USA > Wisconsin > Grant County > History of Grant County, Wisconsin > Part 56
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Harvey's Diggings-Situated on the same ground and about 250 yards northwest of the preceding work, was begun here in the winter of 1875-76, and a large flat sheet of Smithson- ite was discovered, which has been worked over 200 feet in diameter without reaching unpro- ductive ground. It is found about fifty feet below the surface, in the random or horizon of the flat flint openings. The ore is found in flat sheets, interstratified with the formation. One hun- dred tons have been produced.
Mc Elroy Bros .- Situated half a mile south of the village of Benton. This is a new dis- covery, made in the winter of 1875-76; an irregular flat sheet of Smithsonite was found at a depth of fifty feet below the surface, from which in two months fifteen tons of ore were produced.
M. J. Williams & Co .- Situated on the southwest quarter of the southwest quarter of Section 3, Township 1, Range 1, east. A large flat sheet of lead ore and blende, about one foot thiek, was discovered in July, 1876, in the bed of Fever River, soon after a heavy flood which took place at that time. It lies in the upper surface of the blue limestone, and, on account of its situation in the river, but little has been done with it. It is an excellent prospect, and will doubtless be remunerative as soon as the water can be removed.
McCaffery, Smith & Co .- In the middle of October. 1876, these parties commenced work sinking a shaft on the west line of the forty of M. J. Williams & Co. They found the
374
HISTORY OF THE LEAD REGION.
same sheet of ore as there described ; in the space of two weeks they had developed a fine pros- pect, and had produced about one ton of ore.
Level Company .- On the northwest quarter of Section 29, Township 1, Range 1 east, a level is now being run by Messrs. Stevens, Mason, Miller, Robbins, Broderick, Hoover, Thomp- son, Coltman and Farley, who own and have leased 135 acres in Sections 20, 21, 28 and 29. The level was commenced in the spring of 1870, and has now reached a length of 1,000 feet; it is being driven on a flint opening near the top of the brown rock, which is here about fourteen feet above the blue limestone. The object of driving the level is to unwater the Drummond range, which runs east and west, and is supposed to be a continuation of the Crow range of Hazel Green, and the Nagle range of New Diggings. It is believed that when the level is com- pleted it will unwater the Drummond range to a depth of forty feet below the present water level. The level now gives access to two openings in working it, and had, when visited, an inch sheet of lead ore in the working forehead. It may be remarked that these openings are lower than any of the Benton openings, and seem to be identical with those of the Buncome district. The product has been, up to the present time, 60,000 pounds.
MIFFLIN DISTRICT.
Mining operations here are now chiefly confined to several parallel ranges, having a general northeasterly course, and situated about half a mile south of the village, including the Peniten- tiary, Dunbar and Owen ranges. The ore is found in flat sheets on the surface of the blue limestone, in the pipe-clay opening.
Some mining is also done in Section 10, Township 4, Range 1 east, in the vicinity of the Welsh settlement.
Penitentiary Mine .- Southwest quarter of northeast quarter of Section 34, Township 5, Range 1 east. This property is owned by Messrs. James, John and Calvert Spensley, William Bainbridge, J. J. Ross, Mrs. Mitchell and N. W. Dean. The mine was opened in 1842, and since then it has been very productive, and has been worked continuously to the present time. The mine is drained by a level containing a tramway, on which the rock and ore are carried out of the mine. Sufficient water is removed to operate a large wash place. The distance from the entrance of the mine to the forehead is about seventeen hundred feet. The average width of the range is about three hundred feet, and the thickness of the deposit from six inches to two feet. Previous to 1864, the mine was worked chiefly for lead ore, producing in some years as much as 170,000 pounds. It is estimated by Mr. Ross that it produced, from 1862 to 1875, 3,000,000 pounds of lead ore and 11,000 tons of blende. The production for 1875 was, blende, 375 tons ; lead ore, 35,000 pounds. The production for 1876 was, blende, 600 tons; lead ore, 40,000 pounds.
Jenkins, Miller & Co .- These parties have been working during the last two and a half years in the Dunbar range, which is parallel to the Penitentiary, and a short distance north of it. The land is owned by Messrs. Ross & Dean. This range has been worked during the last thirty years, and is drained by the Penitentiary level ; the present workings are about fifty feet below the surface. The company produced during the year 1876, to October 1, blende, 80 tons ; lead ore, 8,000 pounds. Their annual average is, blende, 80 tons; lead ore, 12,000 pounds.
