, 1873-01-16
OUR IRON INTERESTS.
-- - :
The Iron Product Of the
World. -.
The Relation Of Chicago to the
iron Mines Of Lake : :,
,-- Superior. =

Iron Is appatently the most prosaic Of metals,
but its great utility has made it poetic. Like
bread, Garth, air, aad wate-, is used for some o.
the strongest and finest figures Of speech. hafo'
div zcologiets become tender over it, and sing
1nan to its. virtues whila they Indicate 1ts
whereabouts and rarrate its uses.. It is not:
therefore, strange that :. .
DIR. uRE, ..~ ~
in his dictionary, should speak OF it as fol-
lows: ."Evcry one knows the manifold
nses of this truly precious metal 1T
Us capable Of being cast into moulds OF
any form OF being drawn into wires of any
desired strength or finenesR; Of being extended
into plates or sheets; Of boing sharpened,
hardened, and aoftened, at pleasure. lt accom-
modates itself to all our wants, our desires, and
even our caprices. It is equally aervlceabie IN
the arts, the sciences, to agriculture and war !;
tho same ore furnishes the sword, the ploT-
share the scythe, the pruning hook, the need1o,
tie grancr, the spring Of r. watch or Of csr-
rage, the chiaol, the anchor, the compass, the
cannon, end the bomb. It is q medicine Of
much virtue, and the only metal frien dly to the
human frame"
The writer visited the Marquette Iron District
in tho month ct December It was not the
roet propitious season OF the year for tour to
so ligh latitude, but there we're reasons why it
should be made. Hitherto the Lake Superior
rzeion has
NOT BEEN FINANCIALLY INTERESTING
TO Chicago. becapse trade in its rich products
1,as mt Injured especially to her interests. The
enare funds of our capitalists could be placed at
7,oync II; hus;ncss or in real estate. as proftab1y
.. in rn;nine, lands whose product was in meas-
z,,a n,ccrtain- Money went LitIcr from older
c;.ias where it was Of less value, and the
trade il, miscellaneous merchandise followed
backward on the track which capital had
oriciualyy taken. Boston hal more ''looae
change" twenty years ago than it has to-day,
and her n,sn of means saw ft to e1pend por-
t;,r ~ i ~ +bo s,,oras of Lake snneror. Pitts
~" ~ ~ ~ t-o eto-t~5 =: s.;...,. ~
pafeh nas 1one oooi i1'eies'eo Ill sa'no. as "no
her capitalists were among the LIEU TO ace On
the dicta of the biologists who made the carly
,.o,-o p,f1, c1ora1ord and netroit cau,c
atSs,1,, s., - ~so;o,, 40 ,,,annfactrrine cit;aa
nasul&As ~ 10 10 ss, ~,
communication. AS these parties developed the
>r.,~;or },,av enrrossed tho miscellaneous
+~s5o xr,,;.1, e1tbo,ch considorahlo and
.laue' "nlen, aAS1'osn ~ 80 ss o.ar1
sh-dowing Importance. While the
competition Yrs merely by like, for the various
-ssas.,,, s,,,a;sad ,+ro- 1oea 1orta had the od-
1e. ~ .s' C,':.a d. 49, rh;aoro T. Nort1,-
Footase VI s"onso' o"S eao oA*ASN'0 - AVA "NN
western Railroad
has CHANGED AL THAT.
n,r-o ,>o-to =, Tata Snna,;or ara d;rect1v ac-
>a1.;,,a - Sr,;oarr, ~, al 17ba corne{;t;on NJ
ces91oio W euteaeo 1',,:.:1 =, .A1.. - s,s-~...
the ra'lroaa opens 'lsta o1 posa'ont'es, through
which the business men OF Chicago wiH do veil
tn 1ook Tin to the present time, all the supplies
~. ~ ,x,;,,;n, d;atr;cta have been carried bv
tuo I1e ~ -aI'a-t~ -. -. 49, 11n,,ax 1,an;n.,,,a
"ase'. 4ne naefcaaaAeo y. u9 oppos N1u on1sa4.
have been obliged to make al their pufchases
in tho fall. often to their own loss, and
a,vcvs to the great Inconvenience of
4na;. a,,a+on,o~s Nav nnrchsass can he made at
thef cus1one1s' wow pueusaso 20. W ...as
must pass through Chicago. But it ls rather for
: tie prospective yalue Of this trade, than on nc
count OF its present Importance, TINT 1t should
be looked after. It is worth having now, and
There is
LITTLE TO PLEASE THE EYE
nfter the traveller .passess Green Bay. Even
below that poiut, the land is not the
faire5t the Eun over ehouo upon. North
OF that, it is absolutely dreery,~? and
utterly commonplace. A few important lumbar
ing villages keep up show OF animation, until
Alayinette is reached. = After that point Is
fhere being nothing between TINT village, and
dicated by numbers taken from section-lneB; and
have . marvellous indeilniteness to the qnin-
'itiatcd. TIE surface is seldom diversified by q
hillock. md the boundless forests that stretch
away on either hand snow. q dull uniformity of
tint or to which en- occasional Tiudfall gives q
displeasing variety. The snow that rounds off the
rggedress of sru1nps that covers unslghtly pools,
That gives to tho abrupt Tec-curyes graceful
outlines, that adorna the evergreens with ex-
quiBito marble tufts, and fair white plumes; is
an element Of beauty, Tor which, however, there
: Is discgrcoablo Compensation in the delay
caused By an accumulation of the beautiful
material urol, lie track in front OF. the engine.
# The !,csrt is FOR a moment goftened by The
delicate beauty Of the ecene it is speedily hard
ened into profcne frigidity by the frequently
recurring interruptions of the :; journey;
by charming companionehip: 4 few agreeable
and into!E.ort ncople Of the mining districts'
are crowded. together il car With minern. fur
nncencr. iurnbermen. and woodchouueis. aud
lie ntmoaolero ia reckine Will fear-lent ot7ors
from which there is no fcliaf but in admitting
vintry air and brayiur death by congelation,
Escay.Da-