The Quincy Dredge Number Two (previously known as the Calumet and Hecla Dredge Number One) is a dredge currently sunk in shallow water in Torch Lake, across M-26 from the

Quincy Mining Company Stamp Mills Historic District The Quincy Mining Company Stamp Mills Historic District is a historic stamp mill (used to crush copper-bearing rock, separating the copper ore from surrounding rock) located on M-26 near Torch Lake, just east of Mason in Osceola Township. ...

and just east of Mason in Osceola Township. It was constructed to reclaim stamping sand from the lake for further processing, and was designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1978.

History

The Reclaiming Sand Dredge was constructed for the Calumet and Hecla Mining Company in 1914 by the Bucyrus Company of South Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and designated the Calumet and Hecla Dredge Number One. The dredge was used to reclaim previously-milled sand deposited in the lake after it had gone through the stamp mill. The dredged sand contained

copper Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu (from la, cuprum) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pinkis ...

that earlier stamping technology had not been able to separate out. Improvements in stamping efficiency and cost increases in traditional shaft mining made these sand tailings economically feasible to reclaim and re-stamp. Calumet and Hecla used the dredge at their Lake Linden Reclamation Plant until 1951. In 1951, the

Quincy Mine The Quincy Mine is an extensive set of copper mines located near Hancock, Michigan. The mine was owned by the Quincy Mining Company and operated between 1846 and 1945, although some activities continued through the 1970s. The Quincy Mine was know ...

purchased the dredge and designated it as Quincy Dredge Number Two, using it at their own reclamation facility, which had been in operation since 1943. The mine's Quincy Dredge Number One sank in 1956, and Dredge Number Two was used until 1967, when it too sank during a winter lay-up. By this time, copper prices had fallen low enough that the reclamation process was not profitable, and the Quincy Mine abandoned both the dredge and its reclamation facility.

Description

The dredge is a large, box-like vessel that was used to remove sand from the bottom of the lake. The vessel has a steel hull measuring long, wide, and deep. The decking overhangs the hull by per side, giving an overall width of . The dredge could process over of sand per day, and had a suction pipe that could work in of water. The dredge is currently sunk into shallow water, and canted over to one side. Most of the superstructure and the large boom are visible above the waterline.

References

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External links

Multiple photos
Buildings and structures in Houghton County, Michigan Michigan State Historic Sites in Houghton County Service vessels of the United States Shipwrecks of the Michigan coast Dredgers Calumet and Hecla Mining Company