The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1896-05-01
NEWS FROM THE IRON MINES.
INTERESTING NOTES RELATIVE TO
OUR PRINCIPAL INDUSTRY.
MeSQb0 aud Other Iron kOhOes

not Oe very popular Win the
owners of known iron deposits
of vast extent and value, for it is
understood that he intends to
see that iron properties Iare put
on the assessors books this year,
something that has never been
done in Minnesota before as the
mining companies have always
claimed to be exempt under the
law taxing them one cent per ton
on their output. Auditor Dunn
has expressed himself as believ :
ing the law unconstitutional, and
it is his purpose to test the con-
stitutionality. The properties
will not be put on the lists for
nominal sums, but for good round
sums, and it is expected that the
$40, 100000 of taxable property
in St. Louis county will be in
creased by several millions. The
people of the county will most
heartily approve this move as
they have heretofore paid the
tax burdens while the mines,
owned principally by outsiders
and representing the greater
portion of the wealth of the
county, escape just taxation by
the cent per ton plan, The hard
times and high taxes have
brought the people to the point
where they see the gross injus-
tice being done them and popu-
lar opinion demands that the
property of mining corporations
be taxed the same as property of
other description. The iron in
dustry of Minnesota has out
grown it's swaddling clothes, and
scarce needs further protection
extended to it by means of ex-
emptions from taxation.
The mining students of the
State University, under the d.
rection of Professors Appleby
and Denton, will commence a
course of practical work on the
Mesaba and Vermiliol ranges
the first of the week. The en-
tire mining department, with the
exception of the freshmen, go to
the Vermilion on Saturday and
will spend the month of May in
doing practical work in metal
lurgy and mine surveying. This
is a new feature in the mining
course and has been made COM
pulsory by the faculty for soph-
omore aud junior students. Ev-
cry day will be spent ia the
mines. The party will consist
of twenty-five men, and just as
accurate work will be required
OF the students as if they we're
in college,. The hours of work
will be from a. m. until 6 p. m.
and the college boys will enter
the shaft with the workmen in
the morning and remain until the
miners are taken out at night.
Dean Hall will probably meet
the young miners the last week
and under his direction a study
of the geological formations of
the ranges will be made. Prof.
Denton has had much practical
experience in the mines of this
state, and is considered an ex-
cellent man to direct the work to
be done by the students.
George Hoffman and August
Erickson, miners, we're blown to
pieces on Wednesday by a pre-
mature blast of giant powper in
No. 2 shaft at the Pabst mine.
It is not known what caused the
powder to explode, and no other
persons were working in that
portion of the mine. Both were
married men and leave families
of small children.
Capt. Thomas F. Waters re-
Gently returned from New York,
where he had been to close up
a deal whereby the leases for
48O acres of mineral lands in
sections 81 and %, 59-17, have
been disposed of to Hiram W.
Sibley, of Rochester. These
leases we're formerly owned by
the Little Mesaba Mining Com
pany, and good body of ore
was proven on the property, but
financial TROUBLES o'ertOOk the
company and work was aban.
doned. Under the new manage
ment the property will doubtless
be developed this season.
The Drake & Stratton com
pa1y now have about two hun
dred men on their pay roll at th'
Oliver and Lone Jack, working
one shovel and repairing anoth
er which will be put to worl
soon. Considerable hand WOr]