Birmingham state herald., 1897-07-10
HON INnIwRY


 The following notes on the iron indus try is taken from the Iron Trade Review:
 If brown ore of the quality indicated in the dispatch has ban discovered, the find is of great importance to the iron industry of Alabama. Thus far, howeVe i, the limonite or brown ere of Alabama has been found almost entirely In pockets whose extsnt can only be known when the operator has gone through them, ard the ore is exhausted. They may go down 75 or 100 feet, and they may stop at twenty-five. Each deposit must be judged by itself. If such a formation has been found as is referred to in the dis patch, it is entirely exceptional. Brown ore is the hsst iron making ore in, Ala bama. Thus far it has formed only about 25 per cent. of the total, red ores constituting the bulk of the product. Brown ore is used in. the making of southern charcoal iron and a liberal per- centass has entered into the basic iron produced in the Birmingham district, some tmportations of these ore being made from Georgia, also. If the iron masters of the Birmingham district are to have brown ore in plenty. with so short a haul to th1sif furnaces, they are certain ly to be congfa tulated.s
 A trans action in Bessemer iron last week involved $5,000 tons delivered at val ley steel works at $9.25 It would seem that the market is somewhat weaker to- day and buyers announce that $910 ard even $9, at valley furnace, could be dona on prompt iron. It is reported that a speculative interest has bsen feeling the market and that a. block of Bessemer would be taken at $9, with storage privf- leges. There is no change in foundry iron In this district inquiry is almost entirely absent though some buyers are expected to take up the matter in the next fortnight. Gray forge Is weaker, owing to the cessation of mill operations. and sS to SS.10 al valley furnace is possible. We quote Cleveland deliveries:
 In tax case a Duluth last week in- volving the valuation of ore, Leonidas Merritt, called as an expert. testified that non- -Bessemer Mesabi ore was worth .15 cents ton in the ground and Bessemer ore 25 cents. Hes aid that present low prices werF' due to manipulation by large interests and that if the market were free rom such influences prices would be bet ter.
 At the Hale mine. on the Mesabi it is the expectation that 60.000 tons of ore will be mined this year. Shipping has just begun.
 The Roberts mine at McKirley. Minn.. has sold 10000 tons of ore and expects to begin shipping this month, on the com pletion of spur to the mine.
 The Minnesota Iron company TOW has 900 men a t work at the Soudan mines. 800 at the Chandler and GOO at it's Messbi properties It has placed about 1,S0O. 900 tons of 1897 one and has put it's figure at GOO to 300,000 tons more.
 The Aragon mine at Norway. Mich, the acquisition of which by the Common wealth Iron company, was announced last week, started up Thursday, July 1, and it is expected that 300 men will s3on be at work, the intention being to get out all the ore possible this season. Mir. o. c. Davidson. superintendert of the Commonwealth mine, will also be in charge of the Ara gon. Per Larson, who has been the superintendent of the Ara gon since it was opened up, will spend soue time in Europe.
 THa Queen mines at Nsgaunee, Mich, which have been idle for some time, re- suned last week, about 250 men being given.wcrk.
 Some ore is being taken cut at the Tilden property of the CleveIan5-Cliffs Iron company It adioins the Foster mine of the same company and yields an ore high in silica.
 The great lilly Poster iron ore mines, rear Brewster. N Y, have ben closed for an indefinite time, with 900 tors of ore lying on the dumps. rich vein of iron had just been struck. but it is said that tintss are so hard and the m9 9rket so low that the mine cannot be worked at a profit.