The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1913-12-19
SOME HISTORY
Early Happenings ON Vermii0n Range
Recalled


Chandler mine. This recalls early
and interesting history. This pro,
perty was scripped by Martin and
and Billie Pattison in 1884 and a
short time thereafter, the late
James Sheridan and A. E. Camp
pitched their tent on the land
While preparing supper they pull
ed up some small twigs and discov-
cred the ore at the roots of same.
Sheridan, Camp and ]. H. James
procured lease on the land and it
was later turned over to the Chand-
Ter Iron Company.
A few diamond drill holes were
i put down, and nothing found, and
the property was about to be con-
demned when well known mining
man of this city advised sinking a
shaft. which was done, and the
finest furnace and the best paying
district in the Lake Superior dis
trict was discovered. The property
made millions for its stockholders
and its fee owners.
Later on exploration work COM
merced on the Pioneer and Zenith
and it took number of years to
find the ore bodies in boths pro-
perties. The Pioneer contained
about 800 feet of jasper over the
ore body and the Zenith, the same,
and it was the opinion of a lot of
well posted mining men in the
early days that the Chandler mine
was the only ore body in the basin.
Both of these mines now are class
ed amony the most valuable ore
mines in the Lake Superior dis
trict.
In the history of the Carnegie
Steel company, written by Andrew
Carnegie, copies of letters which he
wrote to the Oliver Mining company
when this company was first organ
lied, he advised that they secure
certain miees in the Lake Superior
district, the chief among these was
the Pioneer mine at Ely. The
Zenith mine at eight hundred feet
had only seven feet of ore, but now
vein of over 200 feet wide. The
lease for this property will expire
in four years more, at which time
it is expected that there will be
many applicants and large induce
ments offered to obtain a lease on
it.
The fee to the Sibley mine could
have been purchased a few years
ago for 100000. Today it is
worth many millions. The Savoy
the smallest of the group, has
made fortune for its fee owners,
Messrs. Miller and Brown. The
estimated value of this Ely group
is 100000. The early pioneer
explorers of the range knew moth
ing about this mining location. and
confined themselves exclusively to
the Tower district. The Duluth &
Iron Range railway was built at
the time when the Soudan mine
was the only mine in the State of
Minnesota. This mine has been in
operation for thirty years and it is
claimed to have more ore in sight
at 1 500 feet at present than has
been taken out in the past 80 years.
This range was neglected for a
great many years since the Mesaba
range was discovered. At that
time most all properties of known
value were in litigation.
The Vermilion range was known
as the great harvest field for attor-
ney fees in both Duluth and Wash
ington, as millions of dollars was
spent in trying to acquire and de-
fend titles. The longest litigation
therein was the famous Section
Thirty property and the property
at Tower Junction, which is now
the North American mine. Both
of these law suits lasted over 20
years. The Roy land was another
one which also lasted about that
length of time.
More successful development
work has been carried on in the
last four years than at any time
previous for a number of years.
Several new mines are being OPEN
ed up and will be on the shipping
list next season.-Skilling's News
Letter,