COPPER IN THE LEAD REGION. 



COPPER IN THE LEAD REGION". 



At present no mining for copper is done in the lead region, nor has there been for 

 several years, except at Mineral Point in the years 1873 to 1876. Indications of its pres- 

 encs are found in many places through the mines, as an associate mineral in the lead 

 *rtns. The most systematic attempt at copper mining was made at Mineral Point. 



Mr. James Toay, who is well acquainted with the past history of the enterprise has 

 kindly furnished the following statement: 



" Sometime in the year 1837 or 1838, copper was first discovered on the S. E. qr. of 

 Sec. 32, T. 5, R. 3 E., one mile northeast of the Mineral Point court house. The crev- 

 ice had a course S. 85 E., and had been traced for over one-third of a mile. This lo- 

 cality has not been worked since 1842. A great amount of copper was obtained. 



" It is reported that over one and a half million pounds of copper were taken out, 

 which would include all kinds of ore: ' Smalls,' which would not yield more than ten 

 to fifteen per cent of copper; and the stone or ' Prill' ore, yielding twenty-five to thirty 

 per cent. 



" Some of the ore was smelted at the old furnace owned by William Kendall & Co., 

 and some fit the new Baltimore furnace, owned by Ansley & Co. About 50,090 pounds 

 was sent to England or Wales for reduction, which indicates that parties here did not 

 at that time understand the proper method of smelting copper. 1 



" Sometime in 1844, S. P. Preston came here, and went into partnership with Kendall 

 & Co., and after that they had no trouble in smelting copper successfully. 



"The amount of copper sold from Kendall & Co.'s furnace from 1841 to 1846 was 

 217,702 ft>s. This was about ninety-five per cent, pure copper, and sold for fourteen 

 cents per pound. 



"Two other furnaces have been worked; one by Charles Bracken, to what extent I 

 have no knowledge, but know he smelted considerable copper ore from his own land. 

 The other was owned by Curtiss Beach. Here a great amount of copper ore was smelt- 

 ed, taken from the Beach diggings. The greatest amount of ore that Kendall & Co. 

 smelted was taken from the Kendall diggings. 



" It is probable that with the increased advantages in the present price of copper; in 

 obtaining coke instead of charcoal for smelting, and in shipping facilities, that copper 

 mining may now be made a profitable business at this place if properly managed. ' ' 



During the years 1873, 1874 and 1875, about 200 tons of copper ore were produced by 

 Mr. Toay from the mines near Mineral Point. An attempt was also made to smelt it 

 in 1874. No very large amount was smsltsd, as the common blast furnace was not ex- 

 actly adapted to its reduction. The ore is a sulphuret of copper. The exact amount 

 produced could not be learned. 



The ranges referred to in the foregoing statement of Mr. Toay are situated as follows : 



Ansley Range. Course S. 85 E., running from the center of Sec. 32, T. 5, R. 3 E., 

 one-third of a mile long. 



Keiidal Range. N. E. qr. of Sec. 5, and N. W. qr. of Sec. 4, T. 4, R. 3 E., run- 

 ning from near the quarter post of Sees. 5 and 32, nearly to the center of Sec. 4.; length, 

 about two thousand feet. 



Beach Range. E. hf . of Sec. 4, T. 4, R. 3 E. Crossing the center line of Sec. 4 one- 

 quarter of a mile east of the center of the section, and running 600 feet from that point 

 on a course N. 85 W., and 600 feet on a course S. 85 E. 



i Two specimens of copper ore from the Mineral Point district, S. E. qr. of Sec. 33, T. 5, R. 3 E., 

 were analyzed with these results: No. 1 gave metallic copper, 38.78 per cent. No. 2 gave copper, 

 4.48 per cent. 



