Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1861-01-31
Beetow1a Mines.
OBSERVATIONS MINES NOT EXHAUSTED
OWNERS OF LoDEs MINERAL WEALTH.

MR.. EDITOR .--l oil udNC sulS al
nounced that statement of the BeetoWnI
mines is promised you for publication. !
will say that you should by all means visit
these works at an early day and make them
your home and your books Of study for a
time. Just now the Reetown mines are
probably the richest in the lead region, and
you should be on hand to report fuller ac-
IceGnt Of them than am able to render;
the miners are turning over leaf after leai
Of the sealed records, and all you have to
do is to sit down by their side and read
and learn of the riches brought to light.
These hidden stores, which few miners
are permitted to raise from the assures be-
sItween rocks, are heavy additions to our
substantial wealth, for much thereof is APP
piled in permanent way. These stores
allow Of no monopoly, for the learned and
great have no better luck in raising them
THAN the poor and ignorant. ! am also re-
minded by thesecrystaized blocks Of wealth
that here reigns your favorite kind OF de-
Imocracy, in which labor stands at the head
Of capital instead Of cunning heads and
rich landlords.
4 am told that the proprietors OF lands
bearing these heavy lodes OF mineral make
, barely enough but Of the rates to pay taxes
and interest on their capital, and that many
of the mineral bearing lands upon which
there are few or no diggings are a heavy
'lburden. OF the thousands of acres held
! for mining in Beetown, but few lots pay
expenses by rental income. Those adapted
for farming yield better profits than min
ing lands. A large share Of the mineral
lands are, however choice farm lands.
4 The deep snow prevented my anticipated
ramble through the diggings; but when
spring comes with its warmth and yerdule,
| may canvass them and then favor your
readers with better account OF these IN
ltercsting works.
From the friendl, old residents Of Bee
town | learn thai these mines are more pro-
ductiye this winter, and for some months
before, than at any time since the Mexican
WAR drew off SO many Of the mining forces
lin '47-folIowed shortly after by the Cali
lfornia gold discoveries which made fur
Their drain. For many years thereafter but
little was done at mining-that little con-
fined to the working of old diggings
prospecting for new discoveries was scarcely
thought of till lately, but when it COM
menced the luck was good ana the yield
splendid.
Mining partakes so much of the charac-
ter and effects Of gaming and chance prac-
tice that the miner must be either discour-
aged or excited in order to be in natural
mood. For some years the Beetown
miners, having made no ventures but con
fined their work to overhauling tue old
diggings, were evenly discouraged over
their bare living wages. No exciting dis
coveries were made, no fortunes to envy,
no quarrels about claims to settle. no law
yers to talk Of abused rights, nothing TO
settle at the bar Of justice.
The impression Is abroad that these
mines, already worked for thirty years,
must be nearly exhausted, that the heavy
bodies of mineral have been removed and
that the chances of making fortunes ont of
them are few as compared with former
days. But such impressions give way on
seeing The works AID comparing the unex-
plored territory with the small extent of
land proved with mineral prospects. The
enlightened impression is that ages must
elapse before these mines can be exhausted,
even with the present working force
There may be periods of general failure to
make new discoveries; other places may
offer attractions more flattering than the
Beetown mines; but they cannot be ex-
hausted in our day nor for a generation
after.
| have seemed to represent the old dig
gings about Beetown, by which is meant
the grounds perforated as a sponge many
years ago, as urspfoductive; but here Will
remark that many such discoveries were
poorly worked and seldom traced to their
bodies to any great depth or extent; for a
better understanding, there are under-open-
ings, SO called bysaminers, by which is
meant mineralbearing cavities forty feet
or more below the upper and not connect
ed by seams with The upper crcyices. -
These, with the fact Of the existence Of
such under openings, appear to be new
discoveries and somewhat peculiar to the
Beetown mines. Such new discoveries in
lower regions, although within the old Dig
gings, are new evidences of tie exhaustless
wealth Of these mines. The Muscalung
diggings are of this new cla.s in the lower
openings, and are at least fifty feet below
the upper openings. which latter were long
since worked ont
Among the principal heavy lodes in the
vicinity of Bcetown, is one owned by James
II. Brown in HUI HOLLOW; this discovery
was made by Mr.. Brown in IS, and led to
further explorations which in like manner
were successful. 9aa hence the heavy oper-
ations which buffer Mr.. Brown might have
been postponed for years. This lode has
been worked for tuo years and the total
amount of mineral raised thcrefrom is
about 100000 lbs, in value al $4,000 per
900, sl5,oo0.O0. The present daily
Weld varies from 500 to l,5O0 lbs. Mr..
b. owns the land.
Mcssrs. Pond q SHETLAND have good
lode on land owned b Silas Burt, near the
head of Congress HoltosO. Prospect
:.