MINES - BEXTOX DISTICT. 717 



Bull Pump Range. Work is still carried on, on this range, which is situated on the 

 Hempstead estate. It is operated by Messrs. Beebe, of Galena, and Wetherbee. of 

 Shullsburg. The amounts produced could not be ascertained. 



Oakland Mining- Co. The lands of this company are situated in the S. E. qr. of 

 Sec. 6, the X. E. qr. of Sec. 5, the X. W. qr. of Sec. 4, and the S. E. qr. of Sec. 4, all 

 in T. 1, R. 2 E., comprising in all about 565 acres. 



This ground includes the old French range, which was discovered as early as 1839, and 

 produced not less than 1.000,000 pounds. It is connected northward by some quartering 

 crevices, and is known as the Earnest and Townsend range. 



The thickness of Galena limestone here is about 170 feet. There are six shafts on the 

 range, averaging about 50 feet each. The lead ore is abundant, but dips rapidly to the 

 northwest beneath the water. The range has produced alxut 400,000 pounds. 



The ground is susceptible of drainage from the Shullsburg branch. It is not worked 

 at present. 



The company also has a level nearly completed in the S. E. qr. of Sec. 4, which is 

 run on the stratum of carbonaceous shale, or the top of the Blue limestone. At the 

 working shaft there is a thickness of 90 feet of Galena limestone, of which the follow- 

 ing section is given : 



Feet. 



Clay and soil 18 



Yellow flinty limestone 16 



Galena limestone containing calcite 20 



Blue sandy limestone cap 6 



Red ochery clay with lead ore in flat sheets at top and bottom, also dif- 

 fused through the mass forming wash-dirt 12 



Unexplored beds 18 



Total thickness 90 



Considerable mining has been done in former years in the Blue sandy limestone mem- 

 ber of the section, but the main opening appears to be in the red- ochery clay which un- 

 derlies it, which, so far as explored, has been found to have a thickness of about twelve 

 feet, and to contain a flat sheet of galenite nearly continuous, and of variable thickness, 

 sometimes furnishing pieces of 500 pounds weight. 



The bearing of the sheet, so far as has been determined, is west of north and east of 

 south, with a slight dip to the southwest. Its area has not been determined, but so far 

 as has been worked there are no indications of the opening, contracting or closing up. 



BEXTOX DISTRICT. 



In the immediate vicinity of the village of Benton, there are several parties perma- 

 nently engaged in mining, besides others who mine only in the winter. The diggings 

 are in the lower beds of the Galena limestone, yet not so low as the brown rock. 



The mode of occurrence of the openings in this vicinity is quite remarkable, and is as 

 follows : There are numerous well defined north and south and east and west crevices, 

 which are followed down with shafts until the random of the openings is reached. At 

 this point, instead of the crevice leading into and being connected with the openings, as 

 is usually the case, the crevice usually closes up, and it is necessary to drift at right an- 

 gles with the crevice for a distance of from ten to fifteen feet on each side, where the 

 openings are usually found. The annexed diagram illustrates the relative position of 

 ihv openings. A represents the vertical crevice on which the shafts are sunk. The dis- 

 tance from the surface to the top of the first opening is from five to fifty feet, according 

 to the amount of denudation of the ground. B B represents the first opening, which is 



