The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1870-11-24
AN ISLAND OF SILVER.
Rennnrknblo Discovery on the North Shore
of Lake SupcriOr-An Argentifcrous Island

hennrknblo Discovery on the North Shore
OF Lake SupcriOr-An Argentiferou Island
Consisting Of 20 Per Cent. Of Ore.
We have before alluded TO the silver
island of the north shore of Lake Su-
perior, in the British possessions, just
below Thunder Cape, and some fifteen
miles beyond Fort William. The island
is quite small in dimensions--say one
hundred feet by forty-and the most of
it is submerged at high water; q small
part at one end is about eight feet above
the lake level. This island was entered
by the Montreal Mining Company, as
part of a tract embracing 10S,000 acres; ;
and the island was subsequently pur-
chased of them by Captain William B.
Frew formerly Of Portage Lake, and
superintendent of the South Pewaubic
copper mine), for himself and associates,
including amongst them Major Sibley,
of New York, a brother we think of
General Sibley, of st. Paul. The Mon
treal Mining Company first made the
discovery that the island contained sill
yer, 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 working
OF their mine was abandoned as useless.
1t was only this last summer that Cap
tain +. and his company completed their
bargain with the Montreal company for
the island and secured it by paying, or
agreeing to pay, S250,O00 for the entire
lOo,oO0 acres. They went Immediately
to work at improving the mine in a
workman-like manner" Their first
step was to surround the island with
cribs of timber, filled with stone, to
serve as breakwater and ice-brealIer /;
and within these cribs Golfer dam was
built and puddled with clay, having the
effect of making the whole interior of
the island nearly water-tight, at least
from the intrusions of the lake. The
next step was to set up large syphon
pump, worked by steam, by which the
inside was pumped dry, or nearly SO, and
it has since been found that very little
working of the pumps daily keeps the
island clear of water entirely. They
then went to work laying bare the vein,
and now have exposed seventy feet in
length, and find it to be true fssure
vein with perpendicular walls-the vein
of silver matrix being calcareous spar
vein is eight feet wide, and oye-witnesses
from there state that for one-quarter of
this width it will average 20 per cent. of
pure silver. On the first trial after the
water was first gotten out six men took
over $4,000 in four days: and up to the
latest accounts the working has been
continued at about this rate Already
1913 barrels of native silver, estimated to
be worth $4,000 to 100000, have been
shipped. The yield of the mine COM
puted by the ton is not less than a dol
lar to the pound The mine employs
now about forty men, and will increase
their force Immediately. The "royalty"
paid on this to the English government
is quite small-not exceeding one-twen-
tieth. Eyewitness of Intelligence,
Judgment, and experience report that
Captain Frew will probably take out of
next spring, from 81, 100000 TO s3,O00,000
i'll money value. The steamer Meteor
conveyed down the lakes on her trip be-
fore last sixty-two barrels of silver.
This silver island is no humbug, but an
actual, bona hde affair, in which the
most wonderful results have already
been attained, and all bids fair to make
in yield and richness the most remark
able mining discovery in this country
for many years. Some masses of silver
went down on the Meteor larger and
heavier than a man could lift. A part
Of the island vein, say two feet Of the
eight feet in width, is wonderfully rich,
and it is from this portion that the large
liver masses are extracted Other rich
mines of silver are reputed as having
been found on the main north shore in
the range of the silver island, and Cap
tain Hodson, Of Portage Lake, has gone
East to organize a company to work
them.-DaIuth NiHneS0tian.