Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1884-12-25
STATE NEWS
WEALTH IN MICHIGAN.
An Extract from Commissioner swine
ford's Report,


An Extract from Commissioner swine
Eords Report.
Hon. A. p. Swineford, Commissioner
of Mineral Statistics, in his forthcoming
report, says that the Ropes mine mas
shown that gold and silver do exist IN
paying quantities in the Upper PENN
sula. He says: "Mr. Ropes patiently
and persistently pursued his researches,
until at last he was rewarded by the
discovery of what is believed to be the
mother vein, from which the smaller
ones are probably OILY ramifications.
This has now been exposed in number
of pits and shafts for continuous
length of about 800 feet, tho vein being
from six to Is feet in width, with regu.
lar and we'll defined walls, the foot-wall
being q talcose schist, heavily charged
with mineral. 1t is we'll known that
the talcose schist is the gold repository
in all the richest gold fields in the
world, while here the free gold and sill
yer in the quartz is often plainly visible
to the naked eye. A large number of
ANALYSES of this rock we're made, many
by parties wholly disinterested, the
results varying all the way from $40 to
$500 in gold and silver, the latter
mineral st first predominating.
The minerGhzed quartz comes from the
mine in such shape that but a small
proportion of it requires to be put
through the Blake crusher, the major
portion of the rock going directly to
the stamps. On the suggestion of the
Working Superintendent, M. j. Crow.
two vanners have been provided for
each gang of five stamps, and the re-
suit is large saving in mineral. Tests
have shown that not over 81 80 per ton
of gold and silver now escapes in the
taiiings, and Mr.. Crow assured the
writer of this that the rock that they
are now milling will yield fully $l5 per
ton. Since the mill started up on the
10th of the current month (November)
up to the 21st, the estimated product is
$1,000 an average of $3.50 per day.
This average can be very considerably
increased as the machinery Is got
into more perfect running order, and
the mill strikes its gait The cost OF
milling at present is not over "a per
ton, charging against the work every
possible item, with double the number
of stamps and vanners it may be reduc-
ed to SO. The productiveness of the
enterprise can be easily calculated
from the figures above given, and that
these will be substantiated by further
developments the writer is compelled
to believe, after an impartial examina-
ton on the mine itself, and the pro-
cesse5 by which the mineral is extract
ed from the rock in which nature hid it
away, seemingly to put human ingen-
uitr and industry to the test, and pro-
vide their possessors a rich reward for
scientific and patent labor, well per-
sisted in"
Lapeer County Poor House Burned.
The Lapeer County Poorhouse was
destroyed by fire ON the night of the 18th
inst, one life being sacrificed. The fire re-
suited from a defective chimney, and
as the inmates had all retired it was
only through the energy manifested by
Poormaster Austin that they were
taken from the building. The 81 in
mates were all got out but one Bertha
Roswell demented girl, became
greatly excited and ran back into the
burning building and was burned to a
crisp. Another inmate, Phoebe Sails
bury, ran a distance of two miles be-
fore she could be captured, and when
found was almost frozen, having no
clothing to protect her from the inclem-
ent weather save her night wear. The
rescued people were kindly cared for
by citizens living in the vicinity of the
fire. The loss of the Poor House will
reach $4,000, with about $4,000 in
surance, The buildings were old,
thrown together like patchwork, and
the county will now be able to put q
respectable and safe asylum.