The Calumet news., 1912-08-10
PAYS TRIBUTE TO OLD
COPPER COUNTRY MINERS
AS the Result of Their Influence
a Spirit of Harmony and CO.
operation Prevails
RAIN MARS THE MEMS OUTING

After weeks of preparation, rain to-
day made several. of the dig features
planned for the Calumet & Hecla min
ers annual charity picnic impossibie
OF fulhlment II ~.s necessary 10
abandon the plan to hold the picnic
at the G.. a. H. park and at 10 o'clock.
the miners. headed by the G. x III.
the miners. left the armory and pro-
ceeded in conveyances To the Palestra
whre The days exercises are being car
ried out. The size of TIE parade was
considerably reduced because Of the
rain and the eleventh hour change in
the plans necessitated.
After reaching the Palestra IL was
decided to postpone the exercises un-
til noon. and 10 proceed with as much
of the program as could possibly be
carried out, including the hammer and
drill contests, perhaps the biggest fea-
ture Of the outing, aside from the
merry making. 81,
I'm the absence OF General Manager
James MacNaughton. Capt Jonn
Knox presided as chairman and eX-
pressed regret that the weathr had SO
interfered with the annual outing. He
expressed his appreciation and the ap-
pieciation of his company FOR the 10y
atty of the men and said he was con-
fident that the good feeling now ex-
listing between the company and its
employees would continue for all time.
Chairman Knox introduced, Attorney
A, r. Petermann. the speaker of the
day.
Mr.. Peterrrann's Address
Mr. Petermann spoke as follows;
on such an occasion as this it is
surely not out of place to devote some
time in talking of the old time miner.
the miner of yesterday. the man who
more than anybody else has made tho
copper country of Michigan what e
is. 1t seems to me that very often we
are inclined TO take the prosperity OF
the copper country as matter OF
course, without realizing the hardship
and struggle and sacrifice that was
necessary TO develop it. Consider for
moment what the beginning of the
mining Industry here I'm Michigan
meant The Keweenaw Peninsula was
wilderness of unbroken forest ana
those men, leaving the comforts Of
civilization behind them. struck bold
~ into the Wilderness and landing on
the rugged shores of Lake Superior
were confronted at the outset with
a struggle which must have made
even the stoutest heart quail. COM
mencing their ight with the mighty
forest they wrested from 1t the tim
bers with which to build their first
humble log cabins, and Then with
tools and implements, which you min
ers OF today would not look at, they
started the fight for copper. Through
the long winters when FOR months
they were cut off from all communi-
cation with the outer world and when
food often became scarce and the
very elements seemed to be banded
against them. they worked on. Dis
appointment did not dim their cour-
age and the failure of one venture
simply meant To them that they must
start somewhere else and continue the
work And so slowly but surely
through struggle and hardship .and
sacrifice, the copper industry here in
Michigan was developed.
Pioneers Influence Felt.
And those men i'm order TO do what
they did must have been men of ster-
ling qualities They were strong men.
strong of mind and of body and Of
character. men Of courage and endur-
ance and determination. TO do the
very best work that they could and
To let nothing stand in the way OF
success. And they worked for other