Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1903-05-20

building Of the line was about the last
desperate attempt to make IRON MIN
ing at this point profitable. The road
fell finally into the hands of the l'an-
COR d PiGcataquiS and when that ROAD
was purchased by the 3. e ~, the Is.
L. Works branch went along with 1t.
Before his. however, the iron mines
had been abandoned. The present plan
is. it is said, for the road to 80 up the
south side Of Silver Lake and through
a notch in the Ebcmee range of noun
tainS to or nearby the Roach ponds and
from there pretty nearly straight north
to ChcsuncoOk. The length of the road
will be about 80 miles and through the
mountains some pretty difficult building
will be encountered but once there it
will be smoother sailing.
Somewhere in the northern part of
Maine. It's believed, there is n ledge
containing tin ore that would DC valu
able to the owner if ne knew. what he
had on his property. The peculiar part
If it is that the place is not known to
anyone" The story is Il peculiar one.
Some time during the year 1897 there
was received at the Maine Experiment
station at OrOnO Il sample OF small
pebbles from some person in northern
Maine With the request that the officials
there should name them and state If
they We're of any value. ON account Of
their hcavincss they We're thought by
the owner to be something out Of the
ordinary line of pebbles. RE said they
to l,, in, ir1it Mi
tise in the bed Of a stream running
through his place: In this case none Of
the assistants could name the stones
and they We're put aside and the cor
respondent was notified to the effect
that they were probably not of any
value and could not be identified with
out making an analysis of them. The
correspondence was destroyed 50 the
name Of the correspondent was lost.
AT that time Ora W. Knight of Ban
GOr, state aSsaycr WAS connected with
the station as assistant and thinking
that some time he would make an
analysis of the pebbles, saved the speci-
mems although unfortunately he did not
preserve the owners name. lie simply
marked thern from northern Maine. In
january of this year, il looking over
some of his numerous specimens, he
happened to see this lot in q bottle and
remembered the circumstances CON
nrctCd with the case. He made an
Gnd!vSis ard found them to he excel
lent specimens OF c2ssiterite or tin
stone. When found, as there were. in
the bed of q stream it is called steam
tin. The ledge in which tin stone il
usually found is generally of q porous
Huture and decays quite rapidly leaving
the tin stone to fall away and so down
the stream. Pure ore contains as high
as IS per cent of pure tin and specimens
vary from that percentage down to 60
hiGn price Of tin the specimens are par
ticularly interesting ut this time. Tin
has been found in several localities in
this State in paying quantities.. In
WmsoW shaft was sunk and work
carried on for some time in 1850 out for
stopped and rum0rs of it's being bought
up by other ten mines to Curtail the
production were freely heard at that
time. Very fine specimens have been
found at Paris in oxford county. Tin
ore has also been found in Hebron,
Greenwood. Bluehill and Mt. Desert.
The location of the Lost Tin Mine of
northen Maine is at present an UNI
solved mYstery.N
Philosophical! Observations.