The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1914-06-26
these men were doing. He knew
that the first year the steel was laid
into Tower from Two Harbors that

these men were doing. He knew
that the first year the steel was laid
into Tower from Two Harbors that
Captain Morcom shipped fifty
thousand tons of ore from the Sou
dan mine. He saw Bob White
side and Jimmie" James Martin
Patterson and others getting out
ore from what proved the begin
ming of the Chandler mine and the
opening of the great Ely trough.
He saw and was joyful. He pranc-
ed through the. woods and located
his property, on which there was
also mine. 1t is true that in
many cases he had chance to sell
out and make a big profit. for the
old Minnesota Iron company was
fully alive to the situation and was
securing valuable claims wherever
it could. However, it was a rare
thing that these old-timers who
had spent their own money in
locating and proving up, could be
induced to sell, not that they knew
what they had, and intended to
hang on for the big money.
So the old boy hung on; times
got slack and mining fees were
cheap, so cheap in fact that DR..
Conan picked up half interest in
the fee of the great Pioneer mine
for 81 200, and who was so afraid
that some of the moisture in the
ore would evaporate between Ely
and Highland that he had the ore
weighed at the mine so he would
be sure of 'gettin' hisen." But,
as stated above. the old-timers
hung on, and are still hanging.
The greatest bunch of optimists in
these United States, they fully be-
lieve that their time is coming.
You may meet them on the streets
of Duluth every day talking it over
and wishing that the man with the
money would come along and f.
nance their proposition for, say a
small interest in the property.
After George ST. Clair took over
Section 80 and developed a mine
in short order and after the pro-
perty was condemned by all the
so-called experts i'll the country, in
terest which was tagging just a
little, revived with a rush. The
old timer knew it all the time. 1t
1t only took man like ST. Clair to
show properties up-which is, by
the way true. George St. Clair is
the greatest explorer in the Lake
Superior district land such a fine
gentleman hatzzeryene is tlckled
to death when We does make
strike. But interest, as we said,
revived. 1t may be mentioned
here that the old timers have band
ed themselves together and en-
gagged one big office. which they all
use together and they get along
fine. They gather together every
day and talk it over and decide on
future developments. We refer to
the lobby of the St. Louis Hotel,
where everybody has an easy chair
and cuspidor within easy hitting
distance. Here mighty exploits of
by gone days are gone over very
carefully every day and lost oppor-
tunities by big mining companies in
not getting in OH the Vermilion in
stead of buying ore farms on the
Mesaba are discussed.
They are fine bunch of old
men, these old-timers. They a.
the salt of the earth. Every now
and then one of them drops out of
the ranks and the line is getting
smaller. They are the victims of
a freak range. Of course, some of
them made good; the greater part |
did not, but they don't believe it. !
They know where the ore is. The !
only thing is they never had
chance to show it up.