USA > Michigan > Michigan as a province, territory and state, the twenty-sixth member of the federal Union > Part 17
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his goods by team, but his source of supply was the metropolis. Situated on the great waterway Detroit found customers in all the shore towns and the far distant Lake Superior country. As railroads were built and as population increased facilities for transportation and a growing demand for wares and merchandise of every description built up a lively trade. Detroit has always maintained her position as the chief commercial centre. But as Grand Rapids, Saginaw, Bay City, Port Huron, grew and their transportation facilities were enlarged their enterprising merchants found a profitable trade with the region tributary or immediately con- nected. The prosperity of the farmer and the manufac- turer mean the prosperity of the merchant. Michigan has just cause to be satisfied with the progress which has been made.
CHAPTER XVIII MINERAL RESOURCES
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I N point of antiquity copper is widest known of all the varied mineral resources of Michigan. The evidences of the mining of this metal go back to the prehistoric times when a race of intelli- gent men of whom we have absolutely no knowledge mined copper systematically on Isle Royale and in the neighborhood of Ontonagon. In the pits which they dug have been found masses of metal, some of them of enormous weight, accompanied by crude implements, and in some cases timber platforms evidently designed for the purpose of lifting the masses to the surface. In some instances the openings of these mines were choked with debris and earth upon which grew the largest of large forest trees, indicating the lapse of centuries since their abandonment. The very first European explorers of Lake Superior found abun- dant evidences of the existence of copper and reported it in their journals published in Paris in the seventeenth century. The first attempt by white men to mine the metal was made by Alexander Henry in 1770 on behalf of a company which had been organized in London. His efforts were a failure and the money which the com- pany invested brought them no return. Doctor Douglas Houghton, the first state geologist of Michigan was the first to intelligently explore the district and reduce the geologic data which he gathered to such form and system as to afford practical information to the miner. He was unfortunately drowned in Lake Superior in 1845 while prosecuting his researches.
It was Boston capital which first undertook the devel- opment of the copper region and Boston capitalists have profited immensely in the aggregate by their enter- prise. Actual operations were begun in 1842 in the vicinity of Keweenaw Point where fissure veins were opened which proved moderately profitable workings.
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In the early days of operations the Cliff, Phoenix and Copper Falls were opened on the fissure veins and suc- cessfully worked for a time, but were afterwards aban- doned. The Central was profitably worked longer than any others of its class. In 1846 some exploring was done at Portage lake, near the site of the present Quincy mine, but that district did not come into prominence until 1860, when the Quincy took a position long held in the front rank of amygdaloid mines. In 1843 opera- tions were begun near Ontonagon, but it was not until 1847, when the discovery of the Minnesota lode brought the district into prominence, that mining was conducted on a large scale. The discovery of the Calu- met and Hecla conglomerate lode in 1866 marked a new era in copper mining, and another epoch was marked in 1885 when the Calumet and Hecla lode was cut at a vertical depth of two thousand two hundred and seventy feet by the Tamarack shaft. This demon- strated the possibility and profit of deep mining.
Until the development of copper mining in Arizona, Montana and other Rocky Mountain states in the early eighties the Michigan mines were practically the only source of domestic production of copper, and produced approximately about twenty per cent. of the world's supply. By the census of 1860 it appears that thirty mines were in operation in the Lake Superior country, in 1870, twenty-seven, and in 1900, twenty. This indi- cates a gradual concentration, for though the number of mines decreased, the production greatly increased. The value of the average production per mine in 1860 was seventy-two thousand three hundred and seventy- nine dollars; in 1870 one hundred and fifty-nine thou- sand seven hundred and ten dollars; in 1880 four hun- dred and nineteen thousand nine hundred and sixty dol- lars, and in 1900 one million and twenty-eight thousand
CALUMET & HECLA SMELTING WORKS, SOUTH LAKE LINDEN
HOUGHTON AND PORTAGE I AFD
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one hundred and sixty-eight dollars. Their total pro- duction of refined copper at the last mentioned date was one hundred and seventy-one million one hundred and two thousand and sixty-five pounds. Not all the mines have proved profitable to their shareholders, but a few have been enormously so. The dividends paid by the Cliff and Minnesota mines before they ceased to be profitable amounted to upwards of four million dol- lars. Up to 1893 the dividends paid by the mines of the Portage Lake district were as follows: Atlantic, seven hundred thousand dollars; Calumet and Hecla thirty-eight million eight hundred and fifty thousand dollars; Central, one million nine hundred and sev- enty thousand dollars; Franklin, one million one hun- dred thousand dollars; Osceola, one million six hun- dred and ninety-seven thousand and five hundred dol- lars; Kearsarge, eighty thousand dollars; Quincy six million four hundred and seventy thousand dollars ; Tamarack, three million one hundred and sixty thousand dollars. This makes a grand total in dividends of those mentioned above of upwards of fifty-eight million dol- lars. A vast sum of money has been put into mines which have never returned any dividends. But there were quite a number which, though never, or but for a short time, on the dividend list, have nevertheless greatly enriched those interested in them by their output and the amounts ultimately realized on their available assets.
