Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1910-08-18
State Historical societyE IUN
In One of the Lead and Zinc Mines
of Wisconsin.
MINING AND MILLING
AS Now Successfully Carried On
In the Old Lead Region.
''And shall Trelawney die, and shall
Trelawney die?
Then thirty thousand underground
will know the reason WHY"

Will know LQo T6dSOu why.
So sang or shouted the sturdy men of
Cornwall on a memorable occasion In
the worlds history. AS there was a
good deal underground in Cornwall
more than two hundred years ago, SO
there is a good deal underground in
Southwestern Wisconsin today. All
does not appear on the surface. The
story is not all told in the thriving cities
and villages and the rich agricultural
lands; the crops of hay and grain; the
fields of corn; the herds Of cattle and
swine; the comfortable farm houses;
the numerous creameries and cheese
factories, and the mammoth barns.
There is a great industry carried on
down below in the many mines Of
Grant, Iowa and Lafayette counties.
If all the men who work underground
in these mines were assembled together
they would make formidable army.
In company with Supt. Hoskins,
George H. Place. and William James
Goldsworthy Democrat man visited
the famous old Coker mine near Living
ston last Saturday. This is now one of
the numerous mining properties of the
Mineral Point Zinc Company, and is
operated as such, with improved meth
DDS, and all necessary modern machin-
cry and appliances. John Noble is su-
perintendent at the mine; while Benz.
A. Hoskins is general superintendent of
all the company's mines in this district.
The Coker is now great producer OF
high great concentrates in both lead
and zinc. Underground there are many
drifts, or rather, high, vaulted galleries,
of great widths, running for many
hundreds of feet in different directions.
The depth of the shaft is little over
one hundred feet; and in many places
nearly the whole body Of stone is ore
bearing and is all taken out, leaving
only pillars to support the roof or cap
rock.
throughout the mine; and the broken
stone and ore is hauled to the hosting
shaft ON tram=cars pulled by mules.
The quantity of stuff hoisted per, day
runs from 200 tons to $50 tons. This is
all concentrated at the mill, and the ore
is hauled to the railway over tram
track laid for that purpose. Over this
track is also brought in the coal and
other supplies for the mill and mine.
The Coker as now extensively opened
up is not only a profitable producer for
the present, but the veins Of ore to be
seen on all sides show that there is
work ahead there for many years to
come; and this is true of many more
we'll proven properties in Southwestern
Wisconsin.
The old lead region will long main
tain her army of industrious men un
derground.
The latest improvement at the Coker
is a new machine shop which is being
equipped with lathes, etc, to do the
work for the mine and the mill. Allen
D. Spang is the machinist, and w. T.
Davis is the blacksmith. The important
work which they well perform is to
keep the machinery and tools in good
order, so that the best results can be
accomplished.
The surface indications, as shown in
the smokestacks and mills of the great
group of mines to be seen along the
road from Mif1in to Livingston tell