The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1911-07-10
MUCH INTEREST In HAMMER
AND DRILL CONTEST HERE
lsHPEMlNo IRON ORE COMMENTS
ON THE HANCOCK EVENT.
Many Old Timers Who Are Experts
With the Hammer and Drill.


Commenting on the hammer and
drill contest, one OF the Big features
Of the Hancock home coming celebra-
ton, July IL to %, the Ishpeming Iron
ore says
Mr.. John ID. Ryan. president of the
Amalgamated Copper company, and a
native of our own copper country, has
been given the post of huIor I'm the
great home coming movement "a
Hancock this summer Years age
John ID. Ryan was Iron ores youngest
correspondent. who used TO send us
mining news from copperdom. Even
then he took more than passing inter
est in mining matters and his copy
was of most interesting character
He then predicted some big things
that have since taken place.
Mr.. Ryan has given to the commit
tee looking after the Hancock cele-
bration one thousand dollars To be
used in prizes for drilling contests by
the miners of the country.
In the west these contests are much
more frequent than throughout the
Lake Superior country for the reason
that more hand work is done i'm the
mines. There are many trials staged
in Butte, Montana. and at Bisbee. Arl-
iona. where large purses for winners
are put up, and where there is often
much money put up on the favorltes.
One-handed drilling is much prac-
ticed in the mines of the west, and
some remarkable records have been
made by the experts I'm this style. In
our country il is nearly all two handed
work, a pair of miners and a drill
twister composing the gang. And
there have been some very clever
hammermen in the list that has figured
in the iron and copper mines of Michi-
gan. Turning to our file we find the
names of John quincy our present mine
inspector. and good one, who was one
of the cleverest of them. In the list
were such good men as william Heard,
Ed. Cory, Robert and Thos. Greer. John
c. Hodge, James Tregen2a. James Gle
mo, John stephens. William Drew and
a number of others.
OF the older men who used TO be
clever in uppers or any other kind OF
hole was the late Samuel Mitchell. who
was credited with being one of the
cleanest hitters i'm the mines. VIM.
Argall. residing on Fourth street, this
city, and who was a familiar figure in
the old days. he being one OF the pion
GERS of the copper country. was a true,
hard hitter and even now he says he
would rather beat an upper than a car
pet. Among these old times are a
score OF modest men who have all held
their own against the best of them
from anywhere. and we now find them
talking about the coming contest and
wishing they could see it, 1t is a very
pretty and skilful business this strik
ing a drill with exactness. proper fore
es and in correct time. The changing
of drills in the holes without blow Of
the hammer being lost. requires much
practice and. like all things perfectly
done, is harder than ii looks.
Mr.. Ryan will find plenty of con-
testants for the purses he is putting
up for the men and we are sure all will
want to make the very best possible
showing before him. Mr. Ryan is a
familiar figure i'm the mining world,
having made wonderful progress since
he left the copper country for Butte,
and all who know him are heartily glad
of the success he has won.