Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1860-11-17
THE HERALD.
From the Galena CouFier
MINING IN NyIsCoAsIN.

twenty houses, hardly more, and BIAS MOI
vervsselendid residences at that Some
comfortable houses however, areto be ssen;I
also two or three stores and hotel.
The village Of Fairplay, ID tbs town
ship, is also small, and inhabited mostly
},y miners. Its sid that tic name ofthsI
VILLAGE arose from the loud cries for ''fllrI
plav''bv a miner who was getting the worst
Of ! fight about some disputed Digging
he that AS it may, the place il known as
Fairpay far and wide. Some Of the mi
ners III this vicinity complain that they arc
making no lig strikes, anl some Of them
1renot getting wages; oae made the remark
in my hearing, that ii something large was
not struck the coming winter, be did not
know what fhe miners would do. But
they keep al il, aal every new hole i q
new hope
a big lead has been struck by New
York company in this township, about
three miles east Of Fairplay, il what j.
called the Shawnetcwn Diggings. This
morning | went down with cir. Matt Van
Week, the former proprietor, for the pur
pose o. picking up some items inregard e
these diggings.
About three years ago, Aif Van Nleck
and school teacher by the name Of Looms,
who thought to make his fortune between
Chnstnas and New Years, weut to mining
during the holidays After working two
days ard sinking a shatt twenty feet with
ont finding mineral, the schoolmastef's ar
dor began to cool, and he sold ont his claim
to Mr.. Van Week for three days board
Shortly after getting nm Old miner, to work
for him, Van Vlck sank the shaft 6Ye feet
further aud struck the solid roek. There
being no crevico, the Old minerwas opposed
to the idea Of drifting, but Van Week told
him 10 drift a few days, aud see how il
would turn out. In about an hour after
commencing tie Drift, Ills pick struck the
mineral; "Hufrah e cried the excited man,
"it's worth $500p A few more blows Of
the pick revealed to his astonished Gaze,
$4,000 worth, Van Yleck9 They had
struck on d horizontal sheet about five feet
wide-sometiInes nine feet wle-and out
Of this they took 100000 los, Of mineral.
But this GOOD luck dittnet end here; fori
.he same range, largef discoveries were
made. The following ssptembera an agree
menf was made with Spencely, a sineiter,
TO take all of the mineral theY raised from
The first Of September to III Nrst Of Nc
yember at $3l per thousands With forty
or fifty thousand the start, Van Week and
his men began to raise mineral the first If
September. SpeneelYasith three teams be-
gan to haul ii away Van Week gained
on him. He solo So, 900 Is so4ne snelter
1t Hazel Green, and with foul tsasns, they
began to draw, but Van Ylselc stfli gained.
Another $4,000 was sold to the Hazel
Green smelter, and another, and another.
The first Of November came, and Spencely
was behind 10000, notwithstanding there
were seven teams-one a four horse team
engaged in hauling away. Many days
5000 lbs., were taken out at s.shi.t,
(eieht HOUSE, aud at one time they took
out 10000 at shift.
After taking out about 100000 lbs,
and having pretty much cleaned the thing,
Van Week sold ont last winter to Duok-
worth, Cooper, Elder q Co., Of New York
Civ, for $1,000. He also sold them a
couple Of engines Of forty horse power
each. These they have put ID working or
der, attached to one shaft, 50 that one or
both may be worked at pleasure III Sep
TENDER, they GOT Their pump rugged IN good
shape, and ars now pumping from depth
Of sixty-ioui feet Only one engine is used
at time, which throws 225 galons per
minute, not one-twentieth part Of the pow
or available is used. Sinking shaft thro'
The hardest rock, twenty feet below Van
Weeks Old drift, they have struck uron q
splendid "under-run' Of mineral, and con-
firned the assertions Of Van Week that an
"under-ruu 'may exist, though thisidea has
had violent opposeFs. This opening Is
about eight feet wide About fifty yard.
west, on the same range, the Company
have sunk shaft, and yesterday a obj
lead" was struck there. These New Eoih
gentlemen are il good spirits at their good
luck; and as their engines and fixtures
hardly cost them $4,000, they have good
reason to lie pleased Van Week feit a
ilttle cheap that he had sola ont IN such
haste, and offered them $4,000 for one
fourth 81 what he hal sold to them in the
first place for $4,000. But he cous3le.
himself with what BIZ his. lie ana III.
soa-iu-law. AIR.. Bradley, have +gak shaft
on che same range, about eighty rods east
anl after going down siXty-iour feet came
tolafge masses Of chunk mineral, with every
prospect Gifts turning out .'big thing.
Thare seems to be an opening from this
shaft 70 that Of the New York Company
When they stop their pump, the water BE-
gins to rise ia this shaft, and IS soon as
IL starts again the water Is drawn osf Var
Week aud Bradley -havo made arrangements
to beaf part Of tbs Compsny's pumping
expenses IL long Is they drain this shalt.-
The Company already look 1t This new
"lead" with Il longing eye, ana have tries
to tempt the fortunate owners by q $40,
o00 bit, but the Sc, 500 sale is not forgotten
Tue Company have obtained about l6t
acres of tie best mineral lands IN the yicini
ty
This success will, no j9l5t, haee Che 81
feet 70 bring other capitalists Is tAe West
and il Is to he honed, commence 4 neg