New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-12-02
IN THE MESABA RANGE
AZ ENCOURAGING SHOWING FOR THE
SEASON
.,,rvrvTs OF IRON ORE AMoUNIED TO 2.e7e.co7
ToNs-rHE QUALITY or THE OUTPUT
,vAnrorArE FREIGHT SERVICE.

,,.,,,h Dec (SpeciaD.-Shipment from the
,,assba during the last two weeks has been very
18th, Practically the season closed with October,
.~s,saa Of two weeks later, would probably have
noon he case wer 1t not for excessively high lake
s~.sh,s Preparation and development, rather than
80 shirr1ent. STU characterize Mesaba work.
AZ onen cut mines have been actively stripping
,eo Adams and Auburn. operated by milling. Ohio.
: o,o lack and Mahoning (open cut). Adams (mill-
,nc, and Fayan Sellers and Lake Superior under-
aro,nd, shipped this summer for the first
time.
,,v.or. for about three weeks during the Mar
o..e strike really active mining has been prevent
=, hv lack Of boats The entire transportation sys
IN, ,s at present somewhat inadequate The Du-
,,,b Mesaba and Northern Railroad for all but
EVAN OF It's 40 miles is single track. Improve
,nents IN grades rails and roadhed are. however.
:, progress. and stations and approaches
heing constructed az Eveleth and Hibbng. The
present dock though large. pocketng from 5000
10 5000 tons. is TO he supplemented next sea-
son by second, about half its size costing about
S3oocn and designed later TO be enlarged. AS to
the supply of boats. il is probable that the close
relation between the controlling interests OF the
American Steel Barge Company of Superior. with
tts feet Of tonnage e. coo and the Duluth Messoa
end Northern Railroad will assure the latter a
plentiful supply OF boats whenever they are really
desired The fleet necessary to handle the active
output of this entire range will be better appre-
ciated when II Is known tina; Biwabik. Lone jack
Oliver Ohio Mountain Iron and Rathbun, six topen
cue OF the eighteen mines now shipping. could send
down a car OF tventy-three tons Of ore every min
ne Of the twenty-four hours throughout the sea-
son This shipment three million tons. would
require only two shoves 10 be in operation at each
mine and employ total or on'y ABOUT thousAhu
al shift.
QUALITY OF MESABA ORE
Much has been said as is always the case with
NJ he
Daily experience is falsifying these criticisms. The
market accepts the in quantities and al prices
.aat speak for themselves. As is the case with
other ranges most Mesaba mines contain both Bes-
semer ard non-Bessemer ore. These distinctions
are to-day extremely Indefinite. high in phos-
rhorus as $50 or even .O55 being accepted as Bes-
semer IL OF excellent furnace qualities SOFT hena-
ties are frequently restricted 10 Oio and IL Is IN
This sense that the term Bessemer ore is used with
reference 10 Mesaba products. Bwabk, fayaH'
Franklin and Adams are believed 10 contain none
tu; Bessemer ore. their entire content carrying oS
20 81 per cent of iron and $50 O45 OF phosphorus
That the first ore shipped from mine Is hardly
representative may account for early Criticisms OF
nesaba ore The deposits being formed BY filtration
snl segregation improve with depth the bed ABOVE
o. below the ore shading. as rule, almost I'M
percep,lbly from rock through all stages OF re-
,lscement into ore The graduation Is usually
most rapid at the bottom. though not infreouentiy
glacial erosion. having removed the Gaping OF
'raconic rock the drift lies directly upon the ore
j. is proba be that about one-third OF all ore IN
mines at present opened is Bessemer
The questions often asked. How long VIII
these shallow basinlke deposits last" VIII they
not soon be mined OUT? Careful and conservative
estimates G.: the ore already known 10 exist on
,he. Mesaba. as revealed by the mining tes;-pittins
and drilling already done, place the total at some
thing over 800 10000 tons The success OF recent
exploration indicates this TO be about haf wha'
may be reasonably expected as a grand and hnal
Total As about one-third OF this IS probably
Tass eraer and as the entire iron ore consumption
OF the United States has never been over I"1e-'o"
tons any immediate panic on the ground that Bes-
semer ore is nearly exhausted seems hardIy JUS
tilted. ,.- or, ,,,>.,>,r
The relation borne by this comparatively new
field 10 the other ranges is commonly miscenceVeo'
Much il said OF wonderfully cheap mining-shoVe!-
Inc ore like sand for FIVE cents ton. Three
a9,oas ~ mining are In use on Mesaba. each In
volving large preparatory expense Delore shppHs
'0 Open cut mining used in seven mines, requires
me removal OF everything drift from thry 70 lor
feet in average thckhess az De or more steam
shovels ana locomotive 10 handle the cars for each
losing Soratorv &c After this outlay the mining
expense is small. from five 10 ten cents ION ;;,,
snking a shaft running OF drifts and chutes. cree
lion Of shafth house. warehouse oli'e;
and pumps After this running expenses are not
large as little timber is required me men w .'r<
lace receive 6nly from s. % 81 50 day. Handing
by This process costs % TO "a fhe cost Of stripping
requires shafts drifts. tram-tracks cars ana ma
isTge amount of timbering must be done. The
miners blasting and picking 8ui ne tS Sae in
Open ehates and receive skilled labor from 81 20
70 81 % a day. usually working on contract. oevea
80 Tho railroad cars costs them from 81 TO 80 cents
ton. according TO the qualities OF ore ana SIKH
But in Considering these costs Of handling it must
never be forgotten tna. m agss the ore and in
CURING the profits Of the mining compan i,S me
ljsh as 90 in one case 20 cents ton are to be m
inded In the OF the ore 1t is safe 10 say ma
M 10 d. te no nine this range has been prohabie
~ ia GENERATORS though many fee owners have
realized handsomely from their royalties Inc open
but are hampered by being workable only during
he shipping season Of seven or eight mon ms
Even Ffb3paYy and March the frost penetrating
considerable depth and b the oheT Mines
,moke up stock piles. from which II costs two or
,hree cents ton TO load the cars
SMALL WORKING EN-
PENsES.
The sxnenses of Mesaba mining however. either in
oa~aton or installation are much less than on the
- ra,ges where the ore body is tipped up at
steep angie exposing narrow horizontal section
and descending one or TWO tnousaHo Ieee. W." ans
Inc nearly horizontal position OF the strata aKo
The absence OF great pressure ana strains. me
Nieeaha n, es require less umDerlhs IMAM s'Iiiiai
ores of deeper deposits even when the later are
somewhat harder and require more nr'inne anu
blasting. -. oa,a,tacas NJ tho Mesaba
o,..r oIder ranges on which handling costs from
a. 80 20 e. "a Its disadvantages are largely IN
situation owing greater distance ron da me d
9 nd nositon at the extreme northwest Mesaua
-" ,be has ais of 81 lake freight. are al
- sroro en- 70 s5 cents as compared with Menomlhee
Or Msrauette The remarkably large proportion s6 o.
Ressemer ore on Gogebc gives that ldnse a. 81
vantage in addition TO slight adyanta AK Ui epgnaI
snsnortstion footing with Mesaba AS lake irest ,
rise Marquette and Menomnee sssu'h AXE freight
., 20 Incoming ninety odd cents UhdeI ~ o' no
Conditions lake freight should not oe eDts The
b,9b cosng price this year S. was Of course Prs
due 10 the move nent or gram oS e. * remains the
fac, that rapid Development especially Pee AXE o. feet in
SOFA mines, tnndl The ore waiting for shipment
Te,i Year the American Steel Barge ConpdW Wine
80 - "A ,hEee or four whaleDacks, ny and