THE CALUMET AND HECLA MINE 85 



about one hundred and forty tons, each mill stamping 

 over four thousand tons of rock during the month. Late 

 in September conditions were such that Agassiz felt sat- 

 isfied to leave Mr. Hardie in charge. The long strain was 

 over and the fight successful, but at the cost, as it after- 

 ward proved, of the loss of his health. 



It must have been with unutterable feelings of relief 

 and satisfaction that he left the field of so many single- 

 handed contests against what must have often appeared 

 hopeless odds, and returned once again to the more con- 

 genial labors of the scholar, awaiting him at home. He 

 reached Cambridge early in October, 1868, but always 

 afterwards paid a visit to the mines in the spring and 

 another in the fall, except on the rare occasions when 

 he was prevented by illness or absence from the coun- 

 try. His travels and scientific expeditions were usually 

 so timed as not to interfere with these semi-annual vis- 

 its, and more than one voyage of exploration was post- 

 poned or abandoned owing to an unsatisfactory condi- 

 tion at the mine that required his personal attention. 



On December 15, 1869, Hecla paid its first dividend 

 of five dollars, and Calumet followed suit with a like 

 amount on August 5, 1870, and after that neither com- 

 pany, nor the company into which they were consolidated, 

 ever passed a dividend ; or, with one exception, borrowed 

 any money until in 1909 notes were issued in purchase 

 of the stock of various other companies in this Lake 

 Superior district. 



In May, 1871, the Hecla Mine, the Calumet Mine, 

 and the Portland and the Scott Mining Companies were 

 consolidated into the Calumet and Hecla Mining Com- 

 pany, with a capital stock of one hundred thousand 

 shares, Mr. Shaw serving as its first president. A few 



