Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1877-12-13
Grant County Mines and Miners.

4
what was said of the Beetown Dis
trict. We give below what is sale
of the
| HAZEL GREEN DISTRICT.
The Hazel Green district exhibits
considerable activity at present il
mining operations /; and the reports
of shelters in this vicinity show tha
a large amount of ore,is raised here
During the years 1872 and 1878, min
ers were attracted to other localities
by the prospect of higher wages
which caused temporary decrease
in the production of lead ore The
mines, however, remained unimpaired
The miners have now returned, and
the mines have regained their norma
| productive condition.
The most remunerative and contin,
uously productive portion of the dis,
trict is the property of the Haze
Green Mining Company, otherwise
known as Crawford, Mills 81 Co. i
is situated on the N. w. or. of Sec
80, part of the S. w. ar. of Sec. 80
part of the N. E. or. of Sec. 80, part
of the S. E. or. of Sec. 10, the S. w
Or. of Sec. 10, the N. W. or. of Sec
10, the w. hf. of the S. w. or. of Sec
Is, all in T. l, r. E.; also the N. e
or. of Sec. "a, and the E. hf. of Sec
25, L. 1, r. /, W., comprising in all
eleven hundred and six acres, on
which over four hundred and fifty dis.
tinct mineral veins haYe been discov.
cred and worked.
During the early days of mining
these grounds were worked from the
surface as deep as was then possible,
which was only about thirty-fve feet
when they had to be abandoned.
Pumping was tried on some of the
larger bodies of ore, but as Q. general
thing was found to be too expensive
to be very remunerative, an account
OF the vast amount of water which
the ground contained. In the year
1862, Crawford, Mills & Co. com
menced their level from a point on
the Hard Scrabble Branch, and have
been working it continuously ever
since. It's total completed length is
now about four thousand feet
1t is feature of this ground that it
is traversed by several bars or belts
of ground which is very hard and i'm
pervious to water. AS soon as the
level is driven through one of them,
it unwaters the ground in all direc-
tons to the next bar.
Sometime in the year 1871, one OF
those bars was reached which was so
hard that blasting with powder made
but little impression on it. AS an ex-
pertinent, nitro glycerine was tried
and gave the greatest satisfaction, so
much indeed that factory has been
established here, an2 it is gradually
being introduced into the mines. 1t
is at present used in Dubuque, Gale
ma, New Diggings and several other
places. 1t was at first regarded with
some dislike and distrust by the min
ers, but this prejudice is fast being
overcome, and nitro-glycerine or
some Of its compounds will probably
supplant gunpowder in the mines at
no distant day. The factory at Hazel
Green produced, during the first three
years, about three thousand pounds of
nitro-glycerine, and the demand is
steadily increasing.
On account of the position of the
bars, it was found necessary to make
three branches to the level, one of
which is now completed and is grad
ually draining the western part Of the
ground. The northern branch when
completed will undoubtedly unwater
the rest of the ground.
This level is an evidence of what
can be done by scientific mining,
when carried on persistently and sys-
tematically, with sufficient capital, APP
piled with foresight and sagacity. 1t
has cost the company twelve years of
time and about 100000. It's results
are, that it has already repaid the out.
lay of capital by the ore raised from
the ground unwatered by it, which
would otherwise have been inaccessi-
BILE. When completed, it will unwa>
ter the ground 1876 feet below the nat
ural water level on the ridge. 1t fur
nishes employment to about 80 min
ers during the mining season, which
without it, would hardly exceed half
a dozen.
Quite large and clear stream of
water is discharged from the mouth
of the level, and is at present used to
operate a furnace and three wash
places.
The ore in the Hazel Green mines
is usually found in sheets; this is its
characteristic mode of occurrence.
The ranges are approximately east
and west, or north and south, the
former being the most productive.
Ore is also sometimes found in large
punches or pockets, containing some-
times several thousand pounds, and
occasionally in openings. The pock-
cts are often lined with large and very
regular cubes, afording handsome
cabinet specimens. The total pro-
duction since the discovery of these
mines has been carefully computed
from the smelter's accounts at about
100000 pounds. Their present
product is about 100000 pounds per
annum.
Mining in this vicinity is confined
to the upper half of the Galena lime
stone, which is here present in its en-
tire thickness, the clay of the lower
beds of the Cincinnati group being
found near the village, on the road to
Galena. A section of the strata from
the top of the ridge to the level would
present approximately the following
features:
DOH anu HlHbS. .....,..., 10 1eet.
Galena limestone. 70
Shales or thin layers of limestone. 10 Sc
First clay opening. ............ 10
Second clay opening ............., 30 "
Flint opening to floor of level $3.50. 90 "
Total thickness ............ loo
The following are the parties who
are now engaged in mining on the
company's land or have been during
the course of the nresent suryev.