New-York tribune., 1872-02-01
AMERICAN mon.

THE FUTURE SEAT OF IRON MANUFACTURE
IRON ORES OF LAKE SUPERIOR AND MISSOURI
MAGNITUDE OF THE DEPOSITS AND PURITY
Oh THEIR COMMUNICATING THEM WITH
THE BLOCK GOALS OF INDIANA.
To the EditOr Of The TrfbUHo.
SIR: There is no region of the earth where
the ores of bountfuily distributed and ~
such a state purity the watersheds between
Lake Michigan and Lake superior ana In the iron
tain region OF Missouri Practically the deposits
eXhaustble. and lar relates TO the purity o the
ores the chemists has thus far failed a. defect
notable percentage Of sulphur phosphorus ttlniuu,
other noXOus Ingredients. The bulk Uf Tho ore, occur
under two forms the spccular peroxide containing
6934 per cent Of iron, and the magnetic protoXdc
yielding per Even the specular contain
disseminated crystals Of magnetic oxide thus giving
larger percentage o iron than required by The formula
for this mineral In the practical working n tno furnace
they require about 65 per cent O r0D thus showing that
they contain only or per cent Of silica
Comparing these ores with those o the mos important
mines OF Sweden. {. o.. Dancuora PcIsbcrg Nara. d."
lind that sulphur is so far present that ii must hc
PEELED by careful calcl;iOn-d process 10 which
spccUar never sujccteG-IEG nc matriK Scn-
orally highly scious from tue presence oi .rcc silica
the yield of the is per The
magnetic from which the famous India WON'T steel
made Is said 10 contain 40 per of silica from
the magnetic and spccuar alone that the malebe
iron is made III Sweden for expectation tnaicoal from
wood gathered over wide spaces in midvinier when
the lakes and frozen Is the only fuel
pOy ed in the reduction OF the and hence swedish
pig apart from its intrinsic excellence must always
command high price in the markets of the world.
These details show that the Lake superior and Missouri
ores are to be preferred 10 those Of Sweden in
freedom frOm sulphur, requiring no cacinatOD aud in
greater freedom from slcIOus there being
difference their favor of not less than Is per
cent In addition these there both districts
large deposits Of brown henatites (vdrnted sesguoN
dcS) yielding 5959 per cent of iron, which Just the
required for admixture with te spccuar and mag
nctic ores, and which equally iree rou nOAio~ i'll
gradients they In fact the result Of the decompos
OF the former ores, taking into their composition
l4H per cent OF water. MangancsiierOus ores. Also
the Lake Superior district and will he found.
have reason to believe abundantly in Missouri and
Arkansas This class Of absolutely essential 10 the
production of that pig iron known Spcgeleisen,
spccular iron which into large bright mirror
like facets, the presence OF abOut per cent Of
gancse in the pig metal, and which the Bcssrmcr
process Of steel making depends fOr It's
After the opening of the Lake superior Mines the iron
masters of Northern Ohio and Western Pennsylvania
soon found that IL was economical 10 a pure
and rich from distance than lean and impure
from the immediate vicinity Of their furnaccs and the
equcnco is that traffic Lake superior
within the last 10 years has grown 10 prodigOus proper
hons-the product In 1861 being only about IS 500
tuns wc in the season Just closed II exceeded $1,000
tuns The growth In the traffic Of the Iron Mountain
ores oi Missouri has been also very marked The War of
the Rebellion operated asa check their mining q hut
since the peace. the traffic has been rapidly extending.
and next year. am assured by Mr.. Chonteau the pro
dct VIII reach 10000 tuns. Thu then the ores to bo
u"INed from these two sources. next year. viii
about eph IN furnace yield the entire product OF the
United States In pig metal for the year IA rcncnd
Gus fact ~ The development Of the iron industry of This
country.
Inc furnaces III the Mahouine Valley of OHIO ~ the
ChcndnGo Valley Of Pcnusy ana, a., P;tt,luI.l Emf
iao. Cleveland, Nassion. Dover. Toledo Drlro, and
Brazil. arc the principal consumers Of the Lake Supc,
pgos At Buffalo tI' anthracite coIls from riii4fr i,c
Id f., thoiT reduction at IiifsbnIgb the rDnl.ie,s
-a los not only the cOa IH thcir vciniiy mit thai o
a' toLI'tN Iic Ioa" CO IC" distant, both ~ Uhlr,
n"i 10 i'iLt I" trh' 'cioI~ Lcinc iVcC ~ the Mn
% b. 'iG 'oIDL,o Nd"y' aJj at a lfiilOn 'bc, ob