The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1870-11-17
An E.,auS of silver.

We have before alluded to the silver island !
Of the uorth shore of Lake. superior. In the
British possessions, just below Thunder Cape, I
and some fifteen miles beyond Fort William. I
The island is quite tmal in dimensions
say one hundred feet by foFiy-and the most i
OF it is submerged At high water; small |
part at one end is about eight feet above the i
lake level. This island was entered by the !
Montreal Mining Company. as part OF
tract embracing los, 900 acres; and the |
island was subsequently purchased of them
bv Captain William B. Frew. (formprly of
Portage Lake, and Superintendent of South
Pewaubic copper mine). for himself and as
socistes. including amongst them Major Sib-
lev Of New York, brother We think OF
General Sibley, of st. Paul. The Montreal
Mining Company first made the dircovery
that the island contained silver, and by their
agents sunk shaft on the island /; but these
knew little or nothing about mining. and.
the water coming in upon them, further
wol king of their mine vas abandoned as
useless 1t was only this last summer that
Cautain +. and his company completed their
bargain with the Montreal company for the
island, and secured it by paying, or agree
ipg n pay two hundred and fifty thousand
dollars for the entire one hundred and eight
! thousand acres. They went Immediately TO
! manlike manner" their frtt step was to
! surround the island with cribs of timber.
! filed with stone. to serve as a break water
] snd icebreaker: and within these cribs a
! c. fer dam was bnit and puddled with clay.
7 having the effect of making the whole iDte-
! rior Of the island nearly wstertight, at least
! from the intrusion Of the lake. The next
step was to set mp large syphon pump,
woIk ked by steam. by which the inside was
/ rumped drv, or nearly so. and it has since
| been found that very little working OF the
pumps daily keeps the island clear II water
entirely. They then went 10 wrrk laying
bare the vein, and now have exposed seven
ty feet in length. and find il to be a true
fs.ure vein with perpendicular walis-t he
vein of silver matrix being calcareous spR-
with some little quartz !ntermxed. The
vein is eight feet wide and eye-R illnesses from
there state that for one quarter Of this width
it will average 20 per cent. of pure silver.
On the frat trial after the wa'er WAS frft
gotten nut six men tool over $35 GOO in four
DAYS. and up to tfe latest accounts the work
ing bas been continued at about this rate
Already I2S barrels Of native silver. estima-
ted to be worth from SIS 600 to 300 600
have been shipped. Tho yield Of the mine
computed bY the ton is not less thnn dol
: Ter to the pound The mine employs now
about forty men, and viii increase thell
force Immediately, the royalty" paid OF
, this TO the English government is quite small
= not exceeding one-tWentieth. Eye-wit
nesses Of Intelligence, judgment and expert
9 ence report that Captain Frew will probably
: take ont Of silver. up to the opening Of nsv
igstion next spring, from 81 900 600 to S..
coo 600 in money value! The sieame
Meteor conveyed down the lakes on her 'rjE
before last sixty-twn barrels of silver. Th
silver island is no humhng, but an actual
bona ffGe affair in which 'he most wonderful
results have already been obtained. and al
: bids fair TO make in yield and richness tn
e most remarkable mining discovery in thi
country for many years. Some masses 2
d silver went down on the Meteor larger sp'
heavier than man could lift A part q
the island vein. say twn feet nj the e'gh
E feet in width. IS woEde fully rich, and it
a from this portion ,AsJ .ao large silver mnEs
|, es are -xtr6cled. 0ther r.c.. Hrtnrs q siiTe
: are rapr:ad IS .8Ying beca foaai on Ia
d n,ain north shore n - .E"ga cf the silTe
r island, ard Captain ilodson u Portage Lake
has gone east II orgsnige a company
9 work them - Duluth MinnesofiGr, Oct 20