St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-07-09
Mines SHUT DOWN.
An Era Of Depression Pervad-
ing Michigan and Wiseon-
sin Ranges.
Miners Are Thrown Out OF
Employment in Large
Numbers.
Several Well-Known Proper
ties Are Practically Aban-
dOned.
The Easily Worked Ore Of the
Mesaba Range Getting to
the Front.

lHGI0 10 SuCA SGIcldl dllu Witt
spread suffering now beginning on
the several established iron ranges
OF the Lake Superior district as
they have not seen since the
black days of 1872" said a promi-
nent member of the Duluth mining ex-
change at the Ryan yesterday. There
is scarcely a mine on the Marquette,
Menominee or Gogebic ranges, which
have mined and shipped, since first dis
covered, over 60.000.0O0 tons of ore, that
isn't now either completely closed or
greatly curtailed i'll operation. Miners
have been steadily thrown out of work
for the past three weeks, until now the
number of idle men in towns of these
ranges is at least 5000 greater than it
was less than month ago.
"This tremendous non-employed force
decreases in like ratio the business of
tue railways in that section and of the
stores and dependent industries in the
region. 1t is probable that $4,000
would-be wage earnerS in the upper
peninsula OF Michigan and in Northern
Wisconsin are today out of work by
reason of the closing of these mines.
These miners were the entire support
of whole towns, heretofore prosperous,
and there is no other possible source of
income, agriculture and manufacturing
being practically unknown. Most of
the mines that have suspended opera
lions are still shipping the ore that they
mined and put on stock piles Ill the
winter and spring, and some few are
continuing mining operations with day
shifts, so that they still employ more or
less men. Some, however, like the
Champion, on the Marquette range, and
the Germania, on the Gogebic, are so
completely shut down that
The Pumps Have Been Taken Out
and the mines will be allowed to fill
with water. This means the abandon
ment of the mines for a very long
period, if not forever. Among the
mines that have discharged very large
numbers of men are the NOrrie and
Pabst, where out of 800 men only 400
are left; the Ashland, which has less
than 81 men, or tenth of its usual
force; the Germania, which, on July'5,
let off its entire force; the Colby group,
which discharged 1,2J0 men several
weeks ago. Ali these mines are on the
Gogebic range, near Hurley. Bessemef
mines on the same range have also made
large reductions. Iad
Ion the Marquette and Menominee
ranges, near Ishpeming, Negaunee, Re-
public, Champion and other towns en-
tirely dependent on the ore industry,
the depression has been more severely
felt. dere the Republic mine has dis
charged 300 men; the Lake Superior,
900; the CIeveland-Cli 1000; the
Champion. 500; the Chaplin, 500; the
Prince of Wales, 80; the Winthrop,
400, the Buffalo group all its force, and
many of the leSS-noted and wealthy
corporations lesser numbers. Among
the mines mentioned are
The Greatest Producers
of the Lake Superior region, the Norrie,
Chaplin and Champion having long held
the>higheSt record of production. Last
year the Norrie mined over 1000, 900
tons of ore, making it the greatest pro-
Queer the world has ever seen thus far.
Most OF the mines close because of
inability to sell ore at the ruling price
of 1915 ton delivered in Cleveland.
Some, OF course, are not able tC sell ore
at all owing to the dizziness i'll manu-
featured iron. But before these proper
ties which have confessed all inability
to deliver their product at the prevail
ing price there arises very uncOm-
Portable specter. 1t is freely predicted
that the price of No. l BeSsemer ore,
averaging over 60 or 81 per cent iron,
will never again be up to 81 ton. Ii
this be so, the mines that are unable to
sell below that price, and the towns
that are entirely dependent Oh them,a are
uDproductive and may never be opened
again. The outlook for both the mines
and the villages Is truly alarming.
The Mesaba iEines.
"This condition of affairs is due. not
to dull season, though that has been
a fastening cause, but to the newly
opened iron range lying close back of
Duluth in Northern Minnesota, the
MesaOa. A year or more ago, when the
Mesaba range was discovered, and it
was found that its ore lay in great beds,
in consistency and position much like
an ordinary sand bank, figures were
made as TO the cost of mining that
seemed SO ridiculOusly low that the
men of the older ranges simply laughed.
Today three great mines on the MeSaba,
each of which has shown up
deposits of not less than 20,000,-
coo tons, are mining ore direct
from the natural deposit, and using
steam shOvels as their only min
ing tools. No expensive steam or air
drills, no explosives, no underground
workings or tlmberiDgS. no great hoist
ing or air compressor plants simply
steam shovel filling car standing be-
side it at the rate of four or five tons
every minute, Including the cost OF
stripping the surface off the ore, these
mines are mining and loading their
Bessemer ore. on cars at a cost of so
cents per ton or less. This they will be
able to do for too long a period for the
comfort of the operators on the other
ranges"
For sale.