St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1885-12-16

tne addition of the whole product Of the
Chattanooga district did not produce prac-
Ideally any more than the Lake Superior re-
gl0n did alone in 1882.
Nv Poors Railroad Manual, the miles of
railroad In the United States at the close of
Miles.
1904 was .1S5,379
Add estimated, 1885 9 500
Makes total of..1 27s79
Four thousand miles Of this mileage were
Dullt In the five years period ending with
1888, and "a, 43O miles were constructed in
the five years period ending with 1885.
A careful examination of the foregoing
| tables will reveal the fact that there has
been, including the year 1885. no increase
worth notice in the annual product of iron
ore in the Lake Superior region over the
product of 1881, and with the product of
the Chattanooga district in the South, added
to it, there is no increase this year over the
product of 1882, although there has been
during that time added to the mileage Of
railroads nearly 81. 600 miles. Every 1000
miles OF new railroad constructed will re-
quire about 900 tons of steel rails. If
we suppose there will be 1000 miles
built in 1856 land much more is estimated
in many well-pOsted quarters), it would re-
quire $780, 900 tons. The requirements Of
1877 900 miles now in operation will of
course be large and the railroads in the
Northwest, at least, if not in the whole
country, are now in condition in regard to
business and necessities to call for very
large amount of material new track, ETC.,
much better than they have been at any
time during the past five years. 1t is gen.
orally conceded that the requirements for
| steel rails in 1886 will be over one million
tons. The Railway Age of Oct 1, 1885,
states, and names the roads, that SO, 24S
miles OF new road are in actual process Of
construction, of which 2, 900 miles or more
will be built in 1885, and a very large
amount is projected, more or less Of which
will be built in 1885,
With the material growth of the country,
the increased and diversified avenues which
have been opened and are continually OPEN
ing for the use of iron and steel, the fact
will be noticed that there has been in five
years no increase in the production of iron
ore in the Lake Superior region, from
which is derived large proportion of the
Bessemer and high. grade iron ores used in
| the West. Very little of the iron ore of
the South is available fer the purpose of
making steel by the Bessemer process. But
of course it is available for all the purposes.
For number Of years past there had
been large amount of old iron rails and
other materials which supplied the market
for many purposes. This stock is now
nearly exhausted, is scarce and the price
has materially advanced, and now pig iron
will have to be purchased where formerly
this had been used in large quantities.
Foreign iron ores and pig iron are cheap
and have not as yet advanced but little in
price. To what extent they will be i'm
ported to furnish the requirements, remains
to be seen. Last spring there was a very
large amount Of iron ore on the docks at
lower lake ports unsold, and its sale was
slow, prices low and the demand light. AT
the present time, Cleveland papers report
! that practically all of the ore is sold and
owned by furnaces and the indications are
that by the opening OF navigation the stock
will be pretty we'll consumed.
There is no doubt but that the Lake Su-
periOr region could easily make an output
next year of over 5000. 900 tons if prices
should justify it. Mr.. Edward Atkinson,
| the well-known Statistician. in recent ar
ticle says Already there are signs that
| the lowest point in railway construction has
| been reached, and that next year very
great increase in mileage may occur. There
| are signs that the we'll placed iron furnaces
and steel works (omitting those that have
| lived out their natural lite and ought to
die) will be insufficient to meet the demand
| for those metals"
| The boom in iron" and ''iron fam
inc" talked Of in many quarters would
| be to the producers of iron ore, IN my
| judgment, misfortune, as it would
stimulate production and soon bring about
a reaction in prices as disastrous as the past
few years have been. But the indications
are certainly in favor of at least fair prices
for ore and good demand during the sea-
son of 1886.
| 1t is claimed by many, with some consid-
cradle show OF truth, that of the high-grade
Bessemer ores there is not enough to supply
the great demand there will be for this
class of ore; that they will all be wanted if
the needs of the railroads are to be any
| thing near the calculation of those who
| should know, is very evident. But very
few of the iron mines made even their eX-
penses. to say nothing Of profit, in 1885,
and many closed operations and did not
work.