, 1874-06-20
Report Of tho State Geological Survey
for 1860 to 1873, Inclusive.
The Iron and Copper Regions,
and Their Products.
Method and Cost Of Mining specular
and Magnetic Ores.
Synopsis Of tho Mining Laws Of
tic State.

Special Correspondence Of The Chicago Tribune.
LAasrsu, Mich, June 10, 1874
From tho recently publislod report Of tho
progross OF tho Geological Survey of tho State Of
Michigan, embracing tho ropor! Of Prof. T. 3.
Brooks on lron-Doarlug Rocks, TINT Of Prof.
pumpolly OIL Coppnr-l}onrnE Rooks, and that OF
DR.. Rumiugar du paloozoo Rocks, abstract tho
following items OF gonoral interest. Tho work
In published In two handsome yonmos, flluBtrat-
cd with numerous cuts, niid accompanied by IN
atlas Ut charts, forming Q complete manual Of
information rolatiyo to tho finding transporting,
md smelling of iron mud other oros Of tho Luke
Superior rogion.
THE rRERrNT SURVEY
was fnuugnratod by net Of thu Legislature in
1919, untlcr tho direction Of Board couEHting
Of the Governor, President Of tho Doard Of
Education, aud Superintendent Of Public H.
Htructon, with Prof. Wincllol Of Tho State
University. rs Director Of Surveys; Under tho
auspices Of which the nrosent work Ia published.
Tic existence Of copper III this region was
made known as curly III 1886, by In Gardo, In t.
book published ut paris, md waA noticed and
reported by various trnyelera down to It'll. when
4 company was fornoil III England, wllloh acts,-
ally began mining operations on tho Ontonagon
River, which failed in the noxt year, Oil account
Of tho Distance OF the markets.
Tho frat scientific exploration was undertaken
in 1881, by tho first State Goologls, DR.. 11ongh-
ton, whoso report, presented to the State Legis-
latufo in 1871, first dreotcd tho atsontiun Of tho
world to the Upper Peninsula, hs being ono Of
Natures grnnt Repositories of tho useful motals.
Tho oariy md rapid development Of tho
mineral resources Of tho Uppor Peninsula is
largely duo among other things, to tho fnct that
f1,o limit tn1 Ef0fra Tfnant Eurvnr arnfrpnoG
logical observations, tho yaluo 0f Which WAS
gteatly enhanced by tho uRo Of Bnrt'B Bolar
eo1npass, which onahed the Survey to give tic
locations OF th0 magnetic ores.
These DEVELOPMENTS led, in tho summer Of
1916. to the formation ut Jaoksot, in this State,
Of a company, during tho preliminary oxnlora-
tionE Of which the specimens uf orc cuiected
we're mndo, In August Ut tho same year, into 4
bar Of iron at blsckslnith's forge, Which ,yas
tho
FIRST BAR OF LAKE SUPERIOR IRON,
The Company began smelling in i84S. md tho
frat iron ina,le wAn used by Capt L. b. Ward,
Of Detroit, III this construction Of the Btoa,nhuat
Ocean. LII 1856, owing to tho difficulties ici-
dent to q new country, tho work waa abandoned.
However, in 1858. tho Company had hecn 1oor-
ganized Under chartnr from tho Legislature, I'M
dor the title OF the Jaclaon Iron Company, and
tho work WAS prosecuted with Improbable re-
suits. and down TO 1860 tho history OF tile Com
pany waB ono Of disappointment and financial
embarrasR1nont. Tile graAt demand for iron
occaHonetl by tho War caused tue irou-imtorcssa
OF Lnko superior to iAsuHo very successful as-
poet, ind IN 1862 tho Company WIS al,le for the
first time III its history, to make II dividend.
The locality Of tho 1nine waH discovered by an
Indlan chief named Maniikijik, who was granted
large intcrurt In tho nlimn; but tho ut;rne-
ment with linn wns not fulfilled, md he liell In
poverty.
