The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1914-01-30
MINING A HE
new lM'COMBER
Property In Which Virginians Are In
terested Is Being Developed
-. Rapidly. ...#..

The Duluth Herald recently had the
following to say Of the McComber
mine at Robinson, near Ely on the
Vermilion range. Several Virginia
people are stockholders in the pro-
perty: "The ore body being again
reached at the McComber mine, this
time on the 100 foot level, means a
change from exploration work hither-
to conducted by the Mutual Iron
Mining company to active mining op-
erations. 1t is only little over nine
months since the Mutual company
took charge Of this property and COM
menced exploring it and a remarkable
record has been made in discovering
and blocking out the ore body and
bringing things to the present stage
of development in such a remarkably
short time. AS rule it requires years
of labor and hundreds of thousands
of dollars to open up Vermilion
range mine, yet the result was &C.
complished here at nominal expense
and with only small crew test pit
ting, shaft sinking and cutting.
"The vein was originally located by
test pits where it came to the surface
of the rock, then a shaft was sunk
so feet and a crosscut at this level
was run for 49 feet through ore when
this work was discontinued and the
shaft put down another SO feet. From
this 1O0-foot level another tunnel was
cut to the north in the direction Of
where the ore body was expected
and the reaching Of it again at this
depth proves regular formation
and that the deposit is assuredly a
large one.
"Much credit is due to the sup
erintendent, Capt. Thomas H. Rodg-
ers, for the splendid work accomplish
ed and also to the president Of the
company James Cardle, for the able
management of affairs which has
brought such satisfactory results. 1t
was Rodgers who first discovered
some float ore under the root of an
old stump close to where the camps
were located of a former company
who explored the property some years
ago and failed to find the ore. This
property was also explored later by
the famous iron wizard Of the north
George A. St. Calir, and abandoned
by him some time ago. In view of
all of this the officers of the COM
pany were freely criticized at the COM
mencement Of operations and doubt
expressed that mine would ever be
opened on the "McComber," but they
went ahead with the work with a
firm belief that the ore was there.
"Another thing for which the Mu"
tual company deserves special COM
mendation is that from the very first
full correct news of all their doings
has been published weekly for the be-
neft of their stockholders and never
once has any mistatement or misdep-
resentation been made. In fact a
desire was shown to underestimate it
anything the successe which they
were having. This is remarkable in
a mining company where the inclina-
ton is usually the other way. Efforts
of some companies to overestlmate
conditions and stretch the : truth
have injured the mining business
greatly during recent years.
ut is understood that some of the
larger interests are bidding for this
property now to be taken over on
royalty basis but no definite Informal
ton could be obtained at this time, the
officers Of the company stating that
the whole matter would probably be
presented to a stockholders meeting
and a decision reached at that time
whether to suitcase or not.
"Another far-sighted move on the
part of the officers of the Mutual
Iron Mining company was the pur-
chase several months ago and the
plating of townsite on land lying
between the McComber property and
the line of the Duluth & Iron Range
railway. The location could not be
better as it is just midway between
the two towns Of Tower and Ely and
with the opening up of mining in the
district it would have a rapid growth.
The property adjoining the TOWNSHIP
to the east has been leased during
the past week and exploration work
will be started on it in the early
spring"