40 Wisconsin and Missouri Lead Region. 



or thirty six hours, in order to put in a new lining, the sulphur- 

 ous vapors and strong blast soon destroying the back wall. In 

 this manner I saw some copper smelted in a furnace at New Bal- 

 timore, which, as they said, cost only ten dollars ! The high 

 price of fuel would render a reverberatory furnace expensive, 

 particularly, as the ore would then be first roasted. This is now 

 neglected, the ores being run down at once in a little blast fur- 

 nace. Whether successful experiments with these ores might 

 not be conducted by making the throat of the furnace flaring, 

 that the ores might have time to become partially roasted before 

 getting down into the smelting heat remains to be proved. 

 Though the English methods may be the most perfect for smelt- 

 ing the ores clean, I believe they will not be found the most ex- 

 pedient in Wisconsin. 



It is difficult to form any correct judgment concerning the 

 per centage of these ores, particularly the gossan, for they are 

 continually changing their relative proportions of copper, iron, 

 and clay, so that a few analyses would not decide the matter. 

 According to the report of Dr. Owen '•' three average specimens" 

 of the lump ore yielded respectively 23, 24 J, and 35.7 per cent, 

 of copper ; and in the same report he says that the gossan yields 

 by analysis from six to nine per cent, of pure copper. 



In this uncertain state of the value of these mines, it would not 

 se-em advisable to make much outlay in working them ; still as a 

 furnace may be built in connexion with lead furnaces without 

 much extra expense, and whether the copper business succeeds 

 or not, no great risk will be incurred — and also as the miners are 

 disposed to take upon themselves the risk of proving the mines, 

 provided they are insured a market for the ore at prices agreed, 

 upon, according to its quality, between themselves and the smelter, 

 they certainly are worthy of attention, and authorize a cautious 

 investiture of capital to prove the business. 



Some additional encouragement is afforded from the fact of 

 other discoveries of copper ore having been made in the territory, 

 though none of them have yet proved to be important. I saw 

 one of good quality from the Blue River country, and visited a 

 mine, a thin rock vein, near the Peccatolica, about five miles 

 north of the Illinois line. 



In this neighborhood I discovered some fire clay apparently of 

 excellent quaUty, which may be of no little importance in making 



