| Show THE GAUGE OF TRUTH in the salt bait lake tribune of march 6 61 1 found the following port arthur is near lake huron there was a story a year or two since that there had been round found some rich silver mines in that region but bat no account of them has been made of late there are some valuable iron mines in that region 11 port arthur is five hundred miles from lake huron I 1 point out this fact as aa a geographical illustration of the tee tribune 18 regard for exactness of statement five hundred miles is about as aa near as that paper ever gets to the truth port arthur is on the shore of thunder bay at the extreme northwestern limit of lake superior and the lake superior country on all sides is very rich in minerals I 1 was at thunder bay in 1866 long before there was any port arthur there and silver was being mined there inland theu then A year or two later a silver ledge was found on a little bit of an island in the mouth of thunder bay the island was so small they could not put upon it the necessary machinery for developing the mine A company was formed having a capital capita I 1 think of to work that island that was scarcely larger above the lake than a brown caterpillar would be floating on a tub of ater they built a huge cofferdam around the island pumped out the water and made the island large enough for their purposes A great deal of silver was taken out of that mine below the surface of the lake but for some reason work stopped the artificial island is still there or was when I 1 was there only two yearb ago I 1 think the tribune is in error as to the valuable iron mines in the neighborhood of port arthur but to the west and south in the vermillion country and at agate harbor also several hundred miles distant it is said are the greatest deposits of iron yet discovered it is not yet developed to any considerable extent owing to lack of transport transportation atlon facilities and also to the great output out put of the iron mines south sou th of me lake superior ELLIS 0 |
