New-York tribune., 1867-08-14
THE GALENA LEAD MINES.
THE HOME OF GEN. GRANT-A FAMILIAR VIEW !
OF LEAD MINING.

THE HOME OF GEM aRANT-A FAMILIAR VIEW
OF LEAD MINING.
Prom Oar SPECIAL Correspondent
--. GALESA, Ill, August 10, 1867.
dozen years ago Galena was one OF the SEN
satIons OF what was then the Great West and was as
much talked OF and written about as Omaha ana Chey
emo are now. School Biographies ana athses "ere
adorned with cuts the place representing
forated by mining shafts, dotted with ltte ino nou'
and bordered by stream alive with steamboats, ofate
however Galena has In quescent state' anu oy
heard OF In connection with Gen. Grant and lead hes
Before the war Grant-Mr. Ulysses GrantIwas young
married man, living in an pnpreoehhhS@ hu @ % artDer in
Pernnss-in the man street. IT,, "a Srns @
trade in hides Ulysses was & % s n ce1 Sc aid N some pretty
heavy work. loading carts with hides as wei as casting
up aSsSqp be toWS % his Read lowered
smoking cigar and as the salary was % put nad small n 5
article must have been an important Item III nus ahua
Did he manifest any of that talent which has since
made him so famousi" asked Of citizen. who gave
sNo." was the reply. "He was considered more
talented in any way than the other clerks Mainst"
"was he in any way a prominent cltzenP -
"NOt at all There many old residents OF our town
who could not even recall him, when his name became
"Dd he take any part in poltcsP
"NOt that remember He was reticent unpretehdlhg
man. going from his home to his daily WORK ana PACK
S.Then his successful career has been surprise
Entirsiy so They can hardly believe 1t yet that the
great military hero of the age is the unknown 0aleha
"How about his Presidential prospects - . 8. ,e.,.
"Well to tell the truth, here In Galena tnere Is ee
ing of doubt as TO whether he has the administrative
ability such position properly demands He never gave
never gave any ntlmation OF military ability YET ~ta
al this there must say feeeg eGs ?. npeer he should
retain his army position and aspire TO the Predency
and they say that at tee proper moment he VIII
"Then suppose . continued further questioning this
he Will not receive many votes here II nomInatedr
"There you entirely wrong was the reply erI
01Say 0Ta IN NO maer WIZ What SH their personal politics may be-
flo General is, Of course, very popular here"
believe he's been TO Gaena only once or twice since
the war began DO you see his presentation mousse o'o
We were standing on one Of the hills to the west Of the
cv-a hl dotted with scattered houses, ana mine ssits
near the rnIns OF the burned Academy and oVeroOkng
the town and the Fever River The rOunde. pus o o 40
opposite side OF the stream were crested WIN
Yorios STYLES from the simple cottage the first grade
above the board shanty, to the elegant vla ahu
pretentious cheap palace, In when certaD s d A tha
Eouse-bnilders delight Among these just beyond tie
railway station dscerble handsome th9ugn p R,an m
oyerhanRing roof and rear building Thls house was was
designated that given by the citizens ol u"c"
1T was tho property of merchant IN town con,
tinued my kindly communicative e9npnn,ohm, am H. InwbIer
abode SO the citizens bought the mousse am ,h "a
take charge of IT, and whenever General chooses to
| come TO Galena his bed is ready Tor hlm =,
this Information conveyed lne by my eampanon on
the hill Those who knew the Gentral the most init
anty VIII set the vote Of Gaena however personal
Opinion may differ as to his Presidential capacity
Evervbodv knows that Galena IL q lead city, The
leads pronounced d or Veins TSb Is cas s' s eSr Sr
lead the condition Of PaynS 70 fne tSe amount
eSeiyed for the sale thereof Gaena being situated on
group OF rambling hills half the streets run UP hil at an
SHS SSaS RtS pnbc Wooden and
hnd out certain clreuitous and winding pathwys me
streets practically thus pleasant ncOn OF the sur
Seyor and undoubtedly appear to great adysntase & a. on
the city maps On the crest OF one OF tne ns. "a w,
middle OF the road two men were at WORK. apparently
Bsnking an Artesan IN the middle OF the street, say:
20 myseif That's odd Let's look at it" SO looked
atIthat is 10 say approached the place, aud poked
sfna GyeT Tcred sho to & yelled ana
taneousy with their warning cry up came from tne Ts s
Samdity OF my withdrawal from the scene prac
tc display OF velocity rarely equaled by man or beast
un Ye" said they no damage done; but generally
it init safe hold your head blasting rock; ano
Thence arose conversation, from which learned
| Ito Tho derincnt OF my Artesian well theory that
on their own hook Having obtained permission
q the city suthones On he usual terms m t@s and
outlay the work bad cost them 800 aud they confidently
expected a %pS1 which IfSs always lies
OF the rock In big chunks all ready for sale Let wen
a9d this vein and all hey nave S 70 fS eO sSo abd
ESQ TO so 1900 pounds for the crude ore 0ne Oh tat
| WOrkers-a Old In years Dut youlhiu
! confidence in bis entcrprise-neryouSy showed me a
peculiar kpd of red clay just thrown UP, which he
declared only existed In the vicinity OF the mineral
The miners expected 20 follow the vein under certain
houses and gardens which they pointed out paying the
OF the property the customary onesNth Ihelr
sangine confidence I'm view OF the evidences OF dsap
pointed hopes oil around them the deserted shafts aud
| abandoned levels. really touching.
This digging for lead Is all matter OF guess. There
are OF the surface Indications which we used to
hear So much about during the oil fever. miner may
dig for hundred feet straight line and pass
within ward OF a productive "lead" without knowing
r. saw not out OF but IN Galena shaft sunk very
deep, twenty years ago. and then abandoned as Wholly
unproductivc few months since man took IL into MS
head 10 continue the abandoned Search and after work
ing only three further he struck productive mineral
vein and his fortune made. Along the Mississippi
shore near several levels or lateral shalts
sunk lower than surface OF the river The present
rise n that mighty stream has flooded them, and the
water Will bo pumped out after the river shall
have subsided,
From all this IL will be that lead mining quite as
much matter Of speculation or luck as oilhuntng or
| card playing. The SCARED hills around Gacna are, WIN
ali their real mineral wealth. the graves OF many sangu
Inc hopes aud hard earned fortunes
DISASTERS