One of the first major discoveries was this silver-lead mine. Development was delayed by the murder of Thomas Hammill in 1883. The murderer, Thomas Sproule, who was eventually hanged for his sins, committed the foul deed after he was legally cheated out of his claim to the Blue Bell, by the interests backing Hammill. Note the open pit operation which preceded the underground tunnels. The mine eventually passed to French interests headed by Count Riondel and continued in production, with some interruptions, until 1927 when it finally closed after producing over a half million tons of ore.