In the production of iron ore Michigan leads all the states. The greatest development of iron ore deposits in the world is in the Lake Superior region. In 1900 this region produced seventy-six per cent. of the total output of the United States. No other section of the United States, and no other district in the world has shown such marvelous development or produced so
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much iron ore as this region, which is embraced in north- ern Michigan and Wisconsin, and eastern Minnesota. So far as Michigan is concerned there are three distinct dis- tricts which lie in the western half of the northern penin- sula. These are the Marquette, Menominee and Goge- bic ranges. All these are wholly within the limits of Michigan, except a small portion of the Menominee and Gogebic which lie in Wisconsin. Whether in the same extent of territory elsewhere there may be deposits of similar extent or value it is not possible to say, but gauged by the evidences which development have brought out, it is safe to say that these mines are unrivalled in the world.
The initial shipment is credited to the year 1856. From that time the development has continued steadily, about two-thirds of the total product having been taken out within the last ten years. The output finds cheap transportation for the short rail haul with favorable grades to the lakes where well equipped docks have been constructed. These are so arranged that the ore is delivered from the cars into bins and from the bins into the holds of the vessels by gravity. The vessels take the ore from the shipping docks through the great lakes to the receiving docks where equal facilities for unload- ing by mechanical appliances have been provided. In 1880 the amount of iron ore mined in Michigan was one million six hundred and forty thousand eight hun- dred and fourteen long tons, giving the state second rank, Pennsylvania being first. The output increased in 1890 to five million eight hundred and fifty-six thou- sand one hundred and sixty-nine long tons, Michigan then ranking first of the states, a position it has con- tinued to hold. In 1900 the production increased to eleven million one hundred and thirty-five thousand two hundred and fifteen, nearly double that of the previous
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census. The greater portion of this ore was of high grade, although of late years some siliceous ores com- paratively low in iron content and also low in phos- phorus have been used as a mixture in the furnaces with richer ores low in silica. These mines are all located closer to shipping ports and to the principal pig iron manufacturing districts than the Minnesota ranges, and the ores therefore command a higher relative value. These values were shown to be in 1880 six million, thirty-four thousand six hundred and forty-eight dol- lars; 1890, fifteen million eight hundred thousand five hundred twenty-one dollars, and in 1900 ,twenty-six million six hundred and ninety-five thousand eight hun- dred and sixty dollars.
The earliest mining in the Lake Superior district was on the Marquette range and one of the oldest opera- tions is the Cleveland mine which has been supplying ore constantly for fifty years. None of the records go back beyond 1854 in which year one mine was reported as operating in the Marquette district, the shipments amounting to three thousand tons. In 1900 the ship- ments of that district were upwards of three million tons. The production or consumption of iron ore in
the United States in 1854 can only be estimated from the quantity of pig iron made. According to the cen- sus of 1850 there would have been in the neighborhood of one and a half million tons of iron ore consumed during that year in the entire United States. An indi- cation of the growth of the business will appear in the fact that this is considerably less than the output of one mine, the Fayal, in the Lake Superior region in 1900.
