• Sunday-What'sUP October 24 - 03:32 pm

With all the natural disasters lately - hurricanes down south, flooding out east and west - here's a related shot I found this morning rummaging around in the Pasty Central Shoebox. It's from Betty Catalano, who has frequently contributed to Shoebox Memories and the discussion here at the Pasty Cam.

Perhaps some of our regular visitors can relate more of this 1940 disaster. I found one other shot on the web, in a page from MSU about Iron Ore Mining. I bet a few folks traveling down US-2 had a bit of a surprise that day. Reminds me of an experience almost 20 years ago, when our family was traveling in our motor home in upstate New York. A news report told of a bridge collapse on the Interstate which we had just crossed earlier. Talk about a sinking feeling...

Our thanks to Betty for another interesting glimpse of the past here in the U.P.

Have a good week!

Looks like nearly everyone wore a hat back then. What is that wooden tower looking thing next to the smokestack near the upper right corner?

Thanks for the link about Iron Mining. It included a verse I haven't heard in ages:

Neat story, neat song.

Gary,
That wood stucture is a head frame, its the structure used to pull the skips (large rock hoisting cars) out of the mine to the surface. Head frames have many different shapes and sized, that particular one serviced an vertical shafts with 2 compartments, skip per compartment. In the Copper Country most are used to seeing head frames that hoist on inclined shafts, which look much different.

I enjoyed the photo...It'll leave an impression on me!

Thanks for the song, JDiowa. I do love those
old work songs. Especially ones about ore
boats.

Interesting photo! When you travel you have some "interesting" experiences. One year as we were going to the UP we passed thru Indianapolis and the radio announcer stated that a tornado was spotted at the overpass we had just passed under. Whew!!

Very correct Joe, although there are a number of the copper country headframes that also have dual tracks for that purpose as well. As far as I know, there was one vertical shaft in the Keweenaw and that was Red Jacket. I believe some of the Tamarack shafts were near vertical also.

OMG Joe, what are you still doing at Tech?? Won't they let you go quite yet?? ;-)

Even tho I was 5 years old at the time I remember my grandfather Cadieu taking us to see the cave in when we came to visit him = I think it left an impression on me, and that is why I kept the postcard -- Betty

Love the historical photos on postcards.

Paul,
Your right Red Jacket, a Couple of Tamarack Shafts and almost all of the Fissure Veins were vertical Shafts. Mohawk 3&4 was near vertical (80 to 81 Degrees) until it intersected the lode, a few others were as well...

As far as MTU is concerned I'm done, I’ve been working for the past few months for McIntosh Engineering here in sunny Phoenix, helping design mines. I sent you an e-mail awhile back, you must not have gotten it... I'll drop you a line when I get a chance.

Joe and Captain Paul,
All 5 Tamarack shfts were vertical, as was Red Jacket. The shafthouse at Mohawk was actually Ahmeek 3&4 where the two shafts, which surfaced side by side, descended at 80 degrees, spread out from each other, and then flatened out to the 35 degree dip of the Kearsarge Lode. Just northeast of Mohawk at Seneca Location, Seneca 1 was sunk vertically for the first 1,320 feet and then curved to match the 35 degree dip. This was done to reach mineral below the Mohawk Mining Co. property line. The two "New" Allouez shafts were also at 80 degrees until they reached the Kearsarge Lode.
As Joe said, most of the fissure properties employed vertical shafts although there were also adits and inclined shafts used at various mines.
The Copper Country had alot of variety!