The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-01-15
RAY Z. LEWIS, OF DULUTH,
Tells Something About the City He
Represents.

President Noyes next introduced
Capt. Ray II. Lewis the president of
the Duluth chamber of commerce, who
briefly and Interestingly told of the
Mining and Shipping Interests of
Minnesota" He said:
While the depressed condition Of the country
for the past five or six years has been felt
in Duluth and retarded its growth, the same
as IL mas the majority OF the cities through
out the West. still we have held our own,
making many improvements in the meantime
and believe the bottom has been reached and
that we are on the eve of great revival
in every branch of business activity
know Of no spot in the world that has
so many resources in its immediate vicinity
that tend to the upbuilding of a great and
prosperous city as has Duluth. No matter
what happens. one Of the great commercial
cities of the world will be built at the head
of Lake Superior; its geographical location
Will make this absolutely necessary. We now
have eight railroads. three of them trans
continental lines. and Mr.. Hill, the greatest
railroad man that this any other country
mas ever produced and who has done more to
the upbuilding of this Northwest than we
can possibly realize today, Is at the present
time building railroad that will bring
the great wheat fields of Northern Mime
sofa and Dakota nearer by about 100 miles
to the head of the lakes, and will increase
the population by not less than 10000. The
government is now expanding So, 900 coo deep
ening the harbors of Duluth and Superior to
% feet. which will allow Of an increased
carrying capacity estimated at from u to 10
per cent, Wulcu III I'VE years, VIII make
a saving to the people of the Northwest OF
S4,CCO,O00. Some of our mamOth freight boats
now load to between II and IS feet, carry
ing coo net tons lightweight. making
the round trip regularly between Duluth and
Buffalo in from seven to ten days. The larg
est cargo of wheat ever carried from Du-
luth was 10000 bushels by the Empire
City, the dimensions of this boat being
length, 426 feet; beam, 4S feet; depth, 2S
feet; and this company is building still
larger steamer, being 1855 feet long. 50 feet
hnar and feat hoxyino tIoa
nous capacity of 1900 net tons, 233, 600
bushels Of wheat; while Rockefeller is build
ing boat AS feet long, 80 feet beam and
20 feet deep. Ten years ago 10000 bushels Of
wheat was considered an exceedingly large
cargo, the average being in round numbers
60 600 bushels while in 1897 the average was
115,0G0 bushels. The arrivals and clearanceS
from the ports Of Duluth and Superior for the
year 1896 that for the year of 1897 not be-
ing yet compiled was in exact figures 49,.
353, coo tons, exceeding that of Chicago, Buff
falo, Boston, Baltimore and Philadelphia. and
exceeded only by that of New York, being
70 per cent of that port, and Aso exceeded
that of the SueZ canal in 1895 by 1900 yes
sells and nearly COO tonnage. The coal
receipts were about 2, eco 900 tons; shipments
of grains of all kinds amounted to 1913 900
bushels, being 70.GG0,C00 of grain and SO 0G0.
000 of flour as grain. The elevator capacity
at the head of the lakes is about % O00, 000
bushels; and we have one flour mill which in
one days run manufactured $500 barrels. be-
ing closed down during the a hours for 40
minutes. Our lumber industry manufactured
last year 2S3. co., 600 feet. and we have hun
dreds of thousands Of acres Of timber still
standing practically untouched by tho hand
Of man. We ship lumber to the New England
states. and as far North as Buenos Ayres,
South America.
The two great iron ranges of Minnesota
neither Of which have been fully explored are
the Vermilion and Mesaba; the former ex-
tends from Hunters island to near the
Mississippi river, a distance of 100 miles; the
formation being in perpendicular veins. The
latter extends from Gun Flint lake on the in
ternational boundary to the Mississippi, 80
miles; the iron formation here being nearly
horizontal and close to the surface admits
of mining with steam shovels at a compare
lively small cost per ton compared with other
ranges The Mesaba and Two Harbors ore
docks are the largest in the world. The Mesaba
shipped on some days the past season over
% coo tons, and the entire export of iron ore
from the ports of Duluth and Two Harbors,
the past season, was about s. 500 900 tons. 1t
is estimated that on the VermiIion and
Mesaba ranges there is over 400, 900 900
tons of ore in sight, which makes the future
supply practically inexhaustible. The Yer
million range made its first shipment in 1884
of e. coo tons; the MeSaba commenced in 1892
with 1900 tons. and the total for both ranges
which is also the total for the state, is 90 000-
coo tons to date. The last state legislature
passed law taking the royalty of % per cent
off all ore taken from state lands and manu-
featured in the state: this being a great in
ducement to iron manufacturing here and
in the future will be of great benefit to the
state.
If there are any gentlemen present who have
never visited the head of the lakes, take
trip up there next summer and look over our
magnificent location go on board of one Of
our steamers. the North Land or the North
West of which no finer or more palatial
crosses the Atlantic, and If you have time,
make the voyage to Buffalo in one of them,
where you enjoy an ocean voyage with
all of its pleasures and none of its discom-
forts.
Time and modesty will not permit me to
say more. but invite each and every gentle
to visit Duluth, and they will say, one
and all, that "the half has never been told"