STATE OF MICHIGAN LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL. MINES AND STATE OF MICHIGAN OFFICE OF THE MINERAL STATISTICS COMMISSIONER OF MINERAL STATISTICS, Iron Mountain, Mich., Dec. 1, 1903. HON. AARON T. BLISS, BY Governor of the State of Michigan: TOM A HANNA SIR:—In fulfillment of the duties of my office I have the COMMISSIONER OF MINERAL STATISTICS. honor to submit herewith the following report upon the mines and mineral interests of the State for the last half IRON MOUNTAIN, MICH. of 1902 and the first half of 1903. Respectfully, your obedient servant, TOM A. HANNA, Commissioner of Mineral Statistics. BY AUTHORITY 1902-1903 TABLE OF CONTENTS. COPPER, .......................................................................... 1 COPPER STATISTICS,................................................. 5 COPPER REVIEW. IRON,. ............................................................................. 24 MENOMINEE IRON RANGE,...................................... 28 The year covered by this report was an exceeding unfavorable one from the viewpoint of the stockholder, MARQUETTE,. ............................................................ 39 only three companies making returns, viz.: The Calumet GOGEBIC,................................................................... 44 & Hecla, $2,500,000; Quincy, $700,000; Wolverine, PIG IRON,. ...................................................................... 50 $240,000; total $3,440,000. This in comparison with six dividend payers in 1901 with a total of $7,496,900, a PORTLAND CEMENT,. .................................................. 53 decrease of $4,000,000. FELDSPAR, .................................................................... 54 In his report of the United States Geological survey on OIL,.................................................................................. 55 the production of copper in 1902, Charles Kirchoff says that the copper mining industry of the United States COAL,.............................................................................. 55 suffered during 1902 from the reaction which followed SALT,. ............................................................................. 57 the unsuccessful attempt during 1901 to maintain the value of the metal at an artificial level. The collapse left MISCELLANEOUS MINERALS, ..................................... 58 many producers committed to sales covering a long period at low prices, with the menace of heavy accumulations of metal constantly over the market. Yet production was heavier during 1902 than it had been in 1901, because some of the important mines were worked to full capacity and because some of the enlargements and improvements previously begun became effective during the year. While 1902 was a bad year for the stockholders, it was an exceptionally good one for the wage-earner, more men being employed in the mines, and at a higher scale of wages, than ever before in the history of the district. Mines and Mineral Statistics, 1902-1903 – Page 1 of 65 As a result, labor was content and no worthy of the new shaft now sinking should cut it about 1,000 feet from name occurred during the year. Indeed, it be said that the surface. labor in the "copper country" has always been content. Samples of copper rock taken from these openings bear The copper miner is the best paid wage-earner in the the same characteristics of strength and color found in world, is assured of steady work the year around, and the best grades of rock produced by the Wolverine and the companies always zealous for his comfort and Kearsarge properties. The mineral is in the form of safety. Naturally the labor agitator has poor picking in strong, bright shot copper, quite uniformly distributed the copper district. There is no room the labor union, through the rock and in percentage will run high. For and, as near as can be learned, there are none in the some past time many of the best geological students of district. the district have held the opinion that the lode underlying The production of metal in 1902 was a record-breaking the lands of the south end of Mohawk, the Ahmeek, a one. There were twenty producing mines with a total large part of Allouez, as well as those of Wolverine and production of 170,644,055 pounds, as against Kearsarge when opened up, would be found very rich, 155,716,848 pounds in 1901. The largest producer was and developments in No. 4 shaft, Mohawk, with the the Calumet & Hecla with 81,248,739 pounds to its discovery in Ahmeek, go to show that these impressions credit, and the smallest was the Winona with an output were well founded. of 101,000 pounds. Developments in the south end of Mohawk and the north Out of the more than thirty Michigan copper companies end of North Kearsarge all go to support the position of whose stocks are listed on the Boston Stock Exchange, the men most experienced in the general characteristics only the three named above were able to make dividend of the Kearsarge belt with regard to