The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1896-01-29
BESSEMER POOL
which Practically Controls the
Output of Iron Ore.
POWER STEADILY INCREASING
Cona.,ion, which Make IL Possible for the
Great Poolio Make It's 9wn Terms with
cu.tomers-ThO Prodaet for 1900 Fixed
alta higher Ba.l, than Last Year at an
Increased Price.

.s--+--=----s-
Tho New York Times OF Monday con-
tains tho following dispatch from su-
perlor, Wisconsin:
I The great Bessemer ore pool Is COM
piete. Although the Lake Superior
output for 1895 was the largest in his
tory, the product for 1896 has been fixed
at u stiff higher basis. and at an in
creased price.
BY reason Of the hlSh grade of Its
ora, the snort and down hill shipment
from the mines TO the lake, and the eS-
trR0rtiinAry cheapness with which min
Ing can be carried on, the Vermiiion-
Mesaba range now controls the ore
..l.....es .. tAe coutncnt. Last year the
entire Lake Superior district sent for
ward 10, 100000 tons. OF this the YER
mil0n-Aiesaba produced, or shipped
about 100000 tons. OF this amount
l,OS5.UOO IONS, were shipped from Two
Harhors, on the north side OF Lake SUI
pertor and the Mesaba ores from SUI
perior and Duluth,
The output Of straight Bessemer pool
for this end OF the lake Is thus: Pioneer
Mine, owned by II. II. Porter, Roswell
p. Flower John C. Spooner and one or
two others, 100000 tons; Chandler, own
ed by the Mtnneeota Iron Company,
100000 tons; Minnesota, also owned by
the Minnesota Iron Company, 10000
tons: total. 100000 tons.
Chandler ore is stnndard-the highest
grade on the continent, running last
year, without inspection, Sc per cent
pure iron. The Pioneer, less than a
quarter OF mile distant, Is the same,
and Is the largest pure Bessemer mine
In the world. II has been eight years
In process OF opening, and this is It's
first year Of commercial activity. IT
could have sold and easily produced
100000 tons outside OF the pool, but was
was induced TO come In on q basis of
10000 tonE,
The Minnesota, q few miles distant.
produces three grades Of ore. None Of
Il is Bessemer without crushing. but
after IL has been treated an output OF
10000 tons nets 10000 tons OF BESSIE
mer, the remainder, No. and No. Q
mixable with Bessemer.
The adjoining. or Mesaba, range con-
tains more than 25O,00O,00O OF orc In
sight. Some OF II Is Besscmer, but most
OF It falls Just little below the limit,
or this ore the members OF the Besse-
neE pool own considerable quantity.
II Is mixed with the high grade ores,
which are controlled wholly by The pool,
comprising the lronmasters OF Pitts
burgh, Cleveland and Chicago Thus
Bessemer per cent above can be mix
cd In almost equal parts with nom
BesseRler. that II per cent below the
limit. When, therefore, n customer
comes to the pool for Bessemer, they
will not sell to him unless he will take
as much as his purchase will stand OF
their nom Bessemer.
The Minnesota Iron Company owns
the Duluth & Iron Range rnilrond.
which hnuls the VcrmllIOn ores to the
docks at Two Harbors. II owns one OF
the largest and finest lines OF steel
freight steamers In the land: owns the
I've great docks ut Two Harbors, and
owns the Chandler and Minnesota
mines on the YermIiian and several
new mines on the Mesaba range-an
reached by its own railroad. The own
crs charge 81 per ton for hauling ore to
the docks, and when they wish TO do so
refuse 20 haul any but their own ores.
When attempts hre made to interfere
by authority they say that the road ~
not n common carrier, but private
line for the transaction OF their own
business. Thus far that subterfuEe has
been successful, Notwithstanding the
road Is a long line running also TO Du-
luth, and carrying crowded trains OF
passengers, lumber. coal, meat and
merchandise.
The Rockefellers, who own the Lake
Superior Consolidated Mines, on the
Mesaba range, play the same game.
They own the Mesaha & Northern
railroad, which brings ore to Superior
and Duluth-tte Rockefeller docks he
ing at the latter city. When pressed
for living rates by other mine owners,
they refuse 10 grant them. saying they
are not common carriers. Thus while
ore can be brought to Superior. Two
Harbors, or Duluth for 30 cents, the
charge is 81 per ton. II might be 81 or
81 per ton, so far as those are concern
ed who own both mines and railroad,
but It kills competition, is death to all
other miners save those on the Duluth
& Winnipeg railroad, which Is owned by
the Canadian Pacific. That line IL n rail-
way pure and simple. having ore docks
in Superior. and makes rates on ores us
on all other frcights, upon something
like, an equitable basis, II Is reported
that this line win bring something like
1000, 900 tons Of ore TO Superior this sea-
son. Hnlf Of It viii come from one
mine, known us the Wright & Davis, In
which 20,GOO,0O0 tons nre in plain sight.
Ore from the mines on the Duluth Il
Winnipeg is barely below the Bessemer
limit. II IL therefore worth almost us
much us Bcssemer, and will find ready
sale and be immensely profitable 10
purchasers. For Instance, II high
grade BeSemer Is worth 81 n ton. and
Wright & Davis s. 80 per ton. mud
three tons Of the latter mixed with one
ton OF the former stlll remain at Besse-
mer grade, the saving is an average OF
81 l2la per ton. Four tons Of straight
Bessemer at n per ton would cost sl6
and produce scarcely more and no bet
ter Iron than the mixture at s. 81
This IS the reason TINT tire Bcsscmer
pool people have extedcd their railway
lines into the Bcssefher districts.
Bessemer they can offer him the re-
dafrea amount Of non BeEseRer for the
mixture from their own mines. Indeed,
they can force him to buy their low
grade or refuse to sell to him their high
grade ores. and he IL powerless to break
the combine, because no one outside Of
the pool has real Bessemer ore.
Sometimes this power To carried 20
extremes. Last year the West Duluth
furnaces md the West Superior steel
works wanted to start up. having So
cured some contracts. The pool refused
10 sell ores 30 them, using as pre-
text that they had everything con-
trnctcd. The truth iH that the pool had
contracted not only for u certain out
put, but had agreed also not to mine
pound beyond the stipulated amount.
Therefore the furnaces and mills mem
a mi A.
situation Is the same except that the
NNnaf gnnnrinr ntnnf tunrhn n 70 10 iiIrr,