A typical analysis of the Lake Superior ores shows their richness. Those of the Marquette range give a percentage of pure iron as fifty-six and one-half; of the Menominee range fifty-five and one-quarter, and of
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the Gogebic fifty-six and one-third. The other ingre- dients consist of silica, respectively four and one-half, six and three-quarters and three and one-half per cent .; moisture, eleven and four-fifths, six and a half, and ten and four-fifths per cent., with a trace in each of phos- phorus and sulphur, not varying greatly. These indicate the chemical composition of standard ores from the respective districts in the order named. In 1900 the value of ore mined in Michigan is given as twenty- eight million eight hundred and fifty-nine thouand six hundred and fifty dollars, which is four million dol- lars more than that produced in Minnesota, which stands second in the list. The total value of the pro- duct of all the states was sixty-six million five hundred and ninety thousand five hundred and four dollars. Thus Michigan and Minnesota together furnished eighty per cent. of the entire product of iron of the United States, and Michigan alone over forty-three per cent. Alabama and Wisconsin come next on the list of iron producing states with a percentage respectively of four and three per cent. of the aggregate production.
The statistics show that in 1900 the whole number of iron mines in operation in the United States was five hundred and twenty-five, of which eighty were in Michi- gan. The states having the next greatest number of mines were Virginia, with sixty-two, Alabama and Min- nesota with fifty-nine each, Pennsylvania with forty- seven, Missouri with thirty-four, Colorado with thirty- three, and so on. The eighty mines in Michigan were operated by forty-one incorporated companies, employ- ing fourteen thousand four hundred and fifty-six miners whose aggregate wages amounted to nine million one hundred and thirty-two thousand seven hundred and sixty-three dollars. Of this number ten thousand nine hundred and sixty-two worked below ground and
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received seven million and fifty-seven thousand five hun- dred and ninety-six dollars. The number of other wage earners, beside miners, superintendents, officers, clerks, etc., was three thousand seven hundred and thirty-two, with wages amounting to two million one hundred and seventy-one thousand three hundred and sixty-one dol- lars. The salaried officials numbered seven hundred and fifty and their total salaries amounted to seven hun- dred and seventy-five thousand nine hundred and four- teen dollars. The largest number of miners employed in any other state was eight thousand two hundred and fifty-six in Minnesota, and four thousand eight hundred and sixty-four in. Alabama.
The operation of coal mining in Michigan began in 1835 in Jackson. At that point the coal crops out at the surface on the margin of the river and so was readily discovered. Substantially the same state of things at Grand Ledge in Ingham and Clinton counties devel- oped three years later. Nothing in the way of active working was done until some time about 1860, when the mines at Jackson were opened to a considerable extent, which work has been carried on continuously ever since. The Grand Ledge field has not been developed, probably for the reason that it would not be found profitable. In 1878 coal was mined in the Owosso district in Shia- wassee county and this field has since been continuously worked with considerable vigor. At about the same time operations were carried on in a small way at Wil- liamston. The coal found here is of a superior quality but the deposit is wanting in roof and the seam is thin. Successful operations first began in the Saginaw dis- trict and in Bay County in 1895, and these districts have since been the chief source of supply of Michigan coal.
The commissioner of mineral statistics reports that the coal measures of the state are supposed to occupy
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an area comprising about one-fifth of the central por- tion of the lower peninsula. This embraces the whole or considerable portions of the counties of Bay, Sagi- naw, Huron, Shiawassee, Clinton, Ingham, Eaton, Jack- son, Van Buren, Cass, etc. The coal is bituminous and easily broken, possesses excellent heat producing quali- ties and burns with a bright flame, leaving but a small residuum of ashes. It is not adapted to gas manufacture or cooking, but is used almost wholly for steam making. It has not been found in great quantities at any point, the vein not being more than three or four feet in thick- ness. It is too deep down to pay to strip it, and there is no overlying rock of sufficient strength to serve as roof. Consequently the mining conditions are not of the best. It must be said, however, that the explorations hitherto have not been very thorough. Tests have been made in various parts of the state in a desultory way, but the only thorough investigation has been the pro- ducing districts now mainly confined to the Saginaw valley and Owosso. From the most recent data men versed in coal production are of the opinion that Michi- gan is destined to become and remain an important pro- ducer of bituminous coal. A large proportion of the product of the smaller mines finds a ready local mar- ket, while much of the output of the larger ones goes into Wisconsin, Minnesota, and the Dakotas.
