The Findlay Jeffersonian. [volume] (Findlay, Hancock County, Ohio) 1870-1881, 1874-08-28
Avzil lo Z Lead Mining Town.

ME--E-. EDToRS.-By request | will
give YOU Il few items collected during my
recent visit 10 CRANKY. Missouri, the cen
tire Of one Of the greatest lead producing
district, in the United States.
The village, or city. as the people call
it. Is situated one mile south of the \. &
=. r. r.. 3gS miles southwest of ST.
Louis it Is situated on, and surround
cd on three sides, by high bluffs, and OH
the south side "a beautiful prairie
~trcrche, out for long distance.
The Gown l. built of small frame and
log houses principally, but boasts of a
few very good residences. The inhabi-
tantS are mostly miners and smelters.
But there are a good many trades peO-
pie; they are nearly all trying their for
~ nan can't live in mining town
unless he takes Il haud in the mines.
Tie land where most of the lead is OBJ
tanned is known a. section nine, and is
owned by the y. * =. Ry. company,
though Of late many shafts outside of
this district have struck mineral, and are
being worked TO advantage. The
wealth Of section pine. however, is al
most boundIesS; an immense sum has
been Offered for it, but was refused. 1t
iSnot for sale. As We understand it, the
land is leased out to different parties,
and the company get royalty Oh all the
ore raised. Large quantities of black
jack. or zinc blende, have been mined
with the lead, and, until within a COM
paratively short time, bad been piled up
and discarded, being considered worth
less. But now it is found TO be valua
bic. and these old piles are being torn
away and sold. This ore is shipped TO
st. Louis and there worked up.
The CRANKY Smelling and Mining
company composed chiefly of St. Louis
capitalists, own and control the whole of
the furnaces at CRANKY. There are
twelve blast furnaces and four air furna-
ces in. operation. The former are by far
the better. These produce about 40,
900 lbs. of pure lead per day. Each fur
mace furnishes employment for two
smelters at once, and their days work is
six hours. The two are furnished with
3, coo lbs of washed ore and they are
expected TO make 1900 lbs of good lead
from it. If they over-run this, they are
paid one cent per pound additional for
all they make over. If they can not
make the 1900 lbs, their wages are re-
duced proportionateIy. But they fire.
quentIy make from Slj to $50 per week
extra pay. The poisonous fumes of the
smoke from the furnace are very de-
structive to health, and but few can
stand il more than from one to two
years without feeling the effect very seri-
ousIy.
One curiosity of the town is the almost
entire absence Of dogs, eats, and rats.
These animals cannot live there on ac-
count of the poisonous smoke. We i'll
voluntarily exclaimed on hearing this,
what blessed town.
We spent some time inspecting a few
of the shafts. OF these there are said by
residents, TO be about 5000, but only
some 100, or over, are worked. But a
stranger Is surprised at the way the
earth is dug up. 1t appears as If every
man who could procure one foot ofland
had sunk shaft, expecting to find a
fortune beneath. How many are dis
appointed.
There are many things in CRANKY to
interest a stranger to such things. But
lack of space forbids an account gilmore
Of them. But we can say that the place
is well worth visit, and we shall re-
member with pleasure the day we spent
among it, busy people. J. w. II.