Grand River times. [volume] (Grand Haven, Mich.) 1851-18??, 1851-07-16

Peninsula, communicates the following intelli-
gence:
The Iron Mountains of Lake Superior are sit |
uated from twelve to fifteen miles southwest
from this place, and $50 miles west OF Saut Ste
Marie. The high ranges of forest covered hills
rise up, one after another, at this point, to the
height of 1000 feet above the lake, as one goes
inland, till the principal iron locality makes its
appearance twelve miles from the village OF Mar
auette. They were discovered some years ago,
and have frequently been described by visitors,
United States Surveyors and Biologists; but
still owing to the great excitement created by
the discovery of extensive copper mines Just a.
bovc this place. visitors to this country have gen.
orally been carried beyond the iron to the cop
per, and, comparatively speaking, but few have
been attracted to this interesting region, and
their importance has made but little impression
upon the public mind. AS there has been
time when people have talked somewhat extrav-
agantly of the copper and silver mines OF this
region'of country ,many have thought; and l con-
fess was among the number these Iron noun
tains might have been" set up rather steep" but
my visit to this mineral wonder, yesterday, con-
WINGED me that not half the truth had been told
in regard to it.
The iron first showed itself, as we approach
Gu,ln
the foot of the ridge, which, contrary to my ex-
pectation, was mostly covered with heavy tim
Der. We soon came to one of the quarries,
where miner was at work throwing into piles
the iron rocks. The soil and timber are remov-
cd from the iron for several hundred feet along
the ridge. This opening into the iron is sever
al hundred feet below the summit of the ridge,
and one hundred feet above the level ground.
IL presents wall of iron ore, broken and seam
ed very irregula-ly, the most regular fractures
being perpendicular. Out of the side of this
ledge, masses of every size, from pound to ma
ny tons in weight, are thrown down by means
of n crow-bar or by blasting, and the pieces are
broken up with a sledge-hammer so as to be con-
veniently handled
AS it comes out of the quarry it is bright and
beautiful, breaking like cast iron, and seems
quite as pure and more compact A ton of
bloom iron is easily made out of one and half
tons of the ore. For from twelve and half to
twenty-five cents per ton it can be quarried and
broken up ready for the furnace.
Thus much as to the quality-now, as to the
quantity. Above and below, for at least four
hundred feet, the same description of ore shows
itself, and how much further it extends down be-
low the surface, it will be useless to inquire till
the world has been supplied for few hundred
years from what is lying around and above
TO satisfy myself as to its extent rode around
to the west side of the ridge, which is more pre-
cipitous than the other, and at every step saw
fragments of the iron scattered along the side,
which had crumbled of, and for ages it will
continue to crumble, before it can be removed
by the hand of man. The ground over which
we rode for some distance, and on which large
trees were thickly growing, as was evident from
the large masses of ore here and there exposed,
rested on foundation of this iron. Its length,
like its depth, cannot be estimated, though it is
seen in every direction for half mile along the
ridge.
This is known as the Jackson Company's Lo-
cation. To the West of this RIDGE are others
of similar description, both as to quality and
extent; but had no desire to look farther, nor,
as to this matter, need iron manufacturers, for
they can build their railroads and their plank
roads, and back up their carts and cars to this
mountain for centuries to come, withoth the re-
hottest fear that the iron will be exhausted.
Some account of the processes for preparing
the ore for the fires, and making the blooms,
may possess an interest to those unacquainted
with the business, The ore is first thrown ipa
to large kiln, on a layer of wood, and burned
for several days, being rendered by this process
brittle. 1t is then taken to the stamps and
pounded quite fine in which state it is ready for
the fire. The furnaces are something like
blacksmith's forge, on large scale, being open
in front and back, enclosed at the sides and tops
with heavy cast iron plates, receiving the hot
blast at either sids. The application of hot in
stead of cold air to fan the flame is one of the
greatest improvements of the age. 1t has been
used for about twenty-five years in England, and
after many careful experiments, it has been
found to be, besides the saving of time saving
of one-third the amount of coal used by the old
fashioned cold-blast furnace. The air is heated
by passing it up and down in heavy iron pipes,
placed in the centre of the stack or chimney, and
exposing it to all the intense heat of the sur
rounding fires.
The finely pounded ore, together with the
charcoal is thrown upon the fires, in small guam
titles at time, in their proper proportions; and
after being subjected to this constant heat for
three or four hours, the hot air is shut off and
the bulky, shapeess mass of Turning iron, steam
ing with melted earthly substances, is pried out
of the fire by these modern Vulcans, and tum-
bled along to the hammer. This mass weighing
about 800 lbs, will not melt with all the heat that
can be applied to it under these circumstances !;
it is too good quality for that only poor ar
ticle of ore is melted in making it into iron ;
but the foreign matter becomes liquid and col
lects in and at the bottom Of thu mass and rms