The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1870-10-27

land, and tow them to the required posi-
ton by means of tug boat, which was
chartered for the purpose This was done
in 13 working days by force of 30 men.
1t must not be understood that silver ore
is found through the whole width of the
lode. 1t occurs in extensive pockets, and
is in places quite massive, pieces OF 500 to
500 pounds having been thrown out by a
single blast. 1t is not reasonable to ex-
pect this deposit Of ore to continue to any
great depth, if past experience in silver
mining countries is taken into considera-
ton Should it do so, it will be an excep-
ton in silver mining. That it is wonder
fully rich lode there is no gainsaying.
The miners working it are most of them
interested pecunarily, which will in a
measure account for the unparalleled
amount of work done by them in so short
a time. The average time of working
while the crib work was building was Is
hours per day. The whole work is as sub
stantial as anything Of the kind which can
be found on either Of the lakes.
WE are pleased to see that real live,
energetic Company have at last taken hold
Of one of the silver mines around Thunder
Bay, Lake Superior, in Canada. The mag
nifcent result given above Of only few
weeks operation goes to prove what was sta
ted in the Superior Gazette year or two ago
about the richness of this district.
Soon after the first lode was discovered,
we stated that for surface indications
on true genuine silver veins this was per-
haps the richest district ever found on the
American continent. White Pine, in Ne
vada, had its irregular deposits or pockets,
at first very rich, but it turns out they were
mostly accidental, with but few true veins.
The Thunder Bay district shows very per-
feet lodes, distinct on the surface, some of
them from Is to "a feet wide, and tracea-
BILE for miles by taking their general course
with compass and prospecting on the
line.
In the spring Of 1867 the Joniia
Mining Co., composed of Cincinnati and
Kentucky gentlemen, loc atcd several thou
sand acres of this mineral land they start
ed to develop one Of their lodes on a small
capital. The Canadian parliament during
the winter of 1s67-'6s, listening to the
most exaggerated reports of the richness of
their government lands in this district,
withdrew them for awhile from market;
also passed laws amounting to almost an
absolute restriction on any further attempt
at mining Even the Crown land office re-
fused for time to issue patents on thou
sands of acres that had been applied for
These impediments put stop to the oper
ations of this, the first Silver Mining Com
pany started on the North Shore of
Lake Superior. A misunderstanding among
the proprietors, or more properly a want
of funds, prevented their resuming opera
tions even after the next Parliament re-
pealed all these obnoxious laws and regu-
lations.
In the summer of 1868 another
Company called the Thunder Bay Mining
Co., composed mostly Of parties connected
with the Hudson Bay Co., started mining
operations on a larger scale, on what was
termed the "Original discovery" Their
prospects were very encouraging so long
as they worked. They ceased operations
last year, not from any want of success, or
failure in their mine, but from causes too
numerous and not in our province to men
ton.
The present Detroit Company under
the management of Capt. VIM. B. Frue,
who by the way, has the reputation of be-
ing the most successful Superintendent of
Copper Mining ever on Lake Superior,
may be said to be the first real legitimate
adventure in silver mining in this district.
From what we learn of Capt. Frue's char
acter for energy, and from the showing he
has already made, as evidenced by the
above, we may soon look tor startling re-
suits. The Captains friends say he knows
no such word as fail, and we of our own
knowledge know there is every evidence
that the lodes are not only genuine, true
bearing silver lodes, but wonderfully rich
so far as they have been tried. Messrs.
Willard s. Rogers of Ontonagon bring con-
frmatorv accounts of the above wonder
tul operations of Capt. Frue. AS an evil
dence of the richness of this vein, and of
the faith the parties working have, it is
stated by Capt. Frucs friends that he
agrees to take for his services in these
mining operations, from about the 5th OF
Sept. to the close Of navigation, say about
two mouths working time, one half of the