Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1882-08-27

Rumors have been current on the
street for six or seven weeks past as to the
discovery of bed or vein of magnetic
iron ore at the Harvester works, about
three miles frOm the center Of The city,
but the parties possessing the secret have
remained very reticent on the subject
.until short time since, when the matter
began to leak out, and we now have the
pleasure of presenting all the facts in the
case from a source entitled to the highest
credit. Itseems that the increasing de-
mGndS of the, Harvester works induced
he directors to commence the boring of
an artesian well to procure water, and
for this purpose they en-
ployed Mr.. Carey and his
son, who had had experience in this line
for the past twenty five years, and the
well was commenced inside of the build
ing and near the foundry room. The
pipe was six inches in diameter and was
driven by steam, and when rock was
reached a six II ch drill was employed to
cut thrcugh it. The Messrs. Carey pros
ecuted their work with vigor, passing
through some three hundred and odd
feet of drift deposit and coming down
upon a white quartz, through which the
drill passed, penetrating slightly color
ed sand rock some seventy-five feet; then
changing to fine grained character;
then becoming oXydized with iron, max
ing in all about 233 feet of hard sub
stance through which the DIR i'll was driv-
en-, some forty feet Of which possessed
layers of hard substances, and
indicating an iron vein or
bed. The substance brought up at this
depth, was similar TO green mud, and
to the experienced mineral0gist indicated
the
CHLORIDE OF IRON.
Then Mr.. Carey began to weary Of try
ing to get on with his work, but he had
before met intrudiag obstacles in his
path, and believing that he could over
come them, pushed ahead, and not until
he had been batiied in making progress
did he communicate the fact TO gentle
man connected with the Harvester works,
whom he assured he could proceed no
ing only several inches per day, instead
of some ten or fifteen feet, which he
ought to make in the same length of
time. This fact was communicated to
the president of the works, Mr New
comb, who began to examine the hard
substance which impeded the action
of the drill, and on hav-
ing it washed, he discovered that
it was metallic and was generally sup
posed by those who saw it, to be copper.
1t was submitted to the inspection of
several gentlemen who were at loss to
know what il was, when Mr. Newcomb
handed It to Maj. Newson, who at once
pronounced it iron of a very superior
quality and peculiar character. He was
instructed to assay it and send report,
which he did as far back as the 20th
of June, and his report is herewith
submitted for the first time to the pub
lie:
FIRST ASSAY AND REPORT OF MAI. NEwsoN.
sT. PAUL. MIMI, June 20, 1882.
Charles z. Newcomb, Esq, President Harv-
ester Works, ST. Paul, MIMI:
DEAR SIR-The metallic material you sub
mitJ=d 10 me, as having come from the bor-
ingS of an artesian we'll six hundred feet deep,
ii your manufacturing establishment, has
been carefully analyz4d chemically and COM
mercally, oy me, and found to be mixture
of iron, al least from sixty TO seventy per cent
metal, and have made the discovery that il is
associated with more valuable mineral re-
sembling platinum. The metallic substance,
after having been under heat reaching 5000
three times, failed to fuze; and sulphurlc and
muriatlc acids do notiuz5 1t, while in nitric the
iron Is rapidly dissolved and the resduum re-
semblcs metallic platinum of a brifhs steel
gray color L am inclined to believe, as you
bore into the bed or vein, you will tiud the
metal very valuable one. Of course know
nothing of the quantity OF this mineral,
nor can this be Gscertained Only through the
boring OF diamond drill or the sinking of
shaft. Ii the mineral exists in vein, as I
am inclined to think it does, by boring with
your diamond drill some eight or ten feet,
This will pass through the side of the vein. as
it no douot dips at an angle of forty-five de-
grees, and you may pass down into a good
body of water. Ii il is simply he'd of metal.
you can learn its depth by boring and Its ex-
tent IN feet by further investigation. The
fact that your present, boring apparatus will
not penetrate the metallic substance more
thaa one or two inches day, is sufficient
evidence that you have a solid body of ore and
not pocket. 1t is possible it may BE- part of
dlSintegrated iron vein, brought down by the
drift period, or glacial deposit, but the pecu-
liar character of the white quartz through
which you passed, as well as the green col
o4OO AOSh OF IRON, are eVI-
dences OF a solid bed of ore. l would recon-
mend further investigation. Truly yours,
T. NJ. NEwsoN.
CONCLUSIONS OF MR.. MARINER
Following this announcement, Mr..
Dean, one of the directors, went to Chi
c&go, to see about diamond drill, and on
presenting the iron obtained from the
hole to MIR. Bullock, that gentleman ex-
pressed great surprise at such remark
able discovery, and as the drill could not
just then be procured, he advised Mr..
Dean to call upon noted assayer, Mr..
Mariner, and get his opinion of the mat
ter. Mr.. nj. IS first report tailed with that
of Maj. Newson, with the exception that
he made the percentage of iron larger.
In supplementary report, he says:
CHICAGO, June %, 1SS2.-This cerlifes that
have tested two samples marked "large''
and "small' respectively, for iron, with the
following results:
Lump marked Large" contained 50. IA per
cent. of iron.
Lump marked "small'' contained 81 per
cent. of iron.
Beside the above percentages of metallic
iron they contained carbon in considerable
proportion, and other constituents not deter