**Exhibit 31**

 

**CERTIFICATION**

 

I, Rodney Gaughan, certify that:

 

1.               I have reviewedthis annual report on Form 10-K of Mesabi Trust, for which Deutsche BankTrust Company Americas acts as Corporate Trustee;

 

2.               Based on myknowledge, this annual report does not contain any untrue statement of amaterial fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statementsmade, in light of the circumstances under which such statements were made, notmisleading with respect to the period covered by this annual report;

 

3.               Based on myknowledge, the financial statements, and other financial information includedin this annual report, fairly present in all material respects the financialcondition, distributable income and changes in trust corpus of the registrantas of, and for, the period presented in this annual report.

 

4.               I am responsiblefor establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as definedin Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) and internal controlover financial reporting (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(f) and15d-15(f)), or for causing such controls and procedures and internal controlover financial reporting to be established and maintained, for the registrantand have:

 

a)              designed suchdisclosure controls and procedures, or caused such controls and procedures tobe designed under my supervision, to ensure that material information relatingto the registrant, including its consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to meby others within those entities, particularly during the period in which thisannual report is being prepared;

 

b)             designed suchinternal control over financial reporting, or caused such internal control overfinancial reporting to be designed under my supervision, to provide reasonableassurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparationof financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generallyaccepted accounting principles;

 

c)              evaluated theeffectiveness of the registrant’s disclosure controls and procedures andpresented in this annual report my conclusions about the effectiveness of thedisclosure controls and procedures, as of the end of the period covered by thisannual report based on such evaluation; and

 

d)             disclosed inthis report any change in the registrant’s internal control over financialreporting that occurred during the registrant’s most recent fiscal quarter (theregistrant’s fourth fiscal quarter in the case of an annual report) that hasmaterially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, theregistrant’s internal control over financial reporting; and

 

5.               I havedisclosed, based on my most recent evaluation of internal control overfinancial reporting, to the registrant’s auditors:

 

a)              all significantdeficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or operation of internalcontrol over financial reporting which are reasonably likely to adverselyaffect the registrant’s ability to record, process, summarize and reportfinancial information; and

 

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b)             any fraud,whether or not material, that involves persons who have a significant role inthe registrant’s internal control over financial reporting.

 

In giving the foregoing certifications in paragraphs 4 and 5, I haverelied to the extent I consider reasonable on information provided to me byEveleth Fee Office, Inc. and Northshore Mining Company.

 
| Date: April 11, 2008 | By:    | /s/ Rodney Gaughan                                                              |
|---------------------------|--------|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|                      |   | Rodney Gaughan*                                                                 |
|                      |   | Vice President                                                                  |
|                      |   | Deutsche Bank National Trust Company   For Deutsche Bank Trust Company Americas |

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* There are no principal executive officers or principal financialofficers of the registrant.

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