Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1878-03-28
the PRODUCTION OF LEAD ORE,

IN TIE LEAD REGIoN, FROM JANUARY
/, 1852, TO OCTOBER 1, 1876.
From Chamberlsn's Geology of Wisconsin.
During the progress of this survey,
much time and care have been devoted
to this portion OF the work, in writing
to and personally soliciting informs
ton from all persons possessed of it
and especially from the smelters. We
have sought to prepare statement Of
the amount of lead ore produced an
nually in each district, and com
bined estimate of the total amount fol
the Lead region.
Had 1t been possible, it would have
been preferable to prepare the state.
ment of each district from the mines
therein contained; but it is seldom
that a written account has been kept
by the owners, of the lead ore pro-
duced from any range, mine, or dig
gings, extending back sufficient
number of years to furnish the infor-
nation required.
Statements of the production of in.
dividual mines and ranges have been
frequently furnished, aud when they
were believed TO be reliable, they
have been incorporated in the proceed
ing part of the report. Such state
ments, however, are usually based on
the memory of the persons who give
them, and are therefore somewhat la
BILE to error.
The lead ore produced in each dis
trict is seldom exported from it as
such, but it is usually reduced by the
furnaces of that district, and then ex-
ported as pig lead. Therefore it was
believed that the most accurate sta
tistics could be obtained from the
books of the smelters; accordingly
circular letters have been sent to each
of them, to which in most instances
they Immediately responded, giving a
full and complete statement taken di.
rectly from their books, and leaving
nothing further to be desired. Some
were unable to do so, as their old &C
counts were lost or misiaid, and some,
perhaps, were unwilling to have de
tailed statement of their business pub.
lished. All who did not respond TO
the circular were personally visited,
and statement giving the general
average obtained. Although some Of
the individual statements herewith
submitted may be liable to slight err
ror, yet it is confidently believed that
the estimates are, as whole, rather
too small than too large; and that
they are as reliable as it. is now posi-
BILE to make them. We are thus ena-
bled to give the products of the sepa-
rate parts of the district, and a total
of the whole.
In presenting these statistics, be-
sides the product of the furnace, some
remarks will be added as to the local.
tiles OF the mines which form its sup
ply, and the number and kind of fur.
naces.
BEETOwN DISTRICT.
Commencing in the western por
ton of the Lead region and proceed
ing eastward, the first is the Beetown
furnace, in which is smelted all the ore
OF the Beetown diggings, together
with that Of Muscalonge, Nip and
Tuck and Hackett's diggings.
The furnace is owned and operated
by Hon. Christopher Hutchinson, by
whom it was built in 1868. Previous
to that time, all of the ore of the
above mentioned district was smelted
az Potosi. 1t is reverberatory fur
mace, known as Drummond, with
capacity of 5000 pounds of ore in
twenty-four hours.
1t consumes one and three-fourths
cords of oak wood. and is operated by
two men. The number of pounds of
lead ore smelted, from June 10, 1868,
to October l, 1879, is as follows: