68 Wisconsin and Missouri Lead Region. t 



were found at two other localities to be described. By following 

 this rotten vein, the true lodes will most Ukely be discovered, if 

 such exist, as there is reason to believe is the case. The loose 

 ore is now pretty much all worked out, and no vein of any im- 

 portance taking to the rock has been discovered. No attempts to 

 find one by sinking a shaft through the limestone near the gra- 

 nite have been made, though there can be no doubt that the in- 

 dications and the suitable ground for metallic veins warrant the 

 undertaking. The soil is wet, and from the broken character of 

 the rocks, the water is likely to be troublesome. The locality, 

 however, is on a hillside at the head of a hollow, and all the 

 surface water may be conducted down it. It faces north ; on the 

 west side is the red rock ridge, on the east is the limestone 

 ridge; and the little creek marks about the line of junction of 

 the two rocks. A similar little brook has been noticed in a sim- 

 ilar position in the two other localities. 



The furnace is about a mile from the diggings, on a little stream 

 called Shawnee's Creek, which comes into Jack's Fork not far 

 above its mouth. There the ore is all hauled, beaten up by hand 

 and washed, the gravel and mud washed three or four limes, and 

 the workmen receive for it when clean $27 per thousand, gross 

 weight. Some of them found it so profitable at that, as to pur- 

 chase the right of digging of other workmen ; one even agreed 

 to pay f 100 for the right to work only about a rod square. The 

 furnace is about three feet high inside and a foot square. It can 

 run only about a week at a time before the whole inside must be 

 pulled out and built up anew, there being no good stone for lin- 

 ing a furnace in the country. 



It is several months since the furnace was in operation, and the 

 workmen could give me little account of it. No flux is used 

 except the old slag, which is beaten up and thrown in. The fine 

 ore has not been smelted, owing to the blast blowing it all out 

 of the furnace. This is accumulating, and several tons are 

 ready for smelting, when a proper furnace shall have been con- 

 structed. It is built of quartz rock and lined with the same, and 

 was originally much larger and gradually diminished to its pres- 

 ent internal capacity. A common overshot wheel, twelve feet in 

 diameter, moves a large blacksmith's bellows, and this is all the 

 machinery about the furnace. The fuel is pitch pine charcoal, 

 which may be obtained in any quantity from government lands for 



