Fremont journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County [Ohio]) 1853-1866, 1863-10-16
Written for the Journal.
U r TH Il LAX IL s 4.

| Mr.. EDIroR.-l promised to give you some
account of the Iron mines of Lake Superior =
They are not on the Lake shore, as many seem
to suppose. They are reached by Railroad from
Marquette Before the construction of the Rail-
road there was plank road to the mines This
was used for time in competition with the
Railroad, but finally was abandoned. The iron
horse was too much for Dobbin, and he was COM
PEELED to "give it up"
oreach the mines, you take passage in the
most diminitive of passenger cars-which was
crowded every time l was on the road-and
proceed fourteen miles over the steepest grades
you ever saw. This road has an average rising
grade Of seventy five feet to the mile, and in
many places the grade is much heavier than
that. The engines very heavy, and one of
them will bring down as many cars laden as it
can take up empty,
The region is as wild as one could wish, noun
famous and dreary in the extreme. A geologst
would find it extremely interesting. The evil
dences of ancient currents of water carrying
masses of ice and rock along with such force as
to cut deep channels in the rocky bottom and
side are unmstakable. But as / am not a pro-
fessional geologist, l will not venture to say
much about the subject. After travelling four
teen miles you arrive at the mine of the "Jack-
son Company" Two miles further on are the
works of the "Cleveland Company" and one
mile from these the works of the "Lake Superi-
or Company" AT the mine of the jackson
Company is quite village, containing a large
blast furnace, drug store, Catholic Church,
school house where one of the Protestant
ministers of Marquette breaches every Sabbath,
-and what else I don't know At this mine
there is large spring of excellent water. Its
tonic properties must be powerful. Drink a
draft of it, and you can almost feel it impart
instantaneous strength to your system This
village at the mines is better place for invalids
to soioum than the shore of the Lake. The air
is purer and more invigorating. e.
The mines themselves might better be called
'quarrics' than mines" The excavations are
made precisely as those of stone quarres with
US. Indeed the hills from which the ore is ta-
ken are nothing but vast masses oft piled up
like rocks and covered over with few inches
of EARTH. Remove this earth, and thousands of
tons of orc lie beneath your feet. AS the ore is
removed, tracks ale laid from the Railroad into
the openings, and the cars are run where they
are loaded with little trouble. The rock,is torn
down with picks and bars, or blasted with pow
der-then broken up so as to be handled with
facility. Any stone-quarry will give you
good idea of these iron mines, provided you inn
agine the stone to be of color very near that
of new iron.
The ore is said to contain from sixty to Sc
twenty-five per cent of iron. Masses of it fresh
ly exposed to the light and air, have the appear
ance of being pure iron. Some of the ore, how
ever, has brown color which is simply owing
to exposure to the air and consequent rusting.
At least such is the appearance.
There are several varieties Of the ore Some
of itisq quite porous and affords what are called
the "grape" and the "velvet' varieties. The
Grape presents the appearance of clusters of
whence the name-and the Velvet pre-
sents cavities which look as if lined with the
most beautiful silk velvet. Pieces Of these va
rieties are eagerly sought for by visitors as GU
rosites.
If you will some day go into Foundery and
watch large drill patiently boring hole
through plate Of cast iron-working away till
heated, and then withdrawn, you viii see the
particles of iron hanging in punches from the
end of the drill, showing the power of magnetic
attraction. Now, some of the Jumps of ore
found in the Iron mines, on being broken open
present precisely this appearance, of iron filings
gathered up by magnetic influence When
freshly broken they are very beautiful, but be-
come tarnished by expOsiire 10 the air
Thus much for the mines But after all, the
the greatest wonder which one beholds in maxi
ing the tour of the Upper Lakes is the great
Lakes themselves. These vast bodies of water
lie quiet in their grndeur, as if conscious Of an
infinite dignity, or rave under the influence of
storms as IL intending to remind men of their
conscious power. pity the man who can trav-
erse them without being deeply impressed by
the power of the Creator.
But close. If you would get a living and
abiding idea of the Upper Lake region, you
must visit il yourself r. n