The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1896-09-09
-EnBER 9, 1896. $500 PER YEAR IN ADVANCE.

direction OF Mr.. Wade of Milwaukee.
There has been little talk about the
company's explorations, and less said
by those interested in the project.
But all the time work has been
steadily pushed, and now large pit
has been sunk to a distance of 80 feet
and is being put down to a depth of
20 feet. When that distance is
reached, the explorers expect to drift
with the vein and conduct mining
operations. unless it shall prove that
their expectations have been fatuous.
The first work done was with a
diamond drill. and thorough testing
of the formation was made. Finally
what appeared TO the explorers to be
"a promising vein of copper. feet and
3 inches thick, was struck at a depth
OF 20 feet below the surface. The
drill was then abandoned, and prepar-
ations made to subject the discovery
to an actual mining test. The work
men are now packing up the drilling
outfit and small force is engaged in
sinking the pit.
| 1t is said that the company feels
encouraged by the cores that were
brought up by the drill, and that the
revelations thus made were such as to
indicate paying deposits of copper.
Some explorers who have examined
the cores believe, however. that the
showing made is not the best that
could be hoped for. 1t is said that
the ceres have to much the appear
ance of leaf copper to satisfy the most
eXacting demands of rich find. Leaf
copper is formed in leafs. as its name
indicates, and on being pounded falls
off in small sheets, rather than i'm
small nuggets, as in the ore brought
up from the paying mines in the
/ upper peninsula. But it is argued
that if this were true, the explorers
would have been the first to find it
out. and that as a consequence
operations would have been dis
continued.
However that may be, the work was
being pushed as late as Saturday
afternoon, and it evidently is the in
tention of making final and search
ing examination of the resources of
the property.
That particular piece of land has
a notable history, not so much as an
active factor in the copper ming min
ing industry as from the earliness of
the big expectations that were held
of it. Its first appearance as copp,
mining property was away back in the
COS, before the Calumet & Hecla
properties on the Mineral range had
become the centre of copper mining
The late S. c. McQuade was among
those first connected with the. opera
lions or projected operations on the
banks Of the French river. Indica-
lions of copper deposits have been
discovered ali along the north shore
from Duluth to Grand Marais.
Particularly from Split Rock south to
Duluth have these indications been
noticeable. 1t has been the theory
that the vein on the Mineral range
extends under the bottom of Lake Su-
perior and hobs up serenely on the
north shore somewhere not yet
definitely discovered, but thought by
the French river people to be in that
immediate neighborhood
The discovery of the big mines on
the Mineral range, which resulted in
the flooding of the world with copper
supply at that time much in excess of
the demand, as well perhaps as the
not unqualified success of the efforts
attending the explorations made at
French river, resulted in the abandon
ing of operations. Once the property
was explored-or partially so-under
lease, but the results were satisfactory
to neither explore or owner. Just
what induced the exploration of the
property by the Marinette syndicate
at this time is not plain, for the
syndicate at this time is not plain,
for the syndicate is not inclined to
take other people into its confidence.
1t is matter of corresponding ques-
tion whether the early but long
deferred hopes of the owners are
destined to yield profitable results.
but the revival of the question of the
existence of paying deposits of copper
on the north shore of Lake Superior
is productive of considerable interest
for old-timers and explorers.-News