Rain, Young & Jenkins .- These parties are now working on the Blackjack range, which is adjacent to the Dunbar, and sometimes connects with it. The present works are fifty feet below the surface. The ore is found in flat sheets, sometimes seventy feet in width, in the pipe- clay opening, the height of the opening averaging five feet. The annual production is from one hundred and fifty to two hundred tons of blende, and from ten thousand to fifteen thousand pounds of lead ore. A short distance northeast of the Blackjack is the Owens range. It has not been worked during the last two years, but is considered good mining ground.
375
HISTORY OF THE LEAD REGION.
CENTERVILLE DISTRICT.
These diggings are like those in the village of Highland, in that they are all situated quite close together, on Section 7, Township 6, Range 1 east, on the hill about a quarter of a mile east of the village. The land is all owned by Messrs. Top, Nordorf and Kroll. The miners are nearly all Germans. The diggings were first worked in 1836, and have been worked con- tinuously ever since, chiefly for lead ore, until within the last ten years, since which time they have been worked for zinc ores. The workings are in the brown rock opening, and lic from five to fifty feet below the surface, depending on the amount of denudation. Very little trouble is experienced from water, and during the past two years the ground has been especially dry. The principal parties working here are as follows :
Heller & Parish .- These parties are working a southeast-and-northwest range, twelve bun- dred feet long and six hundred feet wide. Their annual product is lead ore, 100,000 pounds ; blende, 500 tons; Smithsonite, 400 tons.
John Carter and Richard Samuels .- On the same range as the preceding. They have worked here two years, and are producing two hundred tons of Smithsonite and five thousand pounds of lead ore per annum. Other parties and their annual products are as follows :
Schock & Flemmer .- Blende, 200 tons per annum.
Stepper & Mensing .- Blende, 100 tons per annum.
George Wieble .- Blende, 200 tons ; lead ore, 15,000 pounds.
Blue River Paint Works, situated on the southwest quarter of Section 7, Township 6, Range 1 east. At the time this establishment was visited, work had been suspended, and consequently it did not appear in as flattering a light as its merits would probably justify. The building and machinery were still standing, in a condition to resume work without delay. Accord- ing to the best information obtained, the paint was made from the ocher which is quite abundant in the Centerville Diggings, and which furnishes quite a number of shades of yellow in its raw state, and an additional number on being burned. The red paint, however, was derived from the upper bed of the St. Peter's sandstone, which was crushed and washed; the red coloring matter being readily dissolved out by the water, from which it afterward settled on being allowed to stand. The colors, after being burned and ground, were ready for the market. As many as fifteen different shades of red and yellow ocher were manufactured. Several tons of paint were placed in market, and it was claimed to be a good and durable article. It is unfortunate that the manufacture could not have continued longer, and its qualities have been more definitely ascertained and generally known.
HIGHLAND DISTRICT.
The diggings of the Highland District are all situated within a short distance of each other, and about a quarter of a mile north of the village. They are all in the brown rock, the lower openings never have been proved. Most of the diggings are in what is known as the Drybone Hollow range. The names of the parties mining, and the present condition of their diggings are as follows :
Samuel Hinderleiter & Son-On the southwest quarter of Section 28, Township 7, Range 1 east, in the Drybone Hollow range. This is an east-and-west range, from one-quarter to one- half mile long, and from two to three hundred feet wide. It was discovered in 1846, and worked entirely for lead ore. It is now divided into small lots, of which Mr. Hinderleiter's is one. The work is chiefly confined to going through the old diggings and taking out the Smithsonite left by former miners, no blende being found. The shafts are about twenty-five feet deep, which brings them to the top opening, three feet in height. The ore is found in a flat sheet, about a foot thick, with ocher and clay above and below it. But little water is found here. The annnal product of this lot is about thirty tons of Smithsonite.
Mulligan & Francis .- These parties have diggings in all respects similar to those already described, in a lot about one hundred and fifty feet northwest of the preceding.
376
HISTORY OF THE LEAD REGION.
