58 Wisconsin and Missouri Lead Region. 
of the fissure, but heaps of the red ferruginous earth that was 
thrown out. In these are seen pieces of hematite iron ore and 
nodules of flint, with an occasional piece of green carbonate of 
copper. But the ore was carefully picked out and carried away 
when the mine was wrought. The greatest depth reached was 
about fifteen feet. The ore from what I could learn was princi- 
pally gossan, with lumps of iron ore and green carbonate of cop- 
per intermixed, scattered through it. It was taken about two 
miles to the furnace on Big River, where is good water power; 
and there smelted. The land, though poor, is covered with an 
open growth of good sized oaks. 
From these insufficient data no conclusion can be drawn as to 
the real value of sucha mine. Actual experiment, by the sinking 
of shafts properly directed, alone can determine its importance. 
The lumps of ore that I+was able to obtain were not very prom- 
ising in their quality, but the existence of the gossan is of itself 
a favorable indication that more ore willbe compe on coamies 
deep for it. 
The tract of land daitanctal wwiah the mine vos about 
one hundred and eighty acres, and could be purchased for $5,000, 
and probably much less. But though the indications of ore-are 
sufficient to authorize a thorough examination by those inter- 
ested there in such operations, they could not of themselves war- 
rant a purchase of the- property by any persons not engaged in 
mining in that section of country. 
Iron Mountain.—The “Iron Mountain” and “ Pilot Knob, i}: 
two hills composed principally of olgist or peroxide of iron, 
like the iron mountains of Gellvara in Sweden, lie about sixty 
miles southwest from the Mississippi River, separated from it by 
avery hilly country. The one is a low hill of:about one hun- 
dred and fifty feet elevation above its base, and forms:a part of 
the range of primary hills extending along the east side of Belle- 
vue valley. It being low and its sides gently sloping, there is no 
rock exposed upon it or near-it in place. . The loose stones found 
in greatest abundance on the east, south and west sides, are alto- 
gether the heavy iron ore with but an occasional piece of quartz 
either loose or attached to the ore, and these are in so great quan- 
tity as to render it certain that. this part of the ridge consists 
mainly of iron ore in the. ee po ea 
rocks. ———— it, and the north 's 
Fae el 
