The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1895-08-02
NEWS FROM The IRON MINES.

NE1RxsTzNG NOTES RELATxyE Tu
OUR PRINCIPAL LNDusFRH.
Asssbs s~d OeAer zrsn Rsm1es.
A dispatch from st. Paul, dat.
ed July Is, says: State Auditor
II. Dunn received today = report
from George Bixby. appointed
by the governor, at his request,
several weeks ago to make in
vestigations in the iron country
as to the condition of the states
claims:
AS I stated during our last
interview" says the report, 1.-The
Oliver Mining Co. have ceased
operations ON the northwest
quarter of section 8, township
81, range 18, owned by the state
and leased by the Missabe Iron
Co., and all reference to their
waste of ore is SIMPLY buncombe.
l have every reason to believe
that the company has dealt hon.
estly with the state, and that so
far, every cent of royalty due
the state has been paid for at all
times the record of weights, as
received from the scales, has
been taken as the basis of pay.
ment. The lessees have no
weights here and all weights are
taken from the railroad CON-
pany scale, which are at the
town OF Proctorknott. I have a
view of the Missabe mine taken
by q strolling photographer,
from which I can make full ex-
plantations to youof the situation
at Missabe, Lone Jack, Ohio,
Franklin and other mines group.
ed here (at Virginia) on the hill
side. I have examined closely
the strippings from the Missabe
mine, and if there is a waste of
valuable ore am unable to find
it and it must be all covered up.
l will make further effort to find
the same if it is anywhere in the
dump from the Missabe. Also I
find that the Oliver Mining Co.,
or Drake & Stratton, .-contrac-
tors, are still dumping the strip.
pings or was to, from the Lone
Jack, on the northeast side of
the northeast quarter Of section
8. township 81, range 10. and
that said dump is now about 20
feet high on the south side and
Is feet high on the north side.
Their stripping are identical
with those dumped from the
Missabe." Mr.. Bixby expected
to be in St. Paul late this week
or early next week with addi.
tional particulars. His report
was made in reply to a letter
from the auditor, containing the
newspaper stories of lost ore.
On August list the ::Oliver Min.
ing company, operating the Lone
Jack and Oliver mines. in this
city, voluntarily advanced wages
of common labor from $1.35 to
$3.50 per day, and labor which
heretofore had been paid $50
now receives >1.6o per day. This
action on the part of the com.
pany is an apprec,able one to
the men, and is a commendable
manner of unconsciously binding
deserving employees.
At the Auburn about $500
tons are now being shipped
daily, the mine still working by
the milling process. The 'rock
pile" at this property is also be-.
ing shipped.
At the Lone Jack about 230
cars are now being loaded in
three ten hour shifts, two shov-
els working days and one shovel
At night. Practically no work is
being..done on the Oliver and no
shipments are being made from
that property at present.
A new grade of ore, Junfata,
is now being forwarded from the
Lone Jack property, the ore be-
ing the red ore found for = cor
tain depth beneath the strip
ping. For q ii ne this ore wa&
shipped rs "south Side" grade,
but it's excellent quality demand
ed . distinction. It is said to b<
the best ore that has yet beer
shipped from the range.
At the Franklin, the wag>
scale was raised yesterday, Al
average of 20 per cent over for
mer wages now being paid. A
this property and the Bessemer
worked under the same manage
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