The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1894-02-10
Dwight A. Woodbridge Writes
on Mesaba Possibilities.
AL IS NOT COLD THAT CLIT1ERS.
II Costs So per Ton to Put
Ore In Cleveland.
The Secretary OF the Duluth Dock
Exchange Comes Before the
Scenes With Statements.
MEsABA is NOT KING.

the Duluth Stock Exchange, in n recent
letter To the New York Times, pricks
several bubbles created by that august
paper in regard to the possibilities oi the
Mcsaba range. The following extracts
from his communication win he of inter
est TO readers Of TIE DIAMOND Drill.
They nre taken from the columns oi the
Rangc-Tribune, OF Iron Mountain, which
paper Mr.. Woodbridge favored with adj
vance sheets OF his communication;
"You STATE" writes Mr.. Woodbridge
TO the Times, "that the expectation is
that the Mesaba VIII ship in 1894 atotal
OF 4 soc, 900 tons. No one who knows
the capacity Of the two railways reach
ing the range but fully realizes Tint they
will not DC able to handle, under the
most favorable condition, much over
half this magnificent total, even could 1t
be mined, which is another practical I'M
possibility. With 100000 or moc
tons OF unsold ore in dock at Lake Eiie
poits, with furnaces nll through the
PENNSYLVANIA and Ohio valleys running
at half production, whore is the need oi
500. 900 tons from the Mesaba orirom
any other ranger"
"You instance the remarkable work
done at one Mesaba mine. where 3,aoo
tons we're raised in one dny at nm ex-
pcnse oI less than four cents ton
You forget Ia mention that sixty-llve
cents n ton il to be added TO this IA the
royalty paid ut this mine, while the ore
body has TO be stripped Mt u cost OF
about CITY cents yard before "a ton oil
ore could he got Mt. i deny, further,
that This or any other Mesaha mine ever
lifted ore az any such price as Tour cents
or can do, day after day. Your arhu
ment i M II one should call SunoFs bes'
record the customary speed oi theequlr'
family. The average value oi the iroI
ore imported into this country ~ $2.5C
ION before the duty is paid,' you say
after calling the Mcsaba cost Tour cents
But what is the average cost oi ioreigi
ores? or course the average value
Or imported ore il just triile below IN
ts price OF American ore at the same point
less the duty"
= After noting the ridiculous statemen
OF the Times that 1900, ,000,OOO tons q
> ore are known TO be in sight on the Mesa
ba, Mr.. Woodbridge says that Mt n
noint is the ore over one-half mile wide
that the main deposits are in three town
ships. extending eighteen miles from eas
60 wcst and that claim oi 100 100000
tons ON the range would he remarl
ably generous allowance. As to the COZ
of steam shovel work Inc cites the cxpel
diture thus far by the Biwnbik, oi $3O'
900 in stripping, or stripping cost
date uf So ton. Four contracts i'
tbis work must he underway before an
more mining can be done, while at pre-
ent an the men employed at stiippiI
have bcen discharged.
"The Mcsaba ores occur IN pocke
sometimes ] 900 by 500 feet, sometm
more, often less. while the average dep
OF the ore body is about sixty Ice
These pockets vary in contents iro
90 900 900 tons down TO 200, 900, aI
the number OF the large mines is We
limited. Possibly fifty per cent. oil I
ore il 81 grade suitable for shippiI
the rest being non-Bcssemer, who
value Il not equal to the cost oil trai
narration, and will not bc removed
years in all probability. The range
ing distant eighty cents rail haul ir'
n tic lake. and 81 90 lake haul from Gle
land, is at disadvantage OF over 81.
ton as compared with the Menomi'
range. and must make this up, ~ well
- excessive royalties, before II can comp
with it's neghbors. Its soit ore " lool
~ upon TO In part cqual'ze these dis
u yantages, while cheaper rail ireiehts
lower royalties must make up the
mnindcr. With still further reduct
Of seyenty-five cents where would
Mesnba come in ?"
Az TO the crow ming statement oi
Times, that the companies operating
the Mesaba have contracted TO pay
altics ON at least lG, 900, 900 tons y
~, whether the ore be taken out or
Mr.. Woodbridge says thnt the nmn
contracted to lc mined Is 500,
tons year, but nearly nll of these
trncts are jug-handled affairs with
r. handle townrd the operator. For
- stance. the Cincinnati mine has |
until lately, under n minimum roy
agreement Of 10000 tons, but
mined aud paid on 10000 tons {
aud IL has secured reduction in roy
minimum to 10000 tons. The
nlso hns n minimum of 10000
Int has mined and paid nothing
Biwabik, two mines, and Oliver hn'
agreed royalty Of 50O, 900 tons IN ]
A ....I.. - 4 A lnn lruc