The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1896-08-15
Business Must Revive i'm the Iron
Interests or Miners Will
Surely Starve.
MINES ARE CLOSING DOWN.
August Ore Shipments Will PrOE-
ably BE the Smallest
OH Record.

The following special from Ish-
peming is taken from the Detroit
Tribune:
Ore shipments for July show a
considerable falling off, and unless
there is change very soon in exist
Ing conditions, the August ore ship
ments will be the smallest on record
for number OF years There are at
present no indications of any change
in the present stagnation of the mar
ket before September, and very
probably there will be no marked
change next month.
Between the dullness of the iron
and steel trade and the unsettlement
OF business consequent upon the
presidential campaign, the policy of
buying for immediate requirements
only is being followed by nearly all
large consumers of ore. they in their
turn suffering from the demoraliza-
tion of trade and the slack business
consequent upon hand-to mouth
purchases of finished goods and raw
iron and steel.
The suspension of mining opera
tions which begun two months ago
is becoming more marked with each
week The largest proportion of
idle properties is on the Gogebic
range where the complete suspension
of mining work by the Rockefeller
interests and the working of mere
lv nominal force at the Norrie and
Pabst properties, leaves less than a
quarter of the nominal force en-
ployed on that range now working.
Al all Gogebic range properties
there are probably only 1000 to to
Loo men working now, and it is
probable this number will be further
reduced before it is enlarged. Only
a general improvement in business
which will warrant the mines work
ing strongly the coming winter can
ubviate repetition of the scenes of
destitution and actual starvation
witnessed in that district during the
winter of 1881
A HEAVY SHIPPER.
The Minnesota Iron Co, which
controls the tonnage of the entire
Nerm;llion range and operates a
number of the best properties of the
Mcsaba district, is the only big pro-
dUcer Of ore which is maintaining
heavy shipments. The Minnesota
Co. was fortunate in placing Il large
part of its estimated 1896 output,
which is in high favor with furnace
men, early in the season. but even
| with that advantage must be for
warding considerably more ore than
il has disposed OF. At the present
rate of shipping the Minnesota Co.
will exceed its figures of last year
when an even 1000. 600 gross tons
were sent out. The Metropolitan
Iron Il Land Co.. controlling the
Norrie and adjacent mines at Iron
wood, with tonnage capacity eX-
ceeding | 900. 900 tons per annum. is
now employing but 60 men, The
Norrie has employed as high as
| l,S00 men at one time.
On the Marquette range the Lake
Superior Iron Co., which in good
times employs some 200 men, has
reduced forces several times, and a
further cut may soon be in order.
The Cleveland-Cliffs Co. has main
tanned full forces until this month,
when it laid off 80 men only. and if
arrangements for dock room at re-
ceiving ports can be made, these
men will be put back at work. The
problem of room in which to store
their ore is serious one with most
OF the producers which wish to con-
tinue shipping, as the docks are
piled mountains high with ore at
Cleveland, Ashtabula and all the
other Lake Erie ports tributary to
the iron manufacturing districts of
Pennsylvania and Ohio. The Cham
pion mine will close down this month
in all likelihood
The process of consolidation and
combination so discernible in the
other great industries of the country
is plainly noticeable in the ore indus
try. The corporations making money
at present are those which do the
largest business and as far as pos
sible handle the ore from the time it
leaves the ground until it reaches
the furnace. The Minnesota Co. is
at present the only mining corpora
tion which owns its own railroads
and lake carriers, but with the com
pletion of the Lake Superior e.
Ishpeming two of the large COM
panies on the Marquette range will
be equally well equipped to make
every cent that there is to be made
in the business. "