Maguire, Kennedy & Co .- Southeast quarter of Sections 28, Township 7, Range 1 east. This is also in the Drybone Hollow range. The shafts here are from sixty to seventy feet deep, according to the surface of the ground. The workings are in the brown-rock opening, which is here about eight feet high. The lead ore is found in a flat sheet in the bottom of the opening, underlaid by pipe clay. The blende was discovered in the spring of 1874, and is much mixed with rock. The ore has to be crushed, washed and separated. Water is removed from the diggings by means of a windmill and small pump, and is afterward utilized to wash ore. The annual product is as follows : Lead ore, 200 pounds ; blende, 100 tons ; drybone, 50 tons
Blackney, Donahue & Co .- This ground is owned by Dr. Stanley, of Highland, and is a part of the same range as the preceding, and situated but a short distance northeast of them. The range here makes two well defined openings, separated by a cap rock. It is irregular in shape, and about sixty or seventy feet wide, with little water. The following is a section of their principal shaft :
FEET.
Galena limestone
60
First opening.
9
Cap rock.
2
Second opening
4
The ore is found in flat sheets, and is Smithsonite, blende and lead, the former being rather impure. The present parties have been working here for the last seven years. The annual product has been as follows : Lead ore, 11,000 pounds ; Smithsonite, 35 tons ; blende, 35 tons. The ground here seems to be pretty much worked out, the product being chiefly derived from the old workings.
Spensley & Co .- This is also on the land of Dr. Stanley, and is a short distance east of the preceding. It is an east-and-west range, situated a little north of the Drybone Hollow range. The range is one hundred and thirty feet wide so far as has been worked, and may prove to be two hundred feet in width each way from the center. The ore makes in pitches, and the sheet varies in size according to the number of feeders coming in from above. The lead ore occurs much mixed with rock, which necessitates crushing and jigging the entire product. The lot worked by these parties consists of about six acres, of which only about one-sixth has been explored. The ore is blende and lead ore. Some Smithsonite is said to be found in the south- ern part. The amount of water here is small, and is all removed by bailing and hoisting in a barrel containing about fifty gallons. There shafts have been sunk, one of which is down to the blue limestone, and is one hundred feet deep. The company have operated here for six years, with the following product :
Year.
Blende, tone.
Lead ore, lbs.
1871
70
60,000
1872
150
120,000
1873
350
150,000
1874
250
160,000
1875.
300
257,000
1876
325
300,000
Siddel & Co .- They are situated on the same range, worked in the same opening as Spens- ley and Co., and are located about one hundred and fifty feet east of them. They are the most easterly of all the diggings in this vicinity. One shaft has been sunk, and the ore has been found to make in the same manner as the preceding, except that this ground already furnishcs some Smithsonite from the north side. These parties have been working here for the last five years, during which time the average annual product has been as follows: Lead ore, 70,000 pounds ; Smithsonite, 85 tons ; blende, 70 tons.
Flynn, Lynch & Co .- On Dr. Stanley's ground, and about three hundred feet southeast of Spensley & Co. Their ground is a lot 250x350 feet. One shaft has been sunk here eighty feet to the top of the opening, which is here six feet high and one hundred feet wide. The ground produces lead ore and blende, occurring in a flat sheet, mixed with the top layer of the blue limestone and some pipe-clay. The company has been working about five years, since which
377
HISTORY OF THE LEAD REGION.
time to October, 1874, they have produced 250,000 pounds of lead ore and seven hundred tons of blende.
Robinson's Diggings .- Situated about three hundred feet southeast of the preceding, on the ground of Mr. Barnard. These diggings are not being worked at present. They were com- menced in the winter of 1871-72, and produced 4,500 pounds of lead ore and about nine tons of blende in the first two years.
Williams & Edwards .- Situated on the land of Mr. Lampe, and about 500 feet west of the diggings of Blackney & Co., previously described. They are part of the Spensley and Lynch range. The works are in the brown rock, which here appears to divide into three sub- ordinate openings. A section of their working shaft is as follows, all in the Galena limestone :
Galena limestone.
40 feet.
First opening.
3 feet.
Soft, unproductive ground:
8 feet.
Second opening.
3 feet.
Soft, unproductive grouud.
8 feet.
Third opening to top of blue limestone.
3 feet.
These diggings consist partly of old and partly of new openings. Cross-cut drifts are run through the old works in search of new ground, lead ore being usually found in the lowest open- ing. These parties have been working since 1870, and their product is as follows :
Smithsonite,
Year.
Lead ore, lbs.
toog.
1870.
70,000
70
1871
70,000
70
1872.
80,000
80
1873.
90,000
90
1874.
90,000
90
The production of the years 1875 and 1876 was not ascertained.
