Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1855-08-18
LETTER FROM THE COPPER RE.
CION


: SAur SrE MARIE, Men, July 9Th, 1853
r Mn. EpiroR My last letter was from DE
$ troii, from which place we came here, vi
G Chicago and Milwaukee. We left Mlwauk
b on the splendid steamer "Key Stone State
! bound for Macknaw. This steamer is one o
e the four large boats which ply between Chi
! cago and Collingwood at the head Of Georgian
6 Bay aud form link in the recently opene,
3 "Norihern route from the Eastern States {,
, Lake Superior and the West This, by III,
way Is the most pleasant route one could take
in going to Chicago and places beyond Tn,
route is by cars to Ogdonsburg, thence by thai
to Toronto, thence by ears, 90 miles to Collne
wood, whore a connection is made with ihi.
line of boats. They touch At all the important
towns on Lake Superior. and at Mackiuaw con.
meet with steamer running TO this place.
Alier getting fairly out 10 sea, the always ex-
pecied ring Of the bell and cry Of ''thc gentle.
man from Africa" was heard on deck and in
the cabin-"All those gonilc'oms what hahn,
paid no fare will please step to de Caplns Office
and settle H." During The day the boat touched
at several beautiful villages on the Western
shore of the lake. The next morning at Eve
O'Clock we passed propeller which had struck
on reef Of rocks and was 10 a sinking con-
dilion. 4 boat was alongside, rendering all
needed assistance. When we reached Mackin.
aw the next day, we found tho Louisiana in
waiting to take pas sengers to the Saut.
The Island Of Mackinaw appeared 10 be a
cold, barren spot. The village at the eastern
end Of the Island, at the foot Of high BLUFF. on
which Is fort that commands the strait. The
principal business Of the village is the sale Of
Mackinaw trout and Indian curiosiiies. Great
prices arc obtained for the latter aud many of
them are made by the whites.
There are on the Island several places Of
interest which the tourist should not fail to WIS.,
It. Among them may be mentioned the Arched
Rock at the Eastern extremity, the Lovers
Leap on the South, and the Sugar I.oaf The
Arched rock is the most aitaciive. 1, clearly
shows the action Of the water a, time when
from 80 IN 100 feet higher than il now is. Ia
TACT, the shores all along the upper lakes for.
nish conclusive evidence that the water was
once greatly above its present level. The
ellis al the point above mentioned attain HIGHT
Of nearly $50 feet. The top Of the span of
tile Arehed Rock is more than a hundred fee,
above the level Of the lake. There is strik-
ing similarity between tho dcnudinr acton of
the water here in time past, and the same ac-
ton as now shown in the range Of Pictured
Rocks on the shore of Iske Superior, Of which
! VIII make mention hereafter. The Sugar
Loaf is near the Arched Rock, and is an so-
lated column Of lims-sionc more than 100 fee,
high, which must have been formed by the
lashlng of the waves in the sane way as the |
Arched Rock.
On our way to the Saul, we touched al the
Bruce copper mine, forty miles below tho Saul
on the Canada side. This mine is owned hy
Enelishmen, and the ore, which yields only 30 |
per cent of copper, is all shipped to Cornwall. /
England, TO be smelied. This could ius. as
well be done al Detroit, and thus save The tran
sPortalion of 70 per cent. Of rock across the At
lantic.
The great attraction at the Saul is the Shin /
Canal, which has just been completed. LISA
magnificent work, and one Of which our Gov
eminent may well be proud A bette, niece Of
masonry on public work canno, be found in
the unned States. The extreme length of the
canal Is l-s miles. The water in the ca.
nal is a hundred feet wide al the surface. and
twelve feet deep. There are three lock basins.
each OF three hundrev and fifty feet lenoth
seventy feet width, and twcnty five feet from
the top of coping to the bottom Of the lock I,
l ne walls are eighteen feet thick AZ the bo,-
tom and four feet at The top, all laid in wafer
cement and the face wall hewn The whole
l,lt is between eighteen and nineteen feet
lie gates are immense, weighing more than
49,.