Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-07-23

while on the spot
AT THE QUARRY.
For miles around the quarry the plains are
covered with the rings which mark the sites
where Indian lodges were once established and
everywhere are scattered fragments Of pipe
stone, representing the waste of manufacture.
This material seems to have been selected by
the savages because Of its beauty and softness
when fresh. The latter quality renders it easy
to carve. while subsequently it becomes ex-
tremely hard. Its color is an exquisite Indian
red. Much Of the carving work done on the
pipes is of highly artistic quality. Some Of
tn specimens secured by Prof. Holmes, who
made the collections referred to, would do
credit to the most skilled workers in meer-
schaum.
THE PrPEsToNE DEPOSIT
described is the only one Of its kind in this
country. 1t is a stratum Of an unusually hard
red clay, the edge of which is exposed along the
side of hill. At the beginning there could
have been no difficulty in procuring il from its
native bed, but the labor Of quarrying it has
become very great owing to the fact that the
edge Of the stratum has been removed, and IN
order to get more it is necessary to dig down
through several feet Of quartzite. The stratum
being horizontal the slant Of the hill covering
1t makes the toll incidental to working the
quarry progressively more severe. Pickax and
shovel are the implements utilized for the pur-
pose by the Indians, who have not Is yet learned
the art Of blasting.
THE VALUABLE STRATUM.
On account Of the difficulties attending the
mining Of the pipestone 1t is quite q precious
substance piece one foot square being worth
from 90 to s3 in the crude. The stratum de-
scribed is about twelve inches in thickness and
seems to be evenly continuous for an indefinite
distance through the hill. However. only two
inches of this thickness Is Of good quality
being smooth to the touch and free from grit
or recent years the Indians have learned how
to inlay the pipes with silver and other metals,
performing this kind Of work in a manner very
artistic. They do all the pipemaking. the labor
involved being too great TO pay the white man
for his time. White people buy the pipestone
and make many other articles out Of il for sale,
from q complete house down to miniature pieces
Of furniture and trinkets.
The fact that this pipestone quarry was re-
garded rs sacred is indicated by extensive pic
tographs on the rocks in the vicinity of certain
huge boulders found on the spot. representing
aboriginal gods and other things of religious
significance.
PREHISTORIC COPPER MINES.
Prof. Holmes also visited the wonderful pre-
historic copper mines of Isle Royale, in the
northern part Of Lake Superior. These were
worked long before Columbus was born by the
Indians, who procured from them metal for
their implements and ornaments. The copper
occurs there in masses Of the pure or native"
,ne. ,,noeauea IN .ne volcanic rocks; ana the
with no better tools than stone siedoes Al.
though the island is not adapted for human
habitation tribes from all the surrounding coun-
try gathered there in ancient times for the pur-
pose of obtaining the precious material In or
der to find it a great deal Of prospecting" had
to be done, and thus the surface Of the hills
today are everywhere found covered with old
pits and trenches, partly filed ND and over
grown with pine forests
STONE M1SrSe TOOLS
r, .h.. .o;.,. ~, ~. s;,.,
AZ o'o ON, ''A' Ao'0' .io eA'0o'efeu nuiner-
GUS stone implements winch bear the marks OF
use as mining tools. So thickly are such rude
tools scattered about that not less than 20 Ooo
of them are TO be seen on the surface of the
ground, affordiug an illustration of the exten-
sive character of the work that was carried on.
The copper was sometimes found in masses SO
Dig that they could not be removed, and many
uun Ssanso nuSses 9l PIre me.at nave since
made a business of exnlor;na the old wori inos
in search of them. One nugget weighed 10 900
pounds, and because it was not practicable to
cut it up or blast it into pieces it had to be con-
veyed bodily to the lake shore and carried awav
in vessel, requiring much ingenuity and the
best modern appliances for the successful &C.
complement Of the task.
HOW THE 1sn,.ys wopxrn THE META,
Wber the Irai.r. .o,,,a ;.o.,,,, 49,. - -.
"Aon snV An..Hi' 'an'e "oioSS SUCH mass Oh
copper the best they could DO was to break of
few projecting pieces Of it. The business Of
prospecting for such abandoned nuopets WA
finaliv given IN by the whites beca1se thew
ceased to find enough of them to nav. although
more than one Thousand nits remained mn
touched by them. After the miners Of antionitv
had got the copper they hammered ii into tools
and ornaments which we're carried to all parts
OF North America and distributed by trade.
ouGn a..icies, ior wnich the material was origl-
in monnds thronahont th;s nou vUn.
This exploration bv the bnresn NJ ethnoIocy ~
these great prehistoric workinos for metal e the
first that has been made and the results. which
will be illustrated by collections at the world
fnir throw a new Ioht mon the ahorio;nal nao-
ple who have left behind them proofs Of sncb
gigantic labors-
-. s
A 'isiAA of fAD.'
considering the vast extent OF the country
and the lack Of any but the most primitive
means of transportation it is certainly astonish-
inc 70 discover how 1enar.l ,vas the .vste,, q,
treas ax;st;n an ss,,,,a as .r;hes - Nn-.h
Au'ar;ca .. r. .;u,a % 49, c,rS S;soo Mo
Tha ,,;,,ss ,or h;.h tha ,ar;.i 80 ,,roc,,r.j
Of the "n,rrv mrov;onSIv dsscr;heJ rers A.
$3.50 sy a. 60" =, az.
p paous" ~ cAf.e run sno AsanuS w: w me
saclnc' Jus. as was tne I a WIN .ne
copper Ofnam6nt6 ana tOOl6 ROt from the mines