St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-11-26
ich are to all appearances equally
The Extent of the Ores

is not alone to be measured by the area
which they are known to cover. Their
depth has thus far eluded all efforts to
determine. Large numbers of boringS
have been made at different points for
hundreds of feet without reaching the
bottom of the veins. The thickness of
the veins is, in many cases, marvellous.
In some of the openings of the Mime
sofa mine the width of the iron depOSi
in many places reaches 200 feet.
The further exploration and develop
ment proceed, the more surprising the
wealth of the mines appears. All the
shipments made since 1884 have been
substantially from two mineS-the Min
nesota and the Chandler. Small
amounts have been sent out
from the Pioneer. The amount
shipped in 1884 was, in round num-
berS, 62000 tons, from August to the end
Of the season. The amount or these ship
mentS has increased year by year until
the present season, which Will exceed
the record OF any other year since the
opening of the mines. For this year
the amount appr0Ximates 100000 tons.
In the seven years from 1894 the aggre-
gate is about 100000 tons.
The earnings of this single road, with
a mileage as given above, but little
exceeding 115, are and have been from
the first enormous In 1889 they are
placed at 1886, 5lS.76, the net earnings
being little short of 100000. The
total train mileage for passengers and
freight was 502,6S7.
Some further conception of the extent
of the deposits i'll this region may be
gained from the fact that the number of
companies incorporated under the laws
of Minnesota for the purpose of mining
these ores, up to the close of 1890, prob
| ably reaches 100 or more, while the
LEASES Of Mining Property
under the act of the legislature of 1889
were nearly 500.
This act authorizes the commissioner
| of the land Office to execute leases and
| contracts for mining and shipping iron
| ores from any lands now belonging TO
/ the state, or from any lands which the
state may hereafter acquire, subject to
certain conditions. The object of this
act was TO hasten the development of
/ the country ard enable the state to de-
/ rive some revenue from its lands.
| The leases run for fifty years, and
authorize the lessor to mine and remove
from the lands merchantable shipping
! iron which Is or may be found on, in or
under said land, together with the right
to construct all buildings, make all eX-
cavatiOaS, openings, bitches, drains,
| railroads, wagon roads and other i'm
provements upon said premises which
are or may become necessary or suitable
for the mining or removal of iron ore
from the said premises. with the right
during the existence of the lease to cut
and use the timer found upon said
premises for fuel, other than for Smelt-
! ing purposes, and SO far also as may be
| necessary for the construction of build
IN
! mine Or mines on the premises leased,
as also the timber necessary for drains,
tramways and supports for such mines.
The lessor is required to pay royalty
at the rate of twenty-five cents per ton
for all the iron mined and carried away,
each ton reckOned at 2.240 pounds. he
is also required to pay the sum OF 500
at the time of making the lease and an
nually thereafter.
The properties upon which mines
have been developed. but are not yet
shipping, are OIL the NermillOn range
the Zenith Iron company" the Mil
Ter q Brown" the anderson" the
"Macum err" and the chippewa"
These, with the three producing mines,
make total of eight actually produc-
ing and under development.
or those which have been partially
developed, but are not yet shipping, ON
the MeSaO range, may be mentioned
The Mailman" ''Mesabi Syndicate"
/. ''Bewabic" and Mountain Iron COM
pany."
Besides these there are ten companies
prosecuting work upon their locations.
OF cOurSeit is not expected that prop
critics remote from railway tranSDOrta-
ton can be prOfitably worked. but the
construction and extension OF railroads
. is now going on with more activity than
at any former period. The Duluth
Winnipeg road, now completed for {
distance of 10 miles. passes through
: the Mesabi range. The Duluth. MeSab
d Northern is projected, and the RICH
of way is being cleared. Active work
will be prosecuted during the winter
, and spring, and the road Is expected tC
= ! reach valuable properties during INT
next season.
In addition to this the Iron Range
will doubtless extend branches to prop
| critics whose development Is sufficiently
: advanced or assured 10 warrant the con
: struction. With the growth of the rail
. wav system the development of tht
4 mines may be expected rapidly to al
E vance. 1t is difficult to estimate wha
even the next five years may bring fortl
G in the working of these wonderful
= mines.
Il quite as remarkable as that Of the are
S covered and the depth of the deposits
:. From the records kept the following
l statement is made:
The amount Os the different grades of or
:, mined and shipped between Dec. !, loo>, an
= Aug. / ISS9 from the Minnesota mine alon
1t Is Is fOllOwS: lon
l. Previous report V'oS
= Total .-.' oA40'
u More than half of this iron was low /
phosphorus. and nearly half or 1T cor
: fained over e. per cent of metallic iron
and less than 6-10OOths of l per cent c
=, phosphorus.
:, Remarkable Showing.
d As remarked by Prof. Winchell, tn
n state geologist, such a showing ca
n nrObably be made by no other minin
20 region in the world The theOretic;
10 ner cent of metallic iron in pure hem;
~ lite is 20, thus leaving less than , pc
G. cent to be accounted for as impuritie
81 The impurities are mainly quartz
st ! silica. Sulphur is rarely found |
is quantities sufficient to be determines
S The amount of phosphorus IS the al
D. important thing, and in order to be SUI
5. of this the ore is Analysed three times
e. once at the mine, once at the lake shor
)n ! and once at the OlaSt IuIhdce OeIoio
IN is smelted.
n In a series of tests embodied in Blu
er letin No. 6 of the state geolOgiSt on II
ed iron ores of Minnesota, it Is stated TIL
is in a shipment Of eleven cars betwee
IL June > and June IS, 1889. the ASA.
to showed an average OF over 60 per Gel
is of metallic iron, with less than 6-lO0Oti
" of / per cent of phosphorus. In anoth
Of case the assays ran from &c and 7l-10O
re 67 and $500 OF metallic iron; pho
n phorus below the amount alreac
vn named. In many cases large bodies
in this ore assay as high as 6S and even
in per cent, or within small tractl(
n thereof, while the amount of phosphor
M is so small as to place it easily with
ed what Is known as the BeSSemer lin
he That is to say, the ores are SO free Iro
rs DhO,DlOruS ana SO Tlcn III lTou Thai liz