In Southern Michigan and particularly in the large manufacturing center of Detroit, Michigan coal has not been able to compete in price with the coal from Ohio and West Virginia. The cost of mining and transportation are the deciding factors. In the Michi- gan mines the cost of coal is increased by the so-called dead work-cleaning and other charges not incident to, or not so expensive in, coal mining in Ohio. Michigan coal for furnace and domestic purposes compares favor-
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ably in quality with that brought from Ohio, but the latter is favored undoubtedly by the railroads direct from Detroit into the coal fields. These matters are not controlled by sentimental considerations. And while the consumers would as lief use Saginaw as Ohio coal at the same price, the Saginaw operators can do better with their product in the western markets than at home. As indicating the growth of coal mining and especially in the more recent years the statistics are informing. The number of tons produced in 1870 was thirty-one thou- sand five hundred and twenty-eight; in 1880, one hundred thousand and eight hundred; in 1890, seventy- four thousand nine hundred and seventy-seven; in 1900, one million two hundred and forty-one thousand two hundred and forty-one. At the latter date the average price at the mines was one dollar and se- nty cents per ton.
Long before the settlement of Michigan by white men the Indians supplied themselves with salt from the saline springs of the Saginaw valley, at Springwells near Detroit, upon the Clinton river and elsewhere. It was evident to those who made early topographic and geo- logic surveys that systematic exploration would bring to light resources of the greatest commercial importance. Soon after the organization of the state the legislature made a series of appropriations for a thorough examina- tion, which work was in the hands of Doctor Douglas Houghton. He had made but little progress when his untimely death in 1845 put an end for a time to the agi- tation of the subject. In 1860 the East Saginaw salt manufacturing company sank a well at that city to the depth of six hundred and fifty feet and was the first to obtain brine of good quality and in paying quantity. The early development of the industry was in its first stages purely experimental and far from profitable. But
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its promoters would not yield to discouragements and persisted until success crowned their efforts. The brine was found to be strongly impregnated with iron, which made it rusty; with' bromide of sodium which made it bitter, and with gypsum which made it cake. It was necessary to get rid of these impurities and in 1869 the legislature passed a law requiring the inspection of all salt manufactured in the state. In 1876 an association was formed which included all the prominent manufac- turers to enforce the regulations and handle the product with a view to uniformity of prices. At that time the manufacture was mainly at Saginaw and vicinity and along the Huron shore as far north as Osceola, at Mid- land, at St. Louis in Gratiot county, at Saint Clair in that county and at Manistee on Lake Michigan.
The brine was procured by boring to the depth of eight to nine hundred feet and pumping. The salt was obtained by evaporation and was most economically pro- duced, in connection with saw mills where the refuse was used for fuel for evaporating purposes. In some instances the process used was known as solar, which con- sisted in evaporating the brine in shallow reservoirs exposed to the sun and open air. The wells were prac- tically exhaustless. Early in the nineties the Ecorse- Wyandotte field came into prominence and soon eclipsed all others in the magnitude of operations. This field extends from the western limits of the city of Detroit some ten or twelve miles along the Detroit river. At a depth of about a thousand feet a body of pure rock salt was found of a thickness of upwards of four hun- dred feet. A number of very heavily capitalized com- panies were at once formed to operate in this district. The plan of operating was to drill into the rock and by means of tubing force water into it, which by the pres- sure was forced out again, in the form of brine having
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in its passage through the rock taken up a quantity of salt. Operations were also begun for excavating a shaft down to the salt rock and mining the same.
