Mineral Point weekly tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1859-1868, 1859-11-15

1
ed of the Counties of Grant, Lafayette. Iowa,
Green and Sank, of The State of " iscensin, and
10 Dayiess County in the State of Illinois.
In the last named county. ia the present City
limits of Ga!ena, lead ore was discovered by
white miners early as the year 1911 Six
years later in 1920, lead mines struck and
opened in Mineral Point, and only towards the
year 1899 white miners ventured across the
Mississippi to dig upon the present City limits
OF Dubuque. r..-
They were. however, driven away from their
work by Indians until 1893. when so persons
organized themselves formally, settled there
permanently, and adopted the name of Dubuque
! for their settlement. 81. Sc SGE sEar
According to the judgment of biologists and
experienced miners it is beyond doubt. that
the ranges of lead ore East aud West of the
Mississippi stand in connexion. and that in
course of time, in other counties Besides those
already named, lead ore will be discovered but
so far rs known to us,tlle counties named form
the world -renowned Lead Region of tue North
West. Later news speak of a discovery by Mr.
t. Olhausen i'll Loran Township Stephenson
| Co, H.. of a rich mineral vein.
| The main depot of the lead trade was and i,
up to the present day, Galena wherefore the
lead of this region is known in commerce by the
name of Gaiena lead We shall describe the
lead region and all concerning the mining and
valuation of the mineral, in successfully appear
| ing articles from time to time in our paper and
shall spare pains to obtain from the counties
concerned, the most direct and reliable infor-
nation.
larri, r,-i,l -
project, which we examined personally, and
have spent whole day in inspecting
| As is well known, zinc, one of the most ne
cessary and useful metals, has been imported
exclusively from Europc. because there were
no zinc furnaces in the United States.
| In the State of New Jersey several Zine
White factories have been established, and
there, well rs in Lasallc, ILL.,, trials have been
made to make metallic zinc, but. SO far as is
known to Us, these trials have not yet lei 10
satisfactory result. In our Lead Region such
an establishment is now in operation. 1t is at
Mineral Point, Iowa Co. Wisconsin. where Mr.
Rob 'rt George, formerly director of mining and
smelling works in Siecia, Prussia, has com
menced work and erected Zine furnace which,
| if t carried on with larger capital than
at present, would undoubtedly prove one of the
moss lucrative branches of business in the
| West.
TIE Calamne of which Mr.. George nanufac-
lures the Zincs found in the surrounding, mines
at Mineral Point in inexhaustible masses and
is comm 'ny called Dry bone by the miners,
name which seem. to he derived from the fact
that the outer form of this metal strongly
resembles the pofous surface of a broken or
ed-through bone. In chemistry ii is known
rs Carbonate Of zinc
To extract from this ore the Zine II j. ncces-
sary to subject ii t. peculiar process, it being
impossible to obtain 1t in the same manner rs
with other ores. The process Is as follows:
The calamine is crushed and nlIxed with
charc pal and then placed in retorts of Fiteclay,
having one end open. After filling the same
piece of iron or clay is inserted in the open end
OF the retort. which Is then closed with clay
/ The retorts are laycd in horizontal rows, one
above the other in the furnace leaving an open
ing to- the passage of the fame from below
I When the oven is thus filed the mouth pieces
project the front side of the furnace in which
a degree of heat sufficient To melt cast iron is
produced, whereupon the ore is vaporzed, and
entering the outer small pipes, is prccipitated
in metallic Zinc. The Zinc thus obtained is
melted by a heat of 400 degrees celsius in an
iron kettle, then into pigs of forty pounds each.
Mr. George carries on this business in compa-
ny with several Americans, of whom one is II
/ II. Collins, of Pittsburgh Several tons of Zinc
from the Mineral Point Zine works have been
sent and from letter in possession Of the for
mer. we learned with pleasure that Mr.. Collins
had the Zine tried by foay different persons aud
eli four pronounced the article superior to i'm
ported Zinc
Mr. George has. according to this, solved his
problem in splendid manner, notwithstanding
difficulties of ali kinds which even yet are only
IN part overcome, and it required just such a
competent and thoroughly experienced man to
conduct this enterprise.
One of the greatest difficulties was and Is
yet, the procuring of fire clay to make retorts
Several lots OF American clay proved usele IS,
and European clay has to be procured, which.
on account OF freight, is expensive, and Mr..
George has now ordered samples of clay from
Fort Dodge, in Iowa, and Blackrtver Falls, Wis
consin- Should fire clay be discovered any
where else, Mr.. Robert George would be glad
TO receive samples to be sent to the address Of
R. George d Co, Mineral Point, Wisconsin. l.
Is to be attributed to the scarcity of clay that
M George caR at presen. only waE~ with ii
retorts, while the oven, when in full operation
would hold %.
With these IL retorts 800 pounds of Zinc are
daily turned ont, bat with the full complement
of re:orts, and with the same heat, 600 pounds
could be produced. and the nett gain be largely
1 increased.
We shall give in our mex; number further de-
tails OF this interesting and important estab!is n
ment, and close to-day with the remark that
100 pigs OF Zinc have been forwarded per rail
TO Pittsburgh from this establishment
BENEvoLEScG.--M Corcoran, of Washing
ton. has aside LIS s,,lenfiid sntrare o., Ennr