The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1938-02-10

puiACto Cdll NC Drought DdCh W idy4iIo'
To all of these questions have usually
had to answer-"It all depends" Then,
if / could get definite information,
was sometimes able to give some specific
advice. A list of possible causes would
include: Too early Matching january
Or February, laying at too early an
age, being left on range after laying
started, allowed to grow thin from in
lsuficient scratch feeding, and sudden
| top Of the dock to the top of the scow
and track wa slaid on the timbers.
The engine, moving lengthwise was then
lowered from deck to scow by block and
tackle. As soon as the engine left the
timbers the scow sank sharply under
the weight of the load. The timbers,
not being fastened to the scow, seemed
to swing up.
Il confess that the scow sank SO low
when loaded-Within Is in. of her gun
waleS-that We felt a bit uneasy about
moving her 80 miles up the lake TO
Two HarborS. But we finally got under
way at 2 p. m. was one of six men
the end of the hemp towline was the
Ella G. Stone, whose passengers in
Icluded Jennie White, daughter of
George H. White, assistant general
superintendent, and Mrs. Owens, then
a young bride.
1.-THE weight of the wet hemp line
|Seemed to pull the scow even deeper in
the water than when she was first
loaded. But everything went well until
one of Lake Superior's Northeasters
suddenly hit us. The scow underwent
a severe beating in the waves, and the
lurching of the heavy load opened up
the deck. It took all six of us to man
the pump and keep the craft afloat. At
that, we really did not exepct to save
her.
Captain Flynn of the Ella G.. Stone
was equally apprehensive and man
euvered the tug alongside to propel
| the scow as best he could from that
position. He then gave us axes and
instructed us to cut the line and jump
| aboard the tug in case the scoW sank.
Well, luck or the incessant pumping, or
both, got us through to Two Harbors at
9 o'clock that night
1.-THE method used in unloading was
practically the same as that used in
loading except that the engine itself
helped I put water in her and got
steam up while the apron was being
Lowered and the block and tackle were
being made ready. Since the dock was
not so high above the scow as in Du-
luth, the grade on the apron was about
5 per cent.
after that experience We used scows
with four times the capacity of the one
used on the first trip. As I recall it,
we lowed total of six locomotives,
four freight cars, twenty ore cars
and two passenger cars from Duluth
to Two Harbors by this method.
when the Three Spot arrived in Two
Harbors it had only a few hundred
feet of track to run on. Our first mo-
tive power had been a mule, which
hauled a larry car on which the rails
were loaded. Our first shipment OF
rails was brought by the sailboat
Niagara. They were 60-lb. steel sec
lions, rolled by the Illinois Steel Co.,
Chicago. The rails were unloaded by
three McMyler coal cranes"
$50 you had already constructed a
coal dock?" the interviewer interpoSed.
Eyes. We had to keep everything
moving, so that there would be no de-
lay in our operations. Among other
things, we started work on the ore
dock When the first ore was shipped
| in August, 1884, this dock, built of wood
on wooden piles in 20 it. of water, had
been completed on one side. It was 40
#. high, contained As pockets and had
storage capacity of about 5000 tons.
Today Two Harbors has three steel and
concrete ore docks, "a it. high, with 600
pockets and a total storage capacity of
168, 300 tons"
How far were you able to build the
railroad in 1882" Mr.. Owens was asked.
1--WE got as far as Breda, about Is
miles from Two Harbors. AL the rails
that had not eeen laid were stored at
that point so that they would be ready
when work was resumed in the spring.
Good gravel for ballaSting our track
was obtained from Brimson just this
side of Breda. Ties were obtained in
the woods, all along the line"
Where did you get your labor?"
| Men were brought to Two Harbors
from Duluth on an old sidewheel
steamer called the Dove. At first we
all lived in big boarding house with
a capacity for 800 people. For a time
Mrs. Owens was the only woman diner
there"
ST presume you felt isolated at Two
Harbors. BY the way, were there any
roads connecting Two Harbors with Du-
Iluth?" the interviewer asked.
"At first there was no road, and our
only regular communication with Du-
luth was by mail. Our postman was an
Indian, John Beargrease, who packed
the mail on his back in the summer
and hauled it by dog team in the
winter When road and bridges were
built the company used a sleigh in
winter and a spring wagon in summer
for transportation between the two
points But whenever the sleigh met
the dog team in deep snow, it had to
move aside even though its passengers
, included high officials. John Bear
grease, as e representative of Uncle
Sam, had the right-of-way. Of course,
! all this ended when branch of the
railroad was built from Two Harbors to
Duluth in 1885,"
II suppose that seems long time ago,