The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1898-03-15
DRINK RUINED A HINE.
TIE COAL BOAT CAPTAIN WET on A
SPREE AID FAILED TO RETURH.
LAKE SUPERIOR steamboat can

A LAKE SUPERIOR steamboat cap
tain took several drinks too many.
" nile he was enjoying his intoxication
his boat was tied up. When he recOv-
cred from it his boat was frozen in the
ice The managers Of the richest sill
yer mine in America Faitetl patiently
for the captain to come with the thou
sand tons of coal which the boat had on
Loard for the operation of the mines
engines The engines ran out Of fuel
and had TO be shut down The pumps
stopped, the mine filed with water,
several hundred worL1nen were
thrown out of employment, 4 village
was depopulated, ard a scene of life, ae-
tivity, and industry was turned into a
desolate group of decaying houses and
rusting machinery. For 10 years the
water has stood in the shafts. the levels
and the wines of the mine. And all be-
cause a boats captain would take 10
drink.
1t is the story in nutshell of the
abandonment of the Silver Islet mine
off Thunder Cape, on the north shore
of Lake Superior. which in IA years
t
ued at s3.5Oo,OOO.
The history of the mine dates back
50 years, when Joseph Woods took out
n location which included the site of
Silver islet- 4 barren little rock, which
was to become famous as the richest
spot in the world. This location was
transferred to the Montreal Mining
company in 1s45. which in 1870 trans
ferred it to an American company
composed of many men of national
fame. They were f B. Ward, Of De
troit. the famous millionaire whose
daughter has figured so sensationelly
in European life; Edward Learned, of
Pittsfeld. Mass; Alexander H Sibley.
OF Detroit: Charles A Trowbridge, of
New York; Peleg Hall, of New York:
William b. Frue, of Houghton. Mich;
George s. Coo, of New York, and Ed
ward Prentice, of Montreal.
The Americans had not bought a
mere prospect, either, for under the
direction of an agent named Thomas
Macfarlane, the Montreal company had
done enough work on the islet to show
that the vein was surprisingly rich in
the summer of 1865 Naczarlane had
hecn exploring al the locations of the
Montreal company, and while at work
on the Woods location a surveyor
named Brown found vein OF metal On
the rock that has since been called Sill
yer islet- Macfariane examined it
himself, and set two men TO work IN
covering the lead. 1t was found to be
90 feet wide on the north side OF the
island. and on the south it divided into
two branches, each of which was seven
feet wide a member of the party soon
discovered some silver nuggets in
the west branch of the vein A single
blast was sufficient TO detach all the
vein rock carrying ore above the sur
face CT the water, but the ore was
+ aced some distance out into the lake,
where the scattered nuggets of silver
were replaced by large patches CT
limestone. rich in galena. inteTmixed
with small particles and large nuggets
of native silver. The vein varied in its
richest part from two feet TO few
inches Some rich pieces of ere were
broken off with crowbars under the
water. A shipment of 1856 pounds of
ore which was shipped to Montreal was
found to contain 2.OsT ounces troy of
silver to the ton.
No more work was done on the islct
in the season of 1865. but the next ysar
saw operations in earnest. though the
workers were hampered by the situa-
ton and extent of the islet.
The American company was about TO
begin operations at the islet in 1870.
when certain James Seymour. of To
ronto. undertook to jump the mining
claim and caused them much trouble
before he was Quoted Capt Frue.
having been appointed superintendent
cf the mine by the American company.
left Heughton. Mich. on August %,
: 1870. with boat load of mining i'm
! plements and machinery and "a men.
arriving at the islet on September 1.
As soon rs the supplies were unloaded
the islet and its surroundings were ex-
amined, plans were laid. and the con-
struction of cribs was begun. The
island was so small that it was neceS-
sary not only to build cribs TO protect
the shaft. hut TO get foothold for the
various structures which the successful
| operation of the mine entailed. AS de-
scribed by Frue. the islet "a small
barren rock. the greatest width, OF
which was 20 feet and length so feet,
and in no place rising more than eight
feet above the water; It's position be-
ing about three-quarters of mile from
the mainland and being exposed 10 a