The Sun.
London, England, 1864-11-17 00:00:00

GELLIVARA (LIMITED).

The report of Mr Tolme, the engineer to the
directors of this company, states that the property
of the company consists of 1,250,00 acres of
land more or less in a state of forest, in the
county of Norbotten, stretching from Lulea, Pitea,
and Ranee, three important ports on the Gulf
of Bothnia, to Gellivara and Quickjock, in Lapland,
a distance northward of about 170 miles, by a breadth
of about 70 miles ; upon this property there are at
present 11 saw mills, four forges, and two blast fur.
naces. The saw mills are all, with the exception of
one, worked by water power, and contiguous to the
rivers which bring down the logs from the forest.
These mills are capable of sawing a large quantity
of timber annually, and their sawing power will no
doubt be greatly augmented. The year's production
of deals, battens, boards, and square timber at all the
mills:was considered to be about 9,000 standards, and
under the usual average, owing to the late winter
and excessive flood. The furnaces are situated very
conveniently with regard to the charcoal forests, to-
gether with the waste wood of the saw mills; an
almost inexhaustible supply of fuel may be obtained
for consumption in the manufacture of metals. The
soil is good, and the Government have made a very
liberal arrangement by which a large portion of land
at present covered by forest, shall, when the timber
is felled and the roots grubbed up, belong to the Gel-
livara Company. The minerals which the company
possess are principally in the mountains of Galli.
wars, and the richness of this deposit is obvious on
inspection. There are a great number of quarries
opened all along the face of the mountain, not more
than four or five feet deep, all containing masses of
the purest iron ore. To utilise this large quantity of
rich ore it is suggested that a railway should be con.
structed from a mice or a quarry on the Gellivara
mountain, proceeding for a distance of 14 miles to the
ct stward, and then taking nearly a southern direc-
tion, terminating on the river Lulea at Novick, which
river will be navigable utter tne tormatton or the
canals from that point:to the sea. The country through
:which the lines passes is easy, the deepest cutting
being about 20ft, and the highest embankment 201 ft.
The gradients are generally with the load, and in
no case does the incline exceed 1 in 100. The struc-
ture of the railway will be of timber, and the gauge
not more 31 ft. to keep down the expense of loco-
motive stock. The works upon the canal are light,
and will principally consist of excavation and pud-
dling. The Swedish Government have granted the
company a subvention of £48,000 towards making
the canals, which will form a large proportion of
the cast of construction. Mr Tolne proposes to
work the railway and canals during five or six
months of the year, and to bring sufficient ore
down during those months to keep the furnaces at
work all the year. He considers the estates gene.
rally capable of great development, and that the
opening of the railway and canals will, in his
opinion, afford every prospect of good remuneration
upon the capital to be laid out. •