The Cook County herald. [volume] (Grand Marais, Minn.) 1893-1909, 1899-04-08
nlNNEsoTA SATURDAY April 8, 1899

7lence, the bulWarks protecting the is
land were again nquered. Part OF
the cribbing stood, but the damage was
very great, the invasion, OF the waters
undermining a portion of the made
ground and demolishing number OF
the mine buildings. Great holes were
torn in the shaft house and engine
house by rocks thrown by the waves
with incredible force, and no beleag-
ured city was ever bombarded with
more violence and under more threat
ening aspect than was this little col
ony placed on a. reef in the waters.
The machinery was disabled, and "a
large part of the coal supply washed
off the islet by the waves. The pumps
stopped, and it was with great difficult.
ty that the mine was kept from filing
with water. So trying was this expe-
rience that many of the miners would
no longer remain where they were
threatened with drowning both under
ground and on surface.
The silver in the mine was always
found as native, sometimes associated
with copper, just as the copper mines
on the southern shore of the lake oc-
casionally carry silver in connection
with the baser metal. There are very
few mines in the world which carry
silver otherwise than as an ore, the
metal being usually associated in the
ore with sulphur and carbon. For the
reason that the silver was native the
mine presented beautiful sight, es-
pecially in the richer portionss where
the sparkling masses of pure metal, B
many of them of several pounds
weight, shone in all their purity and
reflected the light from the miners
candles in manner presenting sim:
ilitude of the cave in which Aladdin
gathered the jewels at the behest OF
his bogus uncle .s...-~ Il. In. H. y, =
THERE WAS DANGER THERE. 7 j
too, for the islet only afforded a
breathing spot for the mine itself, be-
ing merely large enough to accommo-.
date the opening Of the shaft, while
even that was most closely guarded to
keep the lake from invading it. AS
in all deep mines with but a single.
shaft, there was danger to the miners
underground, for in case of accident
to the shaft, all chances of egress was
destroyed. The underground CALLER
les were carried under the bed of the
lake, and a single careless blast might
let in the water from above, to the
destruction of all beneath it. Taken
all in all, a job in the Silver Islet@ was
not on which would be relished by
most men, but there was never anY
scarcity Of sWorkn1en. n Z he mine paid
its men we'll, and there were rich
pickings. It is a matter of principle
with miners, the world over, that
"specimens' belong to the man who
finds them, and not to the employer.
When the specimen" happens to be
a mass of native silver of two or three
pounds weight the miner who secretes
it runs no great risk of missing a col
lector willing to annex it, though the
men who traded in specimens" of sill
yer at the Silver Islet and at the cop
per mines on the southern shore Of
the lake never paid above half the
market value of the metal purchased.
The mine eventually reached a depth
of over 1900 feet, or 200 fathoms, to
use the vernacular of the miners. In
certain Of the upper slopes it was pos
sible to hear the rocks grinding against
the bed of the lake in time of storm,
so closely had the silver been followed
to the danger line. It was estimated
that nearly half million dollars
worth Of silver was contained in the
upper levels of the mine so close to
the bed of the lake that it would be
dangerous to attempt it's removal. The
temptation was strong one, and from
time to time a little mining was done
close to the danger line, but was usu-
ally soon dropped. 1t was not pleas
ant thing to think that, even though
the silver was brightest and apparent
ly thickest there.
ITS DECLINE AND ABANDONING.
The largest years production ever
achieved was in 1877, when 100000
ounces of silver, worth $1.32 per ounce,
was refined from the rocks taken from
the mine. A single pocket of sixty
tons yielded more than 100000,
and many smaller pockets yield
ed even more in proportion,
some giving as high as 81 per pound,
while masses of native metal were
common. The mine produced, all told,
a trifle more than $3,600000 worth of
silver during the period of it's activity.
The profits were great, but would have
been many times as large but for the
unusual location Of the mine and the
constant fight against the elements.
A few years Of unusually heavy expen-
ditures wiped out the surplus Of the
company. Dividends had been paid
too rapidly and there was nothing left
in the strong box for emergencies. The
owners disliked paying an assessment.
to perform work that was vital to the
mines future, and it was decided to
unload on the English public, which.
at that time, 1884, was buying mines.
extensively in this country. The ap-
parent certainty that the mine would
be sold at a big price sosimpressed the,