Harris & Stanley .- Situated on the ground of Dr. Stanley, about 300 feet north of the windmill on Kennedy & Co.'s ground, previously described. These diggings are quite dry, being drained by the windmill pump. The range appears to be a branch of the Drybone Hollow range, about 500 feet long, running in a north-and-south direction. There are two principal openings exhibited in the following section of their working shaft :
Galena limestone
30 feet.
First opening.
3 feet.
Cap rock (limestone).
7 feet.
Second opening ...
6 feet.
The ore occurs, as usual in this district, in flat sheets. These parties have been working bere since September, 1871, since which time to October, 1874, the total product was as follows : Lead ore, 40,000 pounds ; blende, 35 tons ; Smithsonite, 75 tons.
Rowe & Co .- Situated on the northeast quarter Section 28, Township 7, Range 1 east, comprising 160 acres. This is an east-and-west range, known as the Dunstan, discovered in 1846, and worked continuously since. It is about half a mile long, and 200 feet wide. The range is worked in the brown rock opening, chiefly for Smithsonite and lead ore. There are three working shafts from 50 to 75 feet deep. The opening is from 5 to 20 feet high. The annual product is stated at, lead ore, 50,000 pounds, and Smithsonite, 50 tons.
The foregoing comprises all the diggings in the immediate vicinity of Highland, and, with the exception of the last (Rowe & Co.), they are all embraced in a tract of land not exceeding forty acres in extent. The same general geological characteristics prevail in all, and they are nearly all connected together in the workings. The ore in most of them has to be crushed and jigged, and all except Kennedy and Maguire, have to haul their wash dirt about a mile and a quarter to water.
In these diggings the openings below the top of the blue limestone have never been worked or even prospected. If the several land-owners would take some concerted action, a level might be run up the Drybone Hollow, which would drain them to any depth required. Such a work.
878
HISTORY OF THE LEAD REGION.
however, should be preceded by boring, to ascertain the presence of flat sheets in the lower open- ings, the existence of which is not improbable. Mr. Solomon Spensley, who is well informed ou the subject, says that the annual average product of the mines is approximately as follows :
Lead ore, 1,000,000 pounds ; drybone, 1,350 tons; blende, 1,200 tons. In addition to the preceding, there are some diggings situated south of the village of Highland.
Davis & Co .- Situated near the southeast corner of Section 5, Township 6, Range 1 east. This is a northwest-and-southeast range, discovered by a Mr. Styles in 1862. It has been proved to a distance of 450 feet, with an average width of forty feet. The opening is the brown rock, and from four to six feet high. There are two shafts, each about forty feet deep. The ore occurs in flat sheets, and is mostly Smithsonite and blende in about equal quantities, containing little lead ore. The ground was formerly worked chiefly for blende. The ground is estimated to have produced 2,400 tons of blende, and 1,100 tons of Smithsonite since 1862. Their present annual product is, blende, 200 tons, and Smithsonite, 150 tons.
Manning & Delaney .- Situated about 600 feet west of the preceding. It is an east-and- west range, which was discovered twenty years since, and has been worked by several different parties, who have proved the ground in the brown rock opening for a distance of 600 feet. The present parties have worked it for the past four years, principally for Smithsonite, no blende being found until the spring of 1874. The deepest shaft is only 40 feet; sunk to the top of the blue limestone, which is here estimated at twenty- five feet. The St. Peter's sandstone is plainly seen in the valley a short distance below. The ground produced 600 tons of Smithsonite during the years 1873 and 1874. The diggings are quite dry.
Hornsnoggle Ridge .- Situated in the northeast quarter of Section 5, Township 6, Range 1 east. This is an east-and-west range, about half a mile in length, which was discovered about twenty-five years since, and worked for lead ore in the brown rock opening ; but is now pretty much worked out. The only ore found on the ridge is drybone. The present annual produc- tion is about 1,500 tons:
Beginning at the eastern end and going west, the following parties are working :
Joseph Call worked here since 1871, amount produced unknown.
Borey & Newmeyer worked since 1872, produced 1,500 tons.
Brinnen & Kelley worked on a lot here twenty years, and produced 1,000 tons.
LINDEN DISTRICT.
