The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1913-03-13

annual meeting of the Keweenaw His.
torical society, held in the lecur,
room Of the Houghton library. Msrcl
IL, 1879
/ When the destructive forces of wal
burst upon the country in the sprins
Of 1861, the north was not so well pre-
pared as the south. but il was better
able 20 endure the four years struggle
that ensued. Its superior power lay
IN the mose numerous population and
the uninterrupted progress of its in
dustry. The people went about their
daily business, producing those sub
stantial resources and evidences of
ply steal we'll being that enabled them
To bear taxes and furnish the sinews
OF war Withal this industrial activity
maintained their courage and diverted
their minds from their losses. 30 the
northern states emerged from the war
Tor the union more populous. more
prosperous, and more wealthy than
they were at its beginning. Larger crops
WIZ bfAilb ldIktI NV
being paid, larger sums deposited in
banks, a larger factory output record
ed, more mineral products brought TO
the surface, more copper mined. Into
the armies of the union went nearly
three million men. and but slightly
less than three hundred and sixty
thousand lost their lives i'm the war:
but as we have said. the business of
the country, after the first adjustments
10 the new conditions in 1861, went
on without interruption. TIE war cost
the United states government on a
conservative estimate nearly five bill
lion of dollars; but. as he have said,
the country grew richer under this
burden. With these points in view,
ii is my purpose To state briefly the
condition of the Lake Superior copper
industry during these years of storm
and stress.
A committee Of the United States
Senate in 1862 estimated the demand
for copper i'm the United States at that
time Ia he about $4,000 tons. (Senatp
reports, 37th Congress, second session.
No. 40, p. Part of this amount came
from abroad-Canada and Chilli prin-
cipally; the rest from domestic pro-
duction. The importations of copper
during the war period were valued at
above six million dollars; but these
are Offset by an expectation amount.
ing To over eight million dollars. From
figures submitted to me by the bu-
reau Of foreign and domestic COM
merce az Washington, IL seems that
the imports of copper fell off decid-
eddy in 1862 and still further in 1867,
recovering somewhat at the close Of
the war. The imposition of tariff
duties was responsible in part at least
for this decline.
The domestic supply of copper was
found during the war in Michigan.
California. Tennessee Arizona ana
New Mexico and possibly little else
where. The production in Michigan did
not vary much from the average of six
10 seven thousand tons per year. Mich
igan. early in the war, led decidedly
all other states, but, according TO
Professor f.. ID. Fite of Yale univer-
sity California exceeded Michigan's
output Of copper in 1864 by four thou
sand tons. The opening Of the Calu-
met and Hecla mine just after the
war again put Michigan definitely in
the lead. Professor Fite's figures are
not borne out by those presented by
y. :. Butler in report on copper pro-
duction brought out by the L.. 5. geo.
logical survey; and. as I know Profess
sor Fife at least, to be a very careful
scholar, ! am unable at this time 10
decide the point of CALIFORNIA; pre-
eminence at any time. The official
statistics indicate that during the
years 1860 to 1865 inclusive, the Unit
ed States produced fifty-five thousand
tons of ingot copper. of which forty
thousand tons or eight elevenths OF
the supply, came from Michigan.--(2)
See Fite Social and Industrial Con-
ditions in the North During the Civil
War; New York, 1910: p. 2j; Butler:
The Production of Copper in the Unit
ed States; Washington, 1911. p. 21.-
The more than sixty eight million
pounds of copper which came from the
Lake superior mines Of Michigan dur
ing the years of the war; was produced
by thirtyfour mines i'm the three dis
tricts OF Keweenaw, Houghton and
Ontonagon counties. But large
fraction Of this came from five mines
the quincy. Minnesota, Franklin. Pc.