New-York tribune., 1866-06-18
LEAD MINING.
Description q tho Lead-Fieids She Uppsg
Mississippf-Mining Operations la Hiiiasts,
Iewn, and Wisconsin,.

From Our Special Correspondent
DUBUQUE, Iowa. Juse g. is6e.
| What is known as the Wisconsin or Upper Missis-
ppl lead region of country so miles wide and ~
miles long The lead mines intervals Of one FIVE and
10 miles apart and known to miners diggings Tbs
country principally prairie with belts Of timber along Vac
creeks The general altitude is 300 feet above the Mssspp
The topography country and pecuars
in place Of the vde fiat praes that you In central M
and Indiana irregular surface OF country In
New York Jersey here succession of the most de
broadest centrally and gradually
off and terminate in low escarpments along the
The country full Of little creeks with rocky bottomA
The lead mines sometmes down IN the valleys and aga
the SUBMITS Of the rdges You nea tho head Of ha
small rayne on the prairie some ten or nteen pes Yellow
looking EARTH looking down the holes they from ak 70
ten feet deep an, small % % cut %. nfousa ns cH con-
foot deep under this brewn surface clay at four feet
yellow ochery clay and with blue looking mighs
be taken for bogder Of raprock These dstributeA
horizontally In seam OF yellow clay two feet above the rock
On breaking they bright silver asd
20 per lead. The miner has small hand wnass buckek
to 300 pounds per da Two miners work n partnership tbs
ground draws onerh rent At the end Of the week her
probably Saturday the lead selters tea@
around. weighs up their and pays them ESQ., %
Again we 20 down shaft 80 feet deep the workmen ara
sinking solid sheet OF ore about an inch thick going dow
the vein north aud south and made 70 thA
grssroos and being followed doDn m oy shalt ana 6ss
per dsy is raised This s thrown pile top th1
shaft and Is weighed mp as before stated at the end Of M
week.
Again we will go down the sbsft discovery sde A
dry looking country We go down 30 feet secured
by paks then broken magnesian limestone. for H
it were by feet square touches bottom
given candle and fnd ourselves in chamber excavatee
feet high and feet wde along the sides are great
OF that have been broken and are bright as sy
and weigh thousands Of pounds
This one imbedded n msx OF yellow clay sand sne
ocher We pass west fifty feet the ore the same here ss
eeyee has 20 close we we g "a @ ROPE -
of laying in the form of an east and west ven BE-
wall rocks Of limestone. Inc one al 'e ,owes ever
nounoed Six miners work and they raise from
five to zen t ad & Per ns Of owned S1s sa Js
rett Co. has yielded $4,000 worth Of since las!
clean out lis spring aad build little log spring house, had
inst purchased egy wood land GaeBs at ten
s sd miners had all considered this district barren Of esd
ore found in the spring and the owner con-
make wages taking oai the ole When drawing
spring to depth OF .o eet s IsoV as % a5d
pounds Of raisedpresent value would be
low cost the ore then dipped and 900 pounds
This as Marssns Nine south Of alena. discovered Iss&
50 Northeast and LOOK at ridge two miles north Of
Mineral Point On the summit Of this ridge is small eaaln
sink in the clay several holes 10 and ~ ieet nave oeen
sunk and little found. A miner named Heddrch takes
a notion that there be large body OF ore In this place
Qs4 and gets partner timber and commences -
sink prospect shaft they went down through re
clay flint end tumbng rock to depth Of 20 feet when h
partner gave would not sink any deeper HeddrcA
let the shaft several months and then give
third wndas for him. while be did the sinkingthey wess
through about feet OF loose ernmbng limestone and
came down solid weighing from 20 10 50 tuns
and in 2 months 10000 pounds Of The g
in an fssure gosh vein IN the limestone In
Dogeyehere the country cangesshafs ere sunk 30 fees
through The blue limestone the lower all of the lead asured
and horizontal Of chunk lead formed between the lay
ers Limestone White Oak Springs some 80 years ago was dis
covered this place what was known as the Black Leg
Vein" .r
Three vertical Of ore from six TO ten inches thick and
standing max Of clay north and south hssure In the
lmesose, also discovered here The vein was worked
600 feet ia length and 100 feet deep and Welded 200O
pounds OF ore worth sl200O0o. What Is known =
New Dggns Ridge is wide limestone ridge OF 100 feet ait
tue the village Large amounts Of had been minee
in the clay depth OF TO- 20 and 40 feet along tas
slopng grounds OF this ridge. On rising toward the
high grounds tie surface water came 10 the crevces ana
The mines were abandoned Some years since party
concluded run adit level in the ridge commencing
at and penetrate the ridge for drainage As
was private enterprise aud than the party hsd -
tmated abandoned after considerable outlay whe1
Mr. Champion cd lead miner concluded 70 push II little
further and and west crevice and rising ~
some six found immense pipe vein ofead ore Th
vein east under 10 feet OF Cap Rock and has
yielded 100000 worth Of ore at low cost oil mnhg-
noto Derc O. the value OF the