The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1901-12-06
A ROMANCE.
The History of the A shIand Mine Strange
~ Reproduced in the History of the
Savoy and Sibley.

| Savoy and Sibley.
The annual report of State Mineral
Statistician Russell, of Michigan,
contains an interesting chapter upon
the Ashland mine, the history OF
which property reads like romance
and while the stated facts are known
70 manly of our readers the story will |
bear repetition as reproduced from
NE. Russel's pen. as follows:
| The history of the Ashland mine
reads like romance aud We're Tile |
| pain facts Of tie mines past and |
present to be set forth under the |
garb OF fiction, the story would be |
condemned by the critics as TOO i'm |
probable. The Ashland lies just east |
of the Montreal river and was first |
opened by j. .. and e. Hayes the |
owners of the fee. The property was |
secured OH Il lease by the PenOkee II |
Gogebic Development company and |
wDrked until 1898, when the mine WAS
abandoned as worked out. The Hayes |
brothers. who had removed to San
jose. California, thus had the pro-
perry thrown back OH their hands, 4
thoroughly discredited mine. which
had been Abandoned 10y a strong cor
peration as worthless, owing TO the
complete exhaustion Of its ore bodies.
The mother of the MesSrs. Hayes is
gifted with peculiar powers, accord
ing to the belief OF her SONS and many
Other sober persons who have had
evidence of her occult abilities. The
Hayes brothers, who were Shrewd and
successful business men, have i'm
pticit confidence in their mothers
DEMONSTRATIONS. and in justice to
her and to them, il should be said
tnat her advice has proven uniformly
good, even when apparently unwar-
/ ranted by existing conditions.
Madame Hayes from her home in
California turned her spiritual eyes
upon the Ashland mine. more than
two thousand miles distant. The
underground workings were infinitely
described by her. and she also indi-
Gated the existe nce of large ore bodies
remaining, untouched, and located
them with such exact itude that any
one acquainted with the mine would
Know just where to crusscut or To
drift in order TO reach them, if they
existed. As soon as The SHOWS melt
ed in the spring of 1899 the Messrs.
Hayes were on the ground, and began
act ual mining work in June of that
year. The mine was freed from water
, and temporary ShafthOuSes rugged.
the old ones having been allowed to
fall into the pit when The ground
ctlved. 1t was known when The Hayes
flrpthers resumed work .tt the Ash
land that they were acting under the
supposedly inspired instructions OF
their mother, and there was no little
snickering on the part Of the incredul-
Gus. who were i'm the. great majority.
This did not bother the Messrs. Hayes
and from the first it was known that
they were not merely exploring for
ore, but were arranging to reopen the
mine on Il large scale, their plans
having been perfected before the first
hammer was struck on drill, or the
first gallon of water forked from the
mine. Smiling ihcredulity was
changed to mild surprise when the
first ore body indicated by Madam
Hayes was actually opened by the
miners. but as strike after strike was
recorded, and the Ashland was chang
ed from an abandoned Scram into
big mine with millions of tons of ore
i'm sight, within Il few months. the
scOfferS became mum. In every case
the ore was found where the mother
Of the owners had told them to seek
} it. This is "A strange tale to he given
the public for fact. and strangest of
all to appear in an official report upon
mines prepared and published for one
; Of the greatest mining states in the
union. hut the facts are known to
Il hundreds of people and can be readily
| verified by the skeptical."
II, n nd M
j Miller had the same gift, we are at
loss to say, but the history of the
Savoy mine. now owned by the Oliver
company and one of the best mines on
1.-The Vermilion, is strangely similar.
The Minnesota Iron company under
1.-The management of d. III. Bacon. Sc
tcured an option on the Savoy pro-
perty and thoroughly explored the
same with diamond drills, finally con-
Edemning it as worthless. John G.
Brown and associates did not believe
lin this and as soon as possible began
work on their own hook to verify the
statement. But. strange as it may
seem. only IL few months had pro-
crossed when they opened up the
mine and the same has been shipper
ever since. The better part Of the
story goes that in the work of OPEN
ling the mine. the drill holes put down
by the Minnesota were found in ore
of the best quality and in large de-
posits. The same is also true of the
/ land west of the Savoy known as the
Sibley where immense bodies of ore
have been proven and which property
is also literally perforated with dia-
mond drill holes put in by the Mime
sofa company. The natural deduc-
tion arrived at by those who have
thought the matter over was that the
! Minnesota management condemned
the property to later send some agent
/ around to the owners to buy the same
flor song. But, "the best laid plans
of mice and men, ETC." as was also
Il. L.