The growth of the business is shown by the statistics of the number of barrels of salt produced. In 1860 this amounted to four hundred and seventy-two; 1870, seven hundred and ninety-six thousand, two hundred and sixty- three; 1880, two million four hundred and eighty-five thousand, one hundred and seventy-seven; 1890, three million seven hundred and twenty-nine thousand, one hundred and eleven ; 1900, five million two hundred and six thousand five hundred and ten. At the last men- tioned date Michigan produced over thirty-four per cent. of the entire production of the United States. New York stood next to Michigan with four million eight hundred and ninety-four thousand, eight hundred and fifty-two barrels. The value of salt per barrel has steadily decreased from one dollar and eighty cents in 1866 to fifty cents in 1900. In the Detroit district, the principal manufacture is soda ash, baking powder, and chemical products of salt used in manufactures and sold in the trade.
The history of the Portland Cement industry in this state begins with the year 1872 when a plant was built near Kalamazoo and operated until abandoned in 1882. No further steps were taken in its development until 1896, when a plant was erected at Union City. This was the beginning of what proved to be an astonishingly rapid growth of the industry. The raw materials enter- ing into the composition of Portland cement made in Michigan are limestone, marl, shale, clay and gypsum, all of which are very abundant in the state, more so, per- haps than in any other state in the union. In 1900 ten factories were in operation with a daily capacity of eight thousand three hundred barrels. Seven others were in
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process of construction, all of which expected to be mak- ing cement within the coming year. Four other com- panies had been organized and had in some instances already selected locations and were making active prepa- rations for beginning work. The total output had increased from four thousand barrels in 1896 to upwards of one million barrels in 1900, a most astonish- ing development in the short space of five years.
The average cost of the modern factories in Michigan is about a half million dollars. The introduction of American machinery has simplified the process of manu- facture and reduced the cost to such extent that the price of the manufactured article has steadily decreased. The London correspondent of a Chicago newspaper recently said; "American cement is likely to capture the markets of the world. The Americans a short time ago adopted a process of manufacturing Portland cement by means of rotary roasting mills which will drive England, France and Germany out of the field. By the aid of sim- pler machinery the Americans are able to make the arti- cle in eight hours, while England with its ancient, cum- bersome equipment requires from three to four weeks. The cement mills which the Americans are building everywhere will soon supply the home market, and then their attention will be turned to the export business and their article will be landed here at prices defying compe- tition." The cheapening of cement has increased its use to an astonishing extent. It is now used for pur- poses not thought of a few years ago. It is an ideal material in bridge construction; it has no equal as pav- ing foundation. It is the best material known for side- walks and building foundations and even for buildings themselves. In all the cities and villages throughout the state it is now used very extensively where hitherto its use was quite unknown. The supply of raw materials
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is practically inexhaustible. The present indications are that the demand will grow, as new ways for its economi- cal use develop. All the conditions combine to make Michigan the leading state for the production of this great staple.
The gypsum deposits of Michigan are limited to a few points, but they are at those points of sufficient extent and accessibility to suffice for all the demands that may be made upon them. The most extensive deposits are found in the vicinity of Grand Rapids and at Alabas- ter, Iosco county. At each of these localities is found a succession of thick beds of gypsum, commencing near the surface and aggregating many feet in depth. In the quarries at Alabaster the upper gypsum bed has a thick- ness of sixteen feet. Near the headquarters of the Aux Gres river, extending west from Alabaster for nearly forty miles gypsum is found near the surface ; also to the north and to the south. At Grand Rapids the deposit is found for some distance south of the city and lying on both sides of the Grand river and beneath it. It extends over an area of about ten square miles, lying from two to seventy feet beneath the surface. The upper superficial bed has a thickness of six to eight feet and lies directly beneath the soil. Then occurs a seam of soft slate about one foot in thickness and below that a bed of pure gypsum twelve feet in thickness. The gypsum in both of these localities does not vary much in appearance or quality. It is of various shades of color -white, gray, yellow, red, and mottled like castile soap. When quarried the gypsum is pulverized and then ground to a fine powder. In this form it is used as a land fertilizer. Calcined it is known in the arts as plas- ter of paris and as such its use is very extensive. The first gypsum mill was built near Grand Rapids in 1841 and the Alabaster quarries were opened in 1862. The
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