Tho work Of tic geological survey Of
THE CorpER-rIsTRlGTn.
in 1870 and 1872, WIS conlnod chiefly to the con-
struolion Of as parfoct HDrieH OF cross-gectiuns
III circumstances would permit, In tho Portage
Lake, Calumet, and Eagle River districts. 10
obtnln the croAa-soctinns which accompany this
report u waa necessary to make an accurate tri-
angulution Of the country examined without
which it would be impossible to represent In
thoir relative positions. ~ very uneven conn-
try, tho outctoppings of tle very numerous thin
b0ds Of nearly similar rocks, possosAtng varying
thirlsHesaes, an almost constantly y-changing
course, aud h'gh and varying degroa Of iacllua~
ton.
AGE OF corrEn-BEA1I1sa noCKs.
Kewcenlw Point, from it's beginning ut the
Montreai River to whore its extreme point il
boaton by tho storms ut tho middle OF tile great
hike, III formed by two stratigrap4icallY, anti Qor
tho greater party itho!ogically, distinct forina-
tiOns. Tho question Of AEe Of tllese two fornlA-
tlonB has given rise to considerable discussion.
L1TuoLo1y OF CorrEll NoCKs.
Tn the imnodiate neiEhborhond OF Portage
Lake, the strata composing tho Alinernt Range
have uniform trend Of north 35 dog. east, aud
u regular dip OF IS to 90 deg to wast-northwost.
Tho sorios consist Of beds Of 1nolaplyro, varying
in thickness from 20 foot to moro thau 100 foot,
tho demarkhtiop being frequently defined by tho
amygdatoidal or epidotio character OF tho upper
portion OF each bed.
At intervals, varying from few yards % sey-
eral thousand feot. beds OF oongoIleratB occur,
intorcalntcd III the veins.
TAiH Is tho general character Of the country
near portage Lake, for distance Of about .
miles, measured wezt-northwest aoross the forin~
alton.
coNaLoMERATEs.
The cong1omcratos Of Portage Lake differ
from oach other but little. il Ut all, in 1itlo-
logical chaxaetoristies. The pebbles vary from
the aiSo Of pea to QUO ioat or moro n ~ diane
The different bcds ynry in thickness from mere
eoamY to several hundred feet, aud tho sams
bod often varies gronty III thlck!oss.
1t is 4 rclnarkauio fact that. whilo all the con-
pebbles Of qnartz-porpliyry, thosa IN tue neigh
borhood OF Calumet are chsractorizod by peh-
bleH rich III graias OF quartz. This abrupt
change takes place about /; miles northeast Of
the like. From the nolghborhood of "Mahbs
yoin n to Within. say 900 feet east Of tho "1kle
Royalo yeln," thoto il d tendency, among tho
different trapB, to q compact or Ane-gralucd
texture. with dark-green, utmost llaok color
sometimes slightly lnotsled, especially Oh tho
woathor-Burface. The fracture il brilliant,
cause small bits Of tho rock 10 adhere to tho
magnet.
METHOD AND COST OF MINING spEcuLAn AND
MAGNETIC ORES.
THO iron-ores ot the Marquette region ara
mostly extracted in opon exeayatlons; honco
tue Proccss il moro nearly allied to quarrying.
Several attempts ut underground work lIavo
boel made, which hayo not, un tho Whole, been
successful. Tho Edwards Mino has been almost
entiroly wrought by cal.tllaliyht. The s!ato oro~
pit No. of tho Now Enga'u Mine WIS workod
iu the sn.ao way, uB s alao tho pionoor Furnaco
pit Of tho Jackson Mino. Tho Champion Alino
waa. oponca systematically for underground
work, with two levels 60 feot apart, aud thrco
ahafts nj aistaucua apart along the bott OF 200
foot bnt this idea Inns been 10 far modified that
one-tIlrtl Of tho oro IL mined by daylight. Tho
Cleveland Niue las rcceu:!y eolnnsotlcel to mine
considerable ORC underground.
6cvora! other mines llasa, from tia'o to time.
worked underground Htopes but, 30 far, only
temporarily. II Hucl, stopoa could not be opaned
ols to dAylttght. they hayo, usually boom
abandoned. III brief, It may bo said that no
considerable amount Of orc las M yet (ls7W
boon ,nlnol underground IN this region, and. Of
f1.ntu 81 t,uoh hnaI fI1{o n+