The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1881-06-19
IRON.

The iron ores of Southern Utah
are undoubtedly Of most excellent
quality and abundant in quantity.
They are chiefly Of that variety
known as magnetic, black in color
with black streak, and frequently
strongly magnetic, some of the ore
being of that kind known as "load-
stone" No iron ore is more widely
diffuSed than is this magnetic var
iety. 1t is composed of three quar-
ters iron and one quarter oxygen.
There are also hematite iron ores
some Of them specular iron ore, in
fine crystals; others are amOrphous,
or massive and ShapeleSs, so far as
crystalline structure is concerned.
All the hematites give more or less
of AIRED streak, and when pulverized
form a red powder. Some persons
still use the name of "bloOd stone"
in speaking of hematites. The word
hanna (blood) alludes to the color of
hematite, the termination ''ite"
meaning rock. In Utah there are
several kinds of hematite; specular
iron ore; micaceous iron (scaly iron)
ore; red hematite Compact, rocky
iron ore; red ochre; jasperry iron
ore; stalactical iron ore; clay iron
stone. These ores contain, when
pure, nearly three quarters iron, the
remainder oxygen.
Brown iron ore or hematite, is
found massive; it's color is dark
brown or ochre yellow, yellOwish
brown or dull yellow. Much of this
kind is now used for fuxing silver
ores. 1t differs from magnetic and
hematite in giving a brOWniSh yell
low powder, and generally in its
comparatively small quantity of
metallic iron. Some of the Tintic
brown iron ore that has been re-
duced lately in this city, gives a
good quality of fine grain pig-irOn,
and when manufactured very ex-
cellent quality of white iron.
When pure, this variety gives
about six parts out of ten iron, the
rest oxygen and water. The
spattic iron ore, or siderite, is also
found here. This is a carbonate of
iron, sometimes found in crystals
of six sides with the faces curved,
or more frequently as concretiOns.
A little more than half Of this min
eral is protoxide of iron, the re-
mainder is chiefly carbonic acid.
1t is useful in the arts.
There is also a "Franklinite," or
iron-zinc ore, a hard black roc k.
Probably this may be also utilized
should iron manufactures become
general among US. This ore contains
manganese as well as zinc, and it
is employed in the manufacture Of
steel and burglar proof safes. We
have also manganese ores which
will doubtless be used. These ores,
when pure, would pay to export as
they are largely used in the arts.
This makes it important that at
the forthcoming fair there should
be an exhibit of all Our useful mine
rails, that it may be seen what we
really posses, and that advantage
may be taken of varieties specially
adapted to certain manufactures.
By the efforts of few persons iron
has recently been smelted from the
known iron ores of Tintic, kinds not
rich in metallic iron, but which have
hitherto been used for f1uxing silver
ore. The iron produced is good in
quality, and with that of the
northern oresi Paradise and probably
with the southern iron may possibly
be improved. If, by combined effort,
iron of superior quality, in varieties
such as are adapted to the require
ments of this region, can be made,
our position may possibly be estab-
lished as a great centre Of iron
manufactures, with market for
our wares in all the surrounding
territories.