Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1875-08-31
LOITERTNG ON THE LAKES,
ne Great Ship Canal-The Iron aud
COPPER Interests OF Lake Superior
Inc Greatest Copper Mines in the
0nnum.
THE SALT STE MApvr

THE SAULT STE MARIE, August, 1875.
E6ucr StoT:-We stop here some hours, so 1
write from this wretchCd-looking old tow L.
Uncle Sam is digging and constructing
another canal, by the side of The old one
Inc second one is to enable the passage of
vessels each way at the same time, and also
10 permit the passage of vessels drawing
more water than can be fioated in the old
one. The sides of the new canal are to be
stOn" d, and the bottom is being heavily tim
bered and then doubly cross-planked, the
planes running lengthwise of the canal. The
water in the old one is admitted endwise: in
me new IL is 10 be let in from the bottom.
There is to be Onl y one lock in the new canal
ard there are, think, three in the old Some
year or TWO viii be required to complete the
work.
But to mining matters. There are two
mining interests, entirely separate from
each other. The iron interest has its local
commercial center at Marquette. l think
have before stated that Marquette is the
finest town in the Lake Superior country
1t would be deemed handsome tasteful
durably- built town anywhere. 1t has rail-
sense of latitude) world, although a little
clrculfous. Some of the ore that is smelted
AT TINS plice, or shipped away in gross, is
brought by rail thirty miles from the inte-
rior. The definite amount of iron of ali soris
ard forms produced here | was not able to
ascertain, but IL is, in sweeping terms inn
mense' Inc Quality, you know, is unsur-
passed. The price has ranged for the pig per
ION, ior Tome time, from SD TO S27, according
TO quality.
THE COPPER BONANZA
Houghton, 90 miles west, is the headGuar-
ters or The copper mining operations. Sew
eIal mines are now idle, for various reasons.
Inc great copper nine, however, OF the world
is the consolidated Calumet and Hecla mines
and now in ordinary conversation usually
called the Calumet. This is the richest cop
per Lime in existence anywhere, and pro-
pose 10 deal with 1T somewhat in detail. 1t
lies l. miles from HoughtOn, and a narrow
gauge railroad affords a ready, Intercourse be-
tween The town and the mine. Originally
mere were 10000 shares 10 each mine, and
these shares cost the original shareholders /
am told, in paid up instruments. about so.
when the consolidation of the two mines had
been erected, for every original share another
snare Yves issued aud presented as gratuity
y the shareholders, making an aggregate OF
soC00 shares. 1 observe by the Mining Ga
zette. published at Houghton, byJ. II. Dever-
eauX, esq, that the shares of the Calumet
were selling in Boston at Sl55.5O: this gives
capital valuation of so, 900. The divi-
deEds are made quarterly, and understand
amount 10 go per share, which is, if nv
arithmetic be not faulty. little over 13 per
cost annually.
But there is another view of this mine that
Is quite as interesting. 1t has been worked
atOut six years, and there is town environ
ing The mine of 5000 inhabitants: and the
hundrecs OF dwellings, rented TO the indus
III.
the various huge buildings used in the mining
operations, together with some churches and
very large school building, nearly conn
pIeted, which will cost so 900, have all been
erected at the expense of the receipts of this
great mine. Besides these Disbursements II
is SAID that the mine has an accumulated
turd OF about 600 for emergencies
what must be the aggregate receipts of the
Calumet TO date? / may add that about
TOO men are employed in emptying its CHM
merriam regions
All the mines that looked into. in this
COPPER region, have a very precipitous de-
scent, IN TACT but few degrees less than a
perpendlcular. This turning up of the strata
almost on the end, indicates, IL seems 10 me-
That at some remote period or periods there
%ere terrible terrestrial throes In this region
hut TX there mad not been, who can tell
whether the country of Lake Superior Wor, Id
ever nave oeen famous for copper bonanZas?
topper smelling is a specialty-a secret
arr am told. III is, If am rightly informed
SoIhethlng ike the making of tin plate
OILY Inc smelters know how IL is done. mere
are three establishments for smelling copper
az me corntry-one at UOughtOn, one at be-
rot. ana one at Baltimore. The Ole AT
baltimore, think, is not now in operation
Inc works at HOughtOn, or across the mar
row iake from EOughtOn, runs ont about II
IONS OF copper per day into four different
square blocks, weighing about two hundred
Iornds, In pigs and in square bars, about
three feet long. Cope, as this smelling
works turns IT out, is worth in New York,
ron - 10 Z}E cents PEI pound. Iron In the
pig ranges, according to quality, from So To
~ per ton. am not quite sure, with all
our preconceived ideas, that in this great
country OF ours neither copper, nor cotton,
out lroh is hlng l.. s. 4.