Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1905-01-06
THE COPPER MINES OF VERMONT.
Interesting Facts Embodied In a Recent
naoloofraI CHrNoU nutio4tr

interesting Facts Embodied In a Recent
U. S. Geological Survey Bulletin.
Mr.. Walter Harvey Weed of the
United States Geological Survey made
a brief reconnaissance in September
1903, of the copper mines of Vermont
The salient features of the deposit studied
by him in this preliminary visit are de-
sCribed in a paper which is included in
the Surveys recent bulletin mo 225) en-
titled Contributions to Economic Cecil
ogy 1908.
Copper mining was once one of the
chief Industries OF the state of Vermont.
Prior to the opening Of the Michigan de-
post, Vermonts most important mine,
the Ely, was the largest copper producer
in the country. The deposits belong to
a type that is well known in many parts
of the world and that includes some of
the most famous producers. In charac-
ter and copper content the Vermont ores
correspond to the ores found at Duck
town, Tennessee, and can probably be
as cheaply mined and treated as those of
that locality. They are also similar to
the deposits found in the province of
Quebec, Canada, which lie almost due
north of the Vermont belt
The Vermont deposits contain vast
amounts of low-grade copper ore. which
only await development through some
cheap method of treatment to become
phenomenal producers. The ores pre-
sent considerable variation in their con-
tent of SILICA but are of fairly constant
mineraiog'c character and are very uni
form in their percentage of copper.
These deposits occur in the hilly
region that forms the eastern part of the
Green Mountains. The belt contains
three districts, Corinth, Copperfeld, and
South STAFFORD, which lie in a north
south line from to 10 miles west of the
Connection, river
The thickness Of the ore bodies varies
at different localities. At the Elizabeth
mine the ore was as much as 100 feet
wide in the open-cut workings, and on
the 225 foot level it is IS feet between
the walls. The ore has a maximum
width of ~ feet at the Union and at adj
jacent properties in Corinth township.
and of 20 feet at the Copperfield prop
erty. The depth to which these deposits
extend is not known AT the Ely mine
the inclined shaft is $500 feet long and
its bottom is below sea level. The ore
DONN CONSISTS OF several leuSGSs 80 llldl
one lens may pinch out but in the Union
and + y mines the ore continues in over
tapping lenses to the greatest depth at
tanned. The ore bodies are remarkably
free from water At a depth of $500
feet on the dip. or 1900 feet vertically,
the Ely ore body is very dry, the water
OF the mine being confined to a few hum
bred feet of upper workings. The ore
and incasiug rock are very solid in all
the mines and practically no timbering
| is used
Mr. Weed gives interesting details
about the history, equipment, and pres
ent development of the mines in the
/ three districts of the belt. The Elizabeth
mine, near the town of South STAFFORD
was opened as early as 1903, and its
magnet tic pyrite was used for the manu-
facture of copperas. The great Ely mine
was discovered in 1921 and has been
successfully worked most of the time
since then. Bad management and litiga-
ton have several times caused the mine
to be closed down or TO change hands,
but whenever mining operations have
been continued it has yielded large
output of copper.