The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1910-06-21
DRINK RUINED A MINE.
TN COAL BOAT CAPTAIN WENT on A
QRII AND FAILED 10 RETURN.


n LAKE SUPERIOR steamboat cap
~ tain took several drinks too many
While he was enjoying his intoxicatio,
his boat was tied up. When he rccov
cred from it his boat was frozen in til,
ice, The managers of the richest sill
yer mine in America waitel patientl,
for the captain to come with the thou
sand tons Of coal which the beat had or
board tor the operation of the nine.
engines. The engines ran out of fue
and had to be shut down. The pumps
stopped, the mine filled with water
several hundred work,nen were
thrown out of employment, village
was dcpopulated, and scene oflife, &C.
tivity. and industry wns turned into a
dcsolate group Of decaving houses and
rusting machinery. For 10 years the
water has stood in the shafts, the levels
md the wines of the mine. And all be.
!rnuse a boats captain would take 10
drink.
1t is the story in nutshell of the
abandonment of the Silver Islct mine
off Thunder Cape. on the north shore
OF Lake Superior. which i'll IA years
produced 1900, 900 ounces of silver. VAL
ned at $3.500,O00.
The history of the mine dates back
So years, when Joseph Woods took out
y location which included the site OF
Silver islct, n barren little rock, which
was to become famous as the richest
spot in the world. This location wns
transferred to the Montreal Mining
company in 1S45, which I'm 1870 trans
ferred it to an American company
composed of many men of national
fame. They were r. b. Ward, of De-
trott, the famous millionaire whose
daughter has figured SO scnsationally
in European life; Edward Learned, of
Pittsfield, Mass; Alexander H. Sibley.
OF Detroit; Charles A. Trowbridge, Of
New York; Peleg Hall, OF New York;
William b. Frue. of Houghton, Mich;
George S. Coo, Of New York, and Ed
ward Prentice, Of Montreal.
The Americans had not bought a
mere prospect, either, for under the
direction OF an agent named Thomas
Macfarlane, the Montreal company had
done enough work on tho islet to show
that the vein was surprisingly rich. III
The summer of 1868 Macfarlane had
hecn exploring all the locations Of the
Montreal company, and while at work
on the Woods location n surveyor
named Brown found q vein OF metal on
the rock that has since been called Sill
Ncr islct. Macfarlnne examined Il
himself. and set two men to work I'M
covering the lead. 1t was found to be
20\fcet wide on the north side of the
lsIhnd, and on the south 1t divided into
two branches, each of which was seven
feet wide. a member Of the party soon
some silver nuggets in
the west branch Of the vein. A single
hlnst WINS sufficient to detach oil the
vein rock carrying ore above the SUR
face OF the water, but the ore was
= aced some distance out into the lake,
where the scattered nuggets of silver
,vcrc replaced by large patches Of
l'mestone. rich In galena, intermixetl
with small particles and large nuggets
pf native silver. The vein varied in it's
richest part from two feet to few
inches. Some rich pieces Of ore were
broken OF with crowbars under the
water. A shipment of 1896 pounds of
pre- which Vas shipped to Montreal was
found to contain 2,0s7 ounces troy OF
silver to the ton.
No more work was done ON the islct
In the season of 1868, but the next year
saw operations In earnest, though the
workers were hampered by the situa-
lion and extent % the islct.
The American company was about to
begin operations at the islet in 1870,
when certain James Seymour. Of To-
onto, undertook to jump the mining
lain and caused them much trouble |
before he was Nuieted. Capt. Fruc,
Anving been appointed superintendent
IT the mine by the American company.
eft Houghton. Mich. on August 30.
1870, with bont load OF mining inn
elements and machinery and - men,
lrriving at the islet on September ].
" soon as the supplies were unloadetl
he islet anklits surroundings were ex-
mined, plans were laid. and tho cdn-
'truction Of cribs WAS begun. The
sland was 10 small that it was neccs-
AIRY not only to build cribs to protect
he shaft. but to get foothold for the
'arions structures which the successfu full
operation If the mine entailed. As de-
cribed by Frue, the islet was "a small
'arren rock, the greatest width Of
which was 70 feet and length so feet,
nd in no place rising more than eight
Get above the wnter; Its position he
ng about threc-quarters OF mile from
ne mainland and being exposed to "a
Vfrr 81 200 miles of Lake Superior.