Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1894-05-04


THE MINES OF MEsABA.
Vast Deposits Of Iron. the wealth OF Ma
the Few.
From n sketch by Jerry Simpson.
The history of the development Of the !
big Mesaba iron ore mines furnishes an
excellent text for a single-tax sermon.
These vast deposits of iron ore in North
eastern Minnesota cover an area OF about
40 by 80 miles. The deposits vary in
thickness from 80 to 200 feet, and the ore
beds are covered with layer Of gravel
and earth from 4 to 80 feet thick. More
than two billion tons OF ore are known to
exist in the Mesaba range. The common
method Of mining this ore is by means Of
steam shovels, both to remove the gravel
and earth and to dig the soft ore anG load
it directly from the open cuts into cars.
The cost OF mining the past season va ried
! from to 40 cents ton-the average be-
ing much nearer than 40 cents.
AS often happens with unusually val
liable land, large portion Of the Mesaba
range was gift from the general govern
ment to the state, under the provisions
OF the swamp act, by which the states
acquired the title to the swamp lands
lying within their boundaries. Such
land as was not owned by the state of
Minnesota was generally owned by men
who bought it for pine land. When the
mineral deposit was discovered, specu-
lators Immediately leased the more valu
able tracts from the state or owners.
These men agreed to pay about twenty
five cents per ton royalty, and in addition
to mine ore amounting in the aggregate
to over 16, 900 900 tons year. The roy.
atty on this amount must be paid
whether the ore is mined or not. The
New York Times Of December rs says:
1.-The land secured by the epeculators
they in turn leased to mining companies
at a sharp advance, rigidly binding the
mining companies to all of the conditions
relative to the amount of ore to be annu-
ally mined that were stated in the first
lease. The spectators secured an adj
vance in royalty of from Is to 80 cents
per ton as their profit on the transaction.
If it is paid as agreed upon scores of men
who never struck blow in any creative
industry, or performed any useful work
will draw royal revenues from the IRON
, ore deposits of the Mesaba range.
"In the spring of 1892, the Mesaba re-
> gion swarmed with eager miners and
Spectators. The greatest iron-ore de-
: post found by men was being developed.
0 Towns rose out OF the ground as If by
magic. 1t was boom times in Northern
Minnesota, and the operators in the Me-
saba range had all the other miners Of
iron.ore in regions that are adjacent tc
Q Lake Superior by the throat, and were
rapidly choking the life out OF them.
), Alleged mining kings in other ore
:. producing regions found their wealth
d rapidly slipping out from underneath
}, them, and many such millionaires ant
j. important financiers became bankrupt II
d a few weeks. A money stringency begar
n which soon extended to the Mesaba
e "where mining companies, the face valu'
7, of whose stock amounted to $3.50, 600, 900
e had been incorporated to extract orr
g. from the iron deposit and money from
d the pockets of the investing public
3. Directly times grew hard on the Mesabs
At 1t was evident that the American marke
d could not consume sufficient iron ore t
I'd enable the spectators to pay the royalt
le they had contracted to pay" Fear an
lg panic seized the spectators, and the boI
~ tom seemed to fall out of the fnancif
s. slough.
o. Forth from this financial storm" say
70, the New York Times, STROBE John
ts Rockefeller, of Standard Oil Compan
g. fame, serene, keen.eyed, alert Drained
e. and armed with effective knowledge {
m precisely what he wanted and how to g
it, and with sufficient means to buy
and resolute in the intention to secul
sufficient area of the iron-ore lands
Nv the Mesaba range to control the outp'
w. of the range and to set the price.
IT. promptly after the appearance OF Nj
m Rockefeller a consolidation of the Mesat
n IRON ore mines was effected, and include
, a in the consolidation was the Duluth
Mesaba Northern Railroad Company.
lid Other mines being without outlet, tt
of Rockefeller syndicate now has the mono
Ter oily OF the richest iron ore deposit in u
IRA world, and within limits fixed by the II
id. port duty on ores and the cost OF pr
lid duction in other mines can Fix" price
nt This is the syndicate that says free ire
TO ore will ruin mining industries, and to
of has recently closed its minee at Virgin
he City, Mesaba range, to secure the rete
ds ton of the uncalled-for protection. Th
i've the eyndicate expects to cell ore at pric
aid which will leave wide margin for pro
in. is evident from the fact that it, togeth
me with other mining companies, is und
contract to pay royalties on millions
tons OF ore in excess OF what is needed
supply the American market.
If the single tax were in operation, a.
the natural rent OF these mines-th
oss full royalty value-were taken by t
Jpn state OF Minnesota, not only would
ole Mesaba range supply sufficient reven
he for the state, but the monopolistic rs
lur- road syndicate would be impossih
was More ore would be mined, and m'
'ers miners find employment at better wal
hey than at present. There being no n
ave nopoly the product would be sold cheap
at to the benefit of all iron consuming
AN dustries. Not only this, but the pam
Mr. bankruptcies, ETC., in this and oil
"a L, iron ore regions would not have
.ner Cured.
OWN