The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-08-20
FORTUNES WON OR MISSED.
RICHES YIELDED By MTNNESOTI
LANDS TO PRESENT OWNERS.

DULUTH, Mimi Aug. I'm 1884 township
b7.20 In this county, was offered al public sale
by the Government little Of II was bought by
iumbormon but most Of II remained unsoii.
Shortly aiterward NJ II. Alworth bought large
tract OF the land for the pine thereon, and hAv.
ing no money, obtained the necessary cash from
a Detroit man who gave him third ntcres, IN all
he selected and bought for the work OF Selection
A tract of 100 acres lying close 10 what is NV
the town OF Hibbing was bought by Alwurlh ior
81 70 an acre, $500 in all Recently one half II
this tract was sold for $500, 600 cash 10 John h.
Rockefeller and his associates in the Lake Su.
porior Consolidated Mines Alworth's share was
S183 900. From other sales TO mining companies
Of lands In the same locality bought al The saue
time and In the same way. Mr.. Alworh is u mil.
ionaire
Two years ago the Chaplin mine, which with lis
ships was sold a few days ago for SO, 100 900 WIS
5000 900 and was refused
Ton years ago John Helmer OF Duluth took
up q homestead at what Is now Mountain Iron on
the Mesaba range When II came time 10 com.
mute and pay 81. 20 an aero for the land, he was
abort Of funds and tract Of forty acres had so
little pine that he decided 70 give It up 1t would
have taken $50 TO kcopit To-day that forty actes
L. the Mountain Iron mine from which SO much ore
will b shipped this year thai its owner Mr. Rocke
receive moro than that sum. Fifteen million dollars
would be cheap for the orc deposits and traffic con.
tracts OF this $50 tract that Mr Helmer dropped
few years ago big logging company OF This
district abandoned some Of it's lands for taxes Tho
Pine had been cut of and there was visible
value 10 the ground One Of its members thought
there might be value in the land for farming or
something else by and by and paid the taxes tax.
ing the land in his Rown name. Last spring
he sold out to tho American Steel and Wire Com
pany for $500, 600. and that company would not
sell today for twice that sum
largo interest in tho Chandler mine which
last year paid . dividend Of 20 per cent On
It's 81, 600 900 capital was once sold by Duluth
man for 81, TOO Scores Of mines OF iron, copper,
gold and silver In this vicinity which were sold
for few dollars OF for q grub stake, have since
brought their tens and hundreds OF thousands
Tho list might be multiplied indefinitely. and with
striking examples any Of those noted. Is
II any wonder that Duluth men are interested in
mines widely scattered over the world?
Three notable instances Of enormous profits
coming 70 Duluth men from discoveries OF mines
and their operations have Just come to light Five
years ago John Mckinley was a mine operator on
the Aesaba range IN this county
Ho discovered the Mckinley mine said 10 be ono
Of the nnost then on that range, and he soon sold
TO Mr.. Rockefeller for moro than $40 1000 600
Something happened and Mr. Mckinley
found himself worth not much moro than enough
money 10 pay his debts In 1897 he saw a future
In copper and spont his timo in the Michigan cop
Per region. He made money easily In lands in
the Kewoenav formation around Houghton and
the ontonagon country. but was after something
still better and finally went to tho Sudbury region
east of Lake Superior in Canada There about all
tho nickel Of tho world except that from New
Caledonia, Is mined Tho Canadian Copper Com
pany q creation Of the Rockefellers ond other
Standard Oh man. had tho entire field Last
year II Is said TO have produced metal worth about
S11, 000, 600. and at q labor cost Of less than
81, 900, 900.
By careful prospecting Mr. Mckinley found
what he believed 70 be bigger property than that
Of the Standard Oil people He secured more than
1000 acres Of mineral lands. including what were
known as the Mount Nickel Mount Etna and
Trillabeile Tho Mount EtnA has three distinct
veins from 10 TO 900 feet wide al surface and more
than 1900 feos long. The Trillabelle has do
post 10 900 feet long and 1000 feet wide con- tain
ing copper nickel, gold silver, lead and cobalt
with . total value OF moro than $40 q ton The
Mount Nickel has rich deposit Of rock con tanning
all these minerals running for mile across II Al
depth Of thirty feet the mineral Is ninety feet wide
and at points It Is 800 feet wide On this reduc-
ton plant Is now going up which will be work in
about month II is predicted by experts that the
concern will have its stock on a dividend basis in
shorter time than any copper mine over opened
Tho Mosaba range In northern Minnesota,
which Is now the chief source Of iron ore In The
United States, was discovered by the Merritt
brothers Of Duluth In 1891, only eight years ago
They branched out rapidly. and when the panic
struck thcm were unable 70 meet their obligations
and the property went into the hands Of Mr. Rock
efeller The Merritts did not sit down and boz
moan their lossea They went to Mexico, and
there within the past year have opened mines
that arc said 70 30 am ong the most wonderful OF
that rich region. They have now 800 mon at
work day and night digging silver and gold ore
That Is q second instance Another has Just
been developed by the reports made by the Oxford
Copper Company smelters Of New York Their
reports show that from shipment OF two car
loads OF copper ore from Parry Sound Ontario
hero was obtained for the Parry Sound Copper
Company the sum OF 81, 16S net profit above all
smelter tolls and freight charges from Parry
Sound 70 New York. The Parry Sound Copper
Company Is now thing. and Its organizer and
head was two years ago starving and struggling
lawyer Of Duluth He was starving for the reason
that all his time and money were spent In tina
study Of copper and in travelling to mining dis
riots from the coast Of Alaska to the far East
To-day the company OF which he is the head
refused an offer OF 81 900 600 for one Of It's many
properties Robert Forbes went to Parry Sound
On the cast shore e. Georgian Bay, two years
,go and soon convinced himself that the copper
Tens there were the richest he had ever seen This
egion was settled by French Canadian farmers
md Mr. Forbes was able To get options on more
han IL, 600 acres GLANDS OF his own selection tor
nhng sum. The company that controls tho
ands is close corporation composed OF Mr.. Forbes
wo or three Duluth men. and several living in
81 Paul and Minneapolis. The first purchase
money on the properties was paid last March.
The six first of shipped TO New York nctcd
he company S7957 or $50 ton after paying
III the heavy transportation charges and tho
'rofts OF the smeters The company is now
linking permanent working shalt is down 80
Get in solid pyrtes and borni;c. and expects
o catch the main vein at 90 feet
Some 1000 tons Of as good ore as has been ship
'ed Is already on The dumps and every ton of SUIT
handled so far has been pay rock. There is vein
raoeable for eleven miles, and The company is
ink iny ahnfia IA AL