Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1870-11-18
From the Daluth Minneso.ian, Oct. 20.
AN ISLAND OF SILVER,
Remarkable Discovery on the North Shore
OF Lake Superior.

We have before alluded to the silver is
land on the north shore Of Lake Superior,
in the British possessions, just below
| Thunder Cape, and some fifteen miles be-
yond 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; a small part at one end is
| about eight feet above the lake level. This
island vas entered by the Montreal Mining
Company as part of a tract embracip 6
los, 900 acres, and the island was subse,
quently purchased of them by Captain
William B. Frew, formerly of Portage
Lake, and Superintendent of the South
Pewaubic copper mine, for himself and
| associates, including among them Major
OF General Sibley of st. Paul. The
Montreal Mining Company first
made the discovery that the
| island contained silver, and %y their
agents sunk shaft on the island; but
| these knew little or nothing about mining,
and the water coming in upon them, fur
| ther working of their mine was abandoned
as useless. It was only this last summer
that Captain F. and his company complet-
ed their bargain with the Montreal COM
pany for the island, and secured it by
paying, or agreeing to pay, $3.50, 900 for
the entire 1O8, 900 acres. They went i'm
mediately to work at improving the mine
in "workman-like manner" The ir first
step was to surround the island with cribs
of timber, filed with stone, to serve as
break water and ice breaker and within
these CRIBS a coffer-dam vas built and
puddied with clay. having the effect of
making the whole interior of the island
nearly waterhght, at least from the in
trusions of the lake. The next step was
to set up large syphon pump worked by
steam, 10y which the island was pumped
dry. or nearly SO, and it has since been
found that a very little working
of the pumps daily keeps the
island clear of water entirely
They then went back to work laying bare
the vein, and now have exposed seventy
feet in length, and find it to be true is-
sure vein with perpendicular walls-the
vein of silver matrix being calcareous spar
with some little quartz intermixed. The
vein is eight feet wide, and eye-witnesses
from there state that TOR one quarter of
this width it will average 70 per cent. of
pure silver. On tho first trial after the
water was first gotten out six men took
over $35. 900 in four days; and up to the
latest accounts the working has been con-
tinued at about this rate. Already 123
barrels of native silver, estimated to be
worth $75, 900 to 100000 have been
shipped. The yield of the mine computed
by the ton is not less than a dollar to the
pound The mino 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-twentieth. Eye wit
nesses of intelligence, judgment and
experience report that Captain Frew
will probably take out of sill
yer, up to the opening OF navigation next
spring, from one million to three million
dollars in money value! The steamer
Meteor conveyed down the lakes on her
trip before last sixty-two barrels of silver.
This silver island is no humbug but an
actual, bona fde affair. in which the
most wonderful results have already
been obtained, and all bids fair to
make in yield and richness the
most remarkable mining discovery
in this country for many years.
Some masses of silver went down on the
Meteor larger and heavier than q man
could lift. A part of the island vein, say
two feet of the eight feet in width, is won
derfully rich, and it is from this portion
that the large silver masses are extracted.
Other rich mines of silver are reported as
having been found on the main north
shore in the range of the silver island, and
Captain Hodson, of Portage Lake, has
gone East to organize a company to work
them