Calumet and Hecla/Quincy Reclaiming Sand Dredge | |
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Location | M-26 near Torch Lake, Osceola Township |
Coordinates | 47°8′39″N88°27′35″W / 47.14417°N 88.45972°W |
Built | 1914 |
Governing body | State |
Designated | July 26, 1978 [1] |
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 and just east of Mason in Osceola Township. [2] It was constructed to reclaim stamping sand from the lake for further processing, and was designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1978. [1]
The Reclaiming Sand Dredge was constructed for the Calumet and Hecla Mining Company in 1914 by the Bucyrus Company of South Milwaukee, Wisconsin, [3] and designated the Calumet and Hecla Dredge Number One. [1] The dredge was used to reclaim previously-milled sand deposited in the lake after it had gone through the stamp mill. [4] The dredged sand contained copper that earlier stamping technology had not been able to separate out. [4] Improvements in stamping efficiency and cost increases in traditional shaft mining made these sand tailings economically feasible to reclaim and re-stamp. [4]
Calumet and Hecla used the dredge at their Lake Linden Reclamation Plant until 1951. [2] In 1951, the Quincy Mine purchased the dredge and designated it as Quincy Dredge Number Two, using it at their own reclamation facility, [2] [4] which had been in operation since 1943. [5] The mine's Quincy Dredge Number One sank in 1956, and Dredge Number Two was used until 1967, [2] when it too sank during a winter lay-up. [4] 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. [4]
The dredge is a large, box-like vessel that was used to remove sand from the bottom of the lake. [2] The vessel has a steel hull measuring 110 feet (34 m) long, 56 feet (17 m) wide, and nine feet (2.7 m) deep. [3] The decking overhangs the hull by eight feet (2.4 m) per side, giving an overall width of 72 feet (22 m). [3] The dredge could process over 10,000 short tons (9,100 t) of sand per day, and had a 141-foot (43 m) suction pipe that could work in 115 feet (35 m) of water. [2]
The dredge is currently sunk into shallow water, and canted over to one side. [4] Most of the superstructure and the large boom are visible above the waterline. [4]