The principal diggings in this district are those of the Linden Mining Co., owned by Messrs. J. J. Ross and William Henry, of Mineral Point. The property consists of the east half of the east half of Section 6, the west half of Section 5, the northeast quarter of the southwest quarter of Section 7, the northeast quarter of the southeast quarter of Section 7, the south half of the southwest quarter of Section 8, southwest quarter of the southeast quarter of Section 8, the northwest quarter of the northeast quarter of Section 17, the south half of the northeast quarter of Section 17, all in Township 5, Range 2 east, and is situated a short dis- tance west of the village of Linden. They were first opened in 1833, and worked by various parties up to 1853, altogether for lead ore, and in the middle beds of the Galena limestone. Prior to 1853, they are said to have produced 40,000,000 pounds of lead ore.
In 1853, they were bought by a Pittsburgh company, and operated with a water-wheel in the upper and lower pipe-clay openings, also for lead ore. The amount of lead ore produced by them was about 500,000 pounds per annum. The works finally became unprofitable, and were suspended by them in 1866. In this condition they remained until the spring of 1874, when they were bought by Messrs. Ross & Henry, by whom work was resumed in April. They are now operated for blende or blackjack, Smithsonite and such lead ore as incidentally occurs with it.
On resuming work, the principal operations of the first six months were cleaning out the old shafts and drifts, erecting a new engine of thirty-horse power, with a lift-pump, together with the necessary buildings and other machinery. The sheets worked here have a singular
ELIJAH BAYLEY (DECEASED) PLATTEVILLE.
3.81
HISTORY OF THE LEAD REGION.
complication of "flats and pitches," both in their connection with each other and in respect to their general course.
Although the blende usually occurs in a large sheet, yet it is frequently connected with two or three parallel smaller ones by veins or "pitches." The sheet often contains detached pieces of the wall or cap-rock, of various sizes, completely surrounded by ore. Large pockets occur in the bed, lined with very handsome crystals of calcite, one of which, recently removed from the mine, measures five feet by two.
Another peculiarity noticed was the finding of several pieces weighing from one to five pounds, composed of wall-rock and ore, which were rounded and worn smooth, resembling small drift bowlders. They were found in the lower pipe-clay opening, and had probably been detached from the wall at its junction with the ore. They must have undergone considerable erosion and transportation, or movement, by subterranean currents of water.
The workings in the vicinity of the engine-shaft were first examined. They extend in a westerly direction a distance of 1,300 feet, and have been worked to a width of 45 feet, leaving a sheet of blende on the northern side from one to three feet thick. It has been proved by a cross-cut to connect through to the north pitch, a distance of 180 feet. The same sheet has been worked in a southerly direction nearly to the well-shaft, a distance of 600 feet, leaving a large sheet of blende on its eastern side. These workings are on the glass-rock opening, and about twenty feet above the St. Peters sandstone. The following section of the engine-shaft will explain their situation :
Feet.
ยท Inches.
Dump-rock, clay and soil.
15
..
Galena limestone
72
6
Blue limestone.
6
6
Pipe-clay.
1
...
Glass-rock.
5
...
Glass-rock opening (workings).
4
...
Buff limestone, to bottom of shaft.
8
...
Buff limestone, 10 St. Peters sandstone.
16
...
-
Total
128
00
The workings at the well-shaft were next examined. They are in the brown rock division of the Galena limestone, and about twenty-six feet above the lower workings. The ground is worked in an irregular shape, about three hundred feet long by one hundred and fifty feet wide. It is estimated that $200,000 worth of ore has been taken, in the course of all operations, from this small, irregular piece of ground. It was full of large, flat sheets and pitches, and was worked in some places to a height of twenty feet. It now produces thirty tons of zinc ore per week, and considerable lead ore. This is exclusive of the ore raised by numerous miners work- ing here on tribute.
It is estimated by the owners that, during the first six months of their operation, the mines produced ten tons of zinc ore per day ; and from that time to the present, it has produced twenty-two tons of zinc per day, and more than 300,000 of lead ore per annum. The value of all ores for the last two years is estimated at $500 per day.
The owners have lately introduced the Ingersoll Pneumatic Drill, with air compressor, and use rend rock exclusively, the explosions being effected by an electric battery.
Poad, Barrett & Tredinnick Bros .- Southwest quarter of the northwest quarter of Sec- tion 8, Township 5, Range 2 east. This is a very old mine, the property of Mr. John Heath - cock, known as the Robarts mine, on which work had been discontinued for several years, until 1869, when it was again resumed. The present party have been working about four years, and have sunk ten shafts, from forty to seventy feet deep. The water is removed by two horse- pumps.
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