
ranges which have been described, in which
the other mines are situated The veins are
entirely different from those heretofore allnded
to, and their conte nts are distinct from those Of
the bedded trap, the latter carrying native cop
per in the same state in which il is used in the
arts, variously disseminated through the rock
in injected masses, in small Jumps, or in still
smaller scattered PARTICLES, while in the Lac
| La DChC WINS ~ upUtdTS, not Ill nduVe "copper"
but in the sulphureis, grey and black, and cop
per pyries; consequently it is here alone upon
| Lake Superior that copper mining has been
carried on, in the sense in which it is under.
stood in Cornwall and Germany. This loca-
ton has two sets Of veins, one Of which bears
north 26} degrees west, the others bearing north
80 degrees east. The rock Of the vein consists
of cale-spar, chlorite and quartz.
| A. IL. Sibley, Esq, commenced mining up
| on this location in 1S45, and sunk three shafts;
| No. being 81 feet in depth, No. 9 80 feet, and
No. 3 Sc feet. Two adits were driven into the
side, the second of which is 900 feet in length
| and debouches twenty seven feet above Lake
| Superior, while No. / is $50 feet in length, and
300 feet above the lake. The drainage Of the
mine is effected through these adits. The
work was prosecuted with great energy, but
the company finally became discouraged from
want of success and discontinued work. Mr..
Sibley however, has never lost cor idence in
| the mine, and has been engaged in drawing
| the attention Of English capitalists to it, and
has succeeded in ffectng a sale of the loca-
ton for very large sum. The works are on
E. sec. 80 township So north Of range %
| west, and about two miles from Copper Har-
bor..
The BOHEMIAN. This mine Of the same
class as the foregoing, lying near the summit
| of the mountain above described-Some work
| has been done upon the location, though less
! than upon the Lac La Belle and it has been
abandoned; the Bohemian company being now
located near the Evergreen Bluff among the
Ontonagon mines The position Of this work
is on s. E. Sec. 90, same township and range
as the foregoing.
| THE COPPER HARBoR MINES.
| There is a clustec Of new mines lying around
Copper Harbor, between the distances Of 8
and 6 miles, which for the most part, are now
commencing work upon new lOcations.-A-
mong these are.
The New YoRK AND MICHIGAN, which lies
most easterly of the cluster. This enterprise il
working ten men, who are mostly engaged in
making explorations.
The STAR is working fifteen men, and the
company are engaged in proving their vein,
which thus far gives strong promise Of excel
lence.
The MANITou. This mine lies nearest to the
Copper Harbor among the collection and the
company are mining with force Of thirty Eve
men, with fine prospects,.
The CAPE. This mine lies next in position,
and is now being rapidly opened and proved up;
as work progresses upon il, the appearances Of
regular strong vein, carrying masses and shot
work, grow more indubtable. Their present
mining force is twenty men.
The Iron Cry. This company are not at
at present prosecuting their work with vigor,
their force is only ten men, who are principally
employed in making explorations.
The BLUR NINE, which lies most west
ward Of this class, is at present looking we'll,
and is prosecuting the work Of proving their
veins with energy and vigor. Their mining
force is twenty five men.
The general geological characteristics Of the
region of country occupied by the mines which
have been named, are not dissimilar from those
described, being brown granular trap, OCCASION
LII I'M
age height Of these mines above the lake ID,
, perhaps, 400 feet