The Minneapolis journal., 1903-12-25

New York Sun Special Service.
Fioughton, Mich, Dec. a6,--The nre in
No. / shaft of the Isle Royale mine lasted
barely thirty six hours, the flames dying
from lack Of fuel after the shaft was gut
ted.
The shaft must be rebuilt from top to
bottom. which will cost perhaps $4,000 and
will require five Or six months. That only
three lives were lost is due to cool heads,
clear Judgment and unlimited courage on
the part of the mine officials.
Charles Peterson, who, with his son
Axel lost his life, passed thru the Osceola
mine fire of eight years ago. but his
lungs were burned by the gases, and he
sought employment in the Quincy mine.
Here the deep workings, reaching nearly a
mile below the surface, were too hard
upon his weakened lungs, and he secured
! work in the comparatively shallow Isle
Royale mine, to meet there the same llor-
rible death that he had 80 narrowly es-
capped eight years previously. Peterson's
wife apparently had a premonition of his
fate last Friday morning, and begged him
| to remain home She is very low, having
lost husband and son in a single moment,
and her recovery is doubtful.
What OF the Future7
The course of the copper market in 1903
has been very interesting in a great many
ways. The price for Lake brands of the
red metal will show an average of nearly
! Ia cents a pound higher this year than in
1902. This Of itself is a matter Of no less
| than $3, 900 to the copper mining COM
| Danies OF the Lake Superior district. The
outlook for the copper trade for the COM
ing year is encouraging. The law Of sup
ply and demand will ultimately govern the
price of any staple articles, and if it is
allowed to govern the course Of the copper
. market in 1904 there is little if any doubt
but what the result will be satisfactory.
! Production is increasing, it is true, but
on the other hand all copper consuming
industries are busy and are likely to con-
tinue so for an indefinite period. The
brass as well as the sheet mills are taking
large quantities Of copper. The demand
for the metal from the manufacturers Of
electrical supplies is heavy. and the same
is true Of the shipbuilding and other
trades
Indications favor an output for 1903 of
about 190.000,0 900 pounds of copper by lake
mines. BY virtue of this increase over
last year, and suspensions at Butte
! Michigan now crowds Montana rather
| closely for second place among the copper
| districts of the world
Good Word for the Michigan.
The Michigan mine will use acetylene
gas for lighting it's shaft houses, engine
houses, etc. With few exceptions, cleo
trlclty is the lighting medium employed by
lake mines. The new air compressor at
! the Michigan is in commission, and work
is moving smoothly. A recently published
article setting down the mine fail
ure, before it had fairly begun produc-
tion, has been traced to a local source
inimical to the management, and willing
| to damage the interests Of a thousand
shareholders merely to crafty petty per-
sonal grudge.
! The c. G. AS Dividend.
The payment of a dividend of $4OO, 900 by
the Calumet and Arizona had a notice
ably stimulating effect on holiday trade
and holiday cheer in the lake district,
where most Of the stock is held A pleas
ing feature of the matter is that hundreds
of common miners and workingmen hold
sutf1c1ent stock interests to give them
good incomes from the quarterly dividends
of this magnificent new mine
I The new reduction works Of the Michi-
gan Smelling company, three miles west
of Houghton, are taking shape rapidly,
and it is hoped to blow in the, furnaces
by July next. This plant will probably
handle the mineral of the Wolverine, Mo-
hawk, Atlantic. Baltic, Trimountain,
Champion. Winona and Michigan mines,
assuring large tonnage from the first
The CRANKY mine, in British Columbia
in which local capital became interested
in January.
The wire and sheet mills of the Tam
arack- Osceola Manufacturing company at
>, Dollar Bay are working full forces, with
orders well ahead This is the western
most copper manufacturing plant in the
United States.
c. g. p. Shares In Great Demand.
Deposits of Calumet & Pittsburg stock
under the reorganization plan are rapidly
coming into the main office of the com
pany in this city. Shareholders of the. de-
; velopment company are taking their full
allotment Of mining stock and the present
indications are that the issue will be heav.
lily oversubscrbed. Developments at the
mine are favorable and it is expected that
: | the property will be producing as MUCK
copper as the Calumet & Arizona in 9
;, year or two
Opening work at the Mohawk mine is
progressing steadily, thirty power drills
] being engaged in extending the latera
workings. The mine is shipping a thou.
sand tons of rock daily
New hoisting engines are being installed
at Nos. 2 and 3 shafts of the TrimountaiT
mine. They are large and permanent
holsts. permitting of operations to a deptf
of 5000 feet. Work on the engines will
advanced and it is expected that they viii
go into commission by January, or early
; in February at the very latest.
! COPPER MEN COMPLAIN
Taxes Levied When Shares Were IJirI,