the high values of distributions to the holders. the formation contained within the lands owned by the Ahmeek and Allouez companies. While it may be no The Tamarack mine which last year paid $20 per share, great advantage to the Ahmeek that the discovery was this year paid nothing, and the same may be said of the made some 140 feet further west than expected, it will Osceola, which paid $6 per share in 1901. mean much for the Allouez company, as it brings the However, there are better things in store for the outcrop of the lode that much nearer the Allouez land stockholders in the Michigan mines and another year or and lessens the depth necessary for that company to two will add very materially to the lists of dividends sink its vertical shaft to reach the lode. The discovery is distributors. Vast sums of money are now being one of the most important made in the lake copper expended in developing new mines, and in district for a long time, and proves beyond a shadow of a improvements of older ones, and that this is possible doubt that Ahmeek is one of the richest copper without additional assessments, in many cases, is in properties in the district, and that the new Allouez shaft itself assurance that within a few years at least, half a will intersect a great rich lode and that the two properties dozen mines will be returning cash to the stockholder. will be developed into rich mines. Developments on the Kearsarge lode have been the The Kearsage lode on the Allouez can be operated from particularly bright feature of the year. These two shafts located 1,700 feet apart, and these shafts can developments are such as to assure the addition of be extended to a depth to exceed 9,000 feet. many millions to the wealth of our State. This section Considering depth and area of the Allouez, it has at least was recently reported upon by a Boston expert who says three times as much underlie of the Kearsarge lode as regarding the outlook for the future: the Wolverine. Adjoining the North Kearsarge on the north is the The peculiar advantages of the Kearsarge lode are to be Allouez property, 600 acres of which underlies the found the softness of the formation, which permits cheap Kearsage lode. This property has recently attracted mining and milling and the uniformity with which it is considerable attention owing to its favorable location and impregnated with stamp copper, as evidenced by the the physical condition of the Kearsage lode on the fact that the rock discarded is smaller than from any lode properties adjoining. operated in Michigan. The importance of the latter statement can be better appreciated when it is The Allouez company owns in all about 3,600 acres, considered that the discard of one of the large and together with stamp mill (formerly leased by Wolverine) successful Lake amygdaloid producers is fully 40 per and railroad. This property is crossed by the Calumet cent of the ground mined. The average amygdaloid Conglomerate, the Quincy Pewabic, the Allouez discard aside from the Kearsarge lode, is 20 per cent. Conglomerate, upon which vein the old mine was The mineral yield from the upper levels of Wolverine was developed, the Osceola Amydaloid, and carries the 27 pounds per ton of rock stamped; the most notable underlie of the Kearsarge vein. improvement at this mine began at the tenth level, and The recent developments at the Ahmeek demonstrate the present yield in minerals is 40 pounds to the ton of the value of Allouez on the Kearsage lode, for probably rock or thirty pounds of refined copper. As illustrating no such showing has ever been seen on this wonderful the local confidence in Wolverine, it may be stated that formation as that already exposed by the work going on the latest official report of the shareholders and their there. The lode dips into Allouez from the east and the respective holdings showed the majority of the stock to Mines and Mineral Statistics, 1902-1903 – Page 2 of 65 be held in Michigan. The future of the Osceola lies in its Four new shafts have been started on the Kearsarge holdings on he Kearsarge lode, especially at North lode, two at the Ahmeek and two at the Calumet & Kearsarge, which seems destined to become its greatest Hecla. Developments at the Ahmeek are highly producer. During the past six months, its fourteen drifts encouraging and lead to the opinion that the property will running north toward Allouez have been passing through become an important producer within a reasonable ground which in the opinion of old miners is unsurpassed length of time. Neither of the Calumet & Hecla shafts in the lake district. has entered the lode as et and it is problematical what they will reveal, but, judging from the showing at the Allouez has the advantage of owning a three-stamp mill Centennial, a short distance to the north, they should with which to test and treat its rock during the first stages encounter good copper rock at depth. of development work and it can be used to earn the money to erect a new mill when required.