The sun. (Wilmington, Del.) 1897-19??, 1901-02-05

Deen mCSt prosperous WhSh IAh-sS ''S~~
dull with iron, and vice versa.
The lake copper district Is In many
respects the most interesting mining
field in the. world. Its annual profits
are greater than those Of any other min
ing district, with the exception of the
Witwatersrand in South Africa, when
active. The profits Of the great Calumet
and Hecla are the largest earned by any
mine and it is also the deepest mine In
existance although this honor VIII soon
be taken by the Tamarack, the Caiu-
met and Hecla's nearest neighbor, wnicn
is sinking a shaft that is to be ruii
mile in depth.
In the way Of romance the copper
mines would furnish themes for q score
of clever writer's. The discovery Dy poor
men of fortunes rivaling those OF lapie'
the naturalization Of the great rama
rack mine from the dream OF a man
called, in derision, "the crazy cornish
miner" the silver treasures OF the Chn,
Minnesota, and other mines OF carry
days; the adventures of the pioneers;
the evidences Of mining by prehistoric
races; the many terrifying accidents ana
hair-breadth escapes in the depths Oh 'he
earth-all this and much more gives
tinge Of romance to the ordinarily prosaie
business Of mining.
The assessed value Of Houghton county
was placed at 342,000,0oO by the state
board Of equalization i've years ago on
the returns of the county board. AT that
time the figures named was practicaiiy
cash valuation. Since then boom
of unparalleled proportions has boosted
prices of Michigan copper mining shares
to previously undreamed of figures,
though the present range of prices is con
siderably below the high water marx
of 1899. Five years ago Calumet ant
Hecla stock was worth less than $500
n share, or at the rate of $30000,OOo fol-
the mine. 1t has since sold at 1895 Q
share, or at the rate of sS9, 900 for the
mine--more than three times the price
of five years ago-and at present is worti
about $3.50 a share. Tamarack, Quincy
Osceola and other shares have also made
great advance in the last few years
At a meeting of the State tax commis
sion of Michigan in 1900 the assessed
valuation of Houghton county was raised
to the very large sum Of $122,4s1,52 al
increase Of s3s,4s1,527 over the figure
of the county board Of supervisors.
, sss
To October 1, 1900, the following div
dends were paid from the beginning o
the year:
i Atlantic, $50, 900; Calumet & Hecla, IS
0o0, 900; Osceola, $279,0o0; Quincy, $500
900: Tamarack, $4,000; Wolverine, $40
900; total, $6,919,o0o.
The six mines credited with dividen
payments in 1900 have disbursed the TO
lowing sums in profits to shareholder
since the beginning of the mines, in az
dition to which the six properties name
were worth on Sept. s, 1900 the gran
! sum of Sill, $4,000:
Atlantic, $960,00O Calmet & Heel
!, 0,S5O, 900; Osceola, 3s,a73,50o; Quinc,
81, 100000; Tamarack, $3.50, 900; Wolve
inc, $4,000.
A gratifying feature is the lessenir
percentage of fatal accidents within Il
last few years. In 1889 there WEI
a twenty-one fatal accidents among 81
employees, while in 1899, with more th'
twice as many workmen, there were b
twenty-seyen men killed. The CASUAL
list for 1893 would have been the smalle
for quarter of century but for Il
negligence of an engineer at the r.
:. Jacket shaft Of the Calumet and Hercl
The indicator dropped from the sprock
chain on the engine and the engine
heedlessly kept on winding the cab
around the drum, as a result Of Whit
ten men were dropped about $500 fe
down vertical shaft. Similarly the 10
OF life in 1895 would have been the sma
est Of any year for two decades but
the sufocation of thirty men and boys
gas from fire in the Osceoln mine
September of that year. This last ac
dent can be ascribed neither to any I
glect Of the management nor to gre
carelessness on the part Of the victim
though all were warned in ample time
have gotten out in safety. There W
. so little timber in the mine that no p
- sible danger to life could come from
and the deadly effect of the gas result
from the under combustion of the VIC
was unexpected by either managemt
or miners.
or all the worlds mines Of damon
gold. silver, copper and other metz
Il the Calumet and Hecla Ia the most pro
OF able, the largest employer of labor,
owner Of the most powerful machin,
and the greatest consumer of coal.