Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1901-03-15
N THE UPPER PENINSULA.
Account of an Interesting Trip to
the Land of Copper.

By courtesy of Representative Holmes
we are permitted TO publish orlet re,
port OF hls experience as member Oh
The Legislative Committee Oh Mines
and Minerals during their recent YlSlt
TO the upper peninsula mining country
The committee consisted of John X
Gordon of Marquette; >. l.. Balentlne'
St Clair; b j Lowrey, Howard Clty
A Il. Sanderson, Saginaw, ana the
writer. .:.
Ne were accompanied by che commit
tee on geological survey, consisting OF
five members and also our state Geolob-
ISL. Dr. Lane OF Lansing making part!
ar elacpn persons. We lett Detroit
Sunday evening, March 3, aud arrived
AT Hancosk, distance OF hVe huhufSu
miles, Monday evening at elght o CLOCK
.rnesday morning We ventured out ana
cauyht the mercury AT fourteen deg lees
hollow zero and was told by the Hlght
clerE II was ~ below at 3 30 o CLOCK
m. When we returned to dinner II was
stiu sx below. Notwithstanding the
severity of the weather we boarded "a
train for Calumet and visits were mace
to the conner mines of Calumet *
Hecls the Iamarack, the Isle Royal ana
Osceola where we viewed with wonder
the ponderous machinery necessary III
ore mining and had explained TO Us some
OF Us mysteries Those who have never
visited the Lake Superior mining region
have but faint conception OF the mag
nltude of this vast industry ana the al
most measureless wealth OF minerals
that lie hidden beneath the surface ot
that portion of our great state.
We were cordially received Dy the
oyerseers Of these mines ana had all our
queries courteously explained. We Were
told the lower level of the Calumet ~
Hecla il five thousand feet (nearIy
mllel below the surface and Is sald TO De
the largest and deepest copper mine IN
the world. this company mas on lts
nav rolls the names OF four tnousahu
men who receive an average OF one uoI'
| lar and sixty cents per day. Az the
Tamarack mine the overseer told US
their plant at shaft No. had now cost
the company one million dollars ana not
"A single pound Of ore has yet Deeh
mined TINS will give your readers
glimpse of the immense cost OF copper
mining.
After the ore is taken from the mine
| il is conveyed by tram cars TO the STAMP F.
ing mills at Lake Linden, distance Oh
from three TO five miles where IL Is
crushed into fine particles by twenty
two ponderOus stamps, having capacl'
ty OF POO tons each, per day, atter Whlcn
the particles Of copper are separated
from the rock by the action of water
forced over It, In this mill IS the largest
RUNNING engine in the world, with a
capacity of 10000 900 gallons per oay
land total capacity of 1l2 100000 gal
Ions for three pumps lhe refuse oi
this mil. or the puiverized rock after
being separated from the copper IS dis
nosed of by a mammoth undersho'
wheel fifty feet III diameter, which
ldeposits 26 O00. 600 gallons of water anc
, 500 tons of refuse ore per day in al
adiacent lake. A better idea Is galneeC
bv stating that this deposit woulC
cover one acre OF surface thirteen inche
deep every day. The copper after beinI
released from the rock at the staml
mills goes. as did the committee, TO tn
smelling mill at Dollar Bay, where W
were told. 100 tons per day OF tins virgil
copper was being melted IN huge FUR
mace and cast into ingots OF varlou
shapes and sizes AT this place was ais
located the copper wire works OF tn
Tamarack (& Osceola Mfg Co. with
canacity of 600, 900 tons per month
Here great ingots are rolled in to rods
these passing from one machine 10 al
other are drawn out 10 any size required
| We were shown specimens rlvaling IN
finest human hair so delicate are thes
machines. We next visited the vas
iron mines at Ishpeming, and throuR
the courtesy of the superintendent {
the Cleveland Cleffs Mining 20. Wer
permitted 10 satisfy our desire for trl
Underground and when rugged cut In
complete suit of miners garb includin
hat and boots we entered the cage an
were lowered TO the third level OF III
mine. distance Of three hundred an
fifty feet from the surface Each ma
carving a candle We commenced
tramp of two miles or more through tf
T various drifts of the mine over broke
rocks and through pools of alter TIL
= last we came TO the end of drift whe1
workmen were drilling through sol
flint rock hoping to strike paying OF
somewhere in this vast unknown su
terrapeous region. After two hour
sight. seeing we returned 20 the surfac
each carving specimens OF ore gather,
from the bowels OF the earth. L
urgent request we next visited the bea
tiful ard picturesque city of Marquett
j. the home of our genial chairman, M
Gordon, who kindly escorted us TO 81
various places of historic interest, l
cluding the celebrated monument