Ashtabula weekly telegraph. [volume] (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1853-1873, 1860-04-28
Superior currs,ponasnse.



Mr. Editor-It is a delicious morning one
of those which come TO us so welcome in early
spring time. How we lnger in the doorway
gazing and listeuing-lost in reverie-until an
involuntary shiver sends us to the hreside with
sky.blue finger nails. Earlier the feathery
frost lay thick upon the earth, but It has vanish
ed before the ardeot sun-beams, and little sing
ing rills Of melted snow are coursing downward
from the hill tops, until they reach the quiet
lake. which is still held in winters bondage. The
weather through the month Of March was very
pleasant for the season warm and sunny, aud
the FIVE feet of snow in which earth had mantled
herself, grew by degrees so beautifully less"
that in many places the bare ground looked out
gloomy and sombre amid surrounding whiteness.
You cannot imagine the glare of light in which
we Lake Superiorites exist at this time Of the
year The blazing sun has risen so high towards
his summer glory, and bis rays have grown so
brilliant and warm, that their reflection from the
snow is fairly binding Weakness of vision is
the common complaint,and green walls and glass
es become necessity for those who are much
out of doors. We "the weaker sex" become os
"brown as nuts" unless we can content ourselves
for loss of health by gain in beauty, and doom
ourselves to the shade of our four walls.
But early as the spring promises to be, we
still anticipate FIVE or six weeks Of ISOLATION
Keewenaw Bay is clear Of ice already steam.
ers may arrive at the "Eutry" earlier than usual,
but in Portage Lake there is no current to
break up the ice, and the larger boats usually
arrive at its outlet near two weeks before we
can send our own little steamers down to meet
them. To US the spring time is the "saddest of
the year." for we grow so impatient to be
once more united to the mighty world. ADoth-
er, but less sentimental reason is this supplies
for the "inner man. are usually looked for with
watery mouth. Not that We are positively hun
CRY we are to provident for that but of that
"variety" which spices life, we have undoubted
lack. And then the mails so irregular so iu-
frequenb and the ne,cs so old! Our overland
mail route is already in bad condition, and as to
the time this missive may require to reach you
can form no idea. Sending letters now is very
like to casting bread upon the waters"
Speculation here is rife as to the probable
time Of opening Of The Sault Canal, many pre-
dieting that it will be late in Summer before re-
pairs will be completed, and that prices of pro-
visions must advance, from the difficulty of sup
plying this upper region. 1t is greatly in our
favor that the Lady Elgin" and the Mineral
Rock" have wintered above, and we have also
several sailing vessels. But at the 500" the
means of conveyance across must be carts, as
the old railroad is so torn away, it would cost
some $4,000 to repair it, and it will not probRb.
| ly, be attempted
Yesterday was most exciting time it being
election day. The removal of the county seat
from Eagle River to Eagle Harbor has been
under agitation for some length of time. We
Portage Lakers mostly oppose the removal, as
we look for speedy division Of the county,
which will bring central position" to ourselves
in the new county thus formed. Excitement
was intense, and whisky and lager-beer were
dealt out by no unsparing hands. The streets
from early morning we're filed with miners, ev-
| cry one the owner of vote The miners are
mostly from Cornwall, Eng ror from the Emerald
Isle" and the two classes are as unlike as one
can imagine, and hate each other ardently.-
When infamed by liquor they never meet with
out an affray, and yesterday collisions we're fire.
quent Broken heads are said to abound and
upon the hillside leading to thr Pewabic mine
is large tract of ground all spotted with hu-
man gore, and clubs lie all about, covered with
blood and hair In the evening not Cornish
man was to be seen in our streets, but the Irish
men wandered up and down in pursuit of them
breathing vengeance. Last winter at Ontonagou
the two classes had q most brutal fight, which
resulted in the expulsion of the Irish and we
anticipate at some time, something of the same
sort here.
The mines in our vicinity are doing well; the
working force in many of them has recently
been augmented and work, which in severa
had been suspended, is about to be renewed. 1t
may surprise you that thus far in Lake Super
ior mining, not more than one mine 10 five, ha,
been wrought successfully, for the cost of work
ing them is so very great. The first outlay is
for securing good location. Holders of min.
eral lands usually demand respectable sum fol
them, say from twenty to thirty thousand dol
lars, or even more this for a quarter section
! Tor l60 acres). About ten thousand are re-
quired for beginning of the work. If so for
tuuate as to find good lode, or vein, further
investment must be made for machinery, stamp.
ing mills, engines, &c. costing $4,000 more
Fortunes are made and lost very rapidly by the
specializing in copper stocks and most of thi:
is done in eastern cities. where it is managed by
the "bulls and BEARS" But dare not say very
much about this sort of thing, for fear of get
ting beyond my DEPTH and as for venturing up
on mining terms, still stear clear of them, al
though begin to understand when Others talk
of hanging walls" and "stOping," aud "winzes'
and "horse tehimsl"
The KGewenaw mineral range commences al
the northeast end Of the point and is from two tC
six or seven miles in breadth, and about eighty
miles in length-in this distributing in {
southwest direction. Its highest elevations arc
about eight-hundred feet above the level O