The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-01-20
G. c. ELLIOTT SAYS MINNESOTA'S
IRON MINES WILL BE PRO-
DUCTIVE
FOR SEVERAL GENERATIONS.
SPECULATION AND DEVELOPMENT
LIMITED MAINLY TO THE ROCK
EFELLER MONOPOLY.
VISITORS AROUND THE HOTEL.
toronto Man Tells of HIS City's
Experience With Cedar Block
Pavements.

U. Z. Elliott, a former resident Of
new Orleans, was in the city yester-
day. Mr.. Elliott was prominent
southern planter, owning a plantation
some distance from New Orleans. Two
years ago he disposed of his interests
In the South and came to Minnesota
for his health. He has spent most of
the time in Duluth and on the Mesaba
and Vermillion ranges, where he is in
terested in the iron mines Mr.. Elliott,
In conversation with Glob report
| er yesterday, said
There are millions upon millions of
tons of high assay ore in Northern Min
nesota, which think will not be mined
for years to come. There is enough of
ore In Northern Minnesota to last for
hundreds of years. / doubt IL the
Northern Minnesota iron country will
be fully developed during the next few
generations. The country is so rich in
ore that one walking along on either
SIDE or the ranges, on the virgin soil
where the land has never been opened.
can see ore cropping out Of the ground
in large riffs. Some Of this ore will as
say as high as 81 per cent.
The country is being steadily work
ed for its mineral wealth, but there is
little speculation In the mining stock
now, as the Rockefellers have formed a
consolidated company which takes in
a number of the largest mines in the
district, and have practically cornered
the business, as any private corpora
lions or individuals, operating mines
have to ship their ore over the Rookie
fellers' railroad, and pay any freight
the consolidated company choose to
ask. They would also have to store
their ore on the docks at Two Harbors
which would incur an additional ex-
pense, and as the Rockefellers control
most or the ore boats playing between
Two Harbors and the reduction works
in the East, they would probably have
to also patronize these boats, and. as
a consequence, If the consolidated COM
pany felt so disposed, 1T could refuse
TO take any shipments foreign to their
mines.
''The wealth of that country is some
thing fabulous, and it is only a. uues-
ton of time until a big smelling works
will be built in Duluth which will rival
the Eastern concerns and reduce the
price of the metal to the consumers I
think there has been a good deal of
talk on the subject of late and I would
not be surprised to see some company
with large capital build an immense
plant either at West Superior Duluth
or Two HarbOrS soon. The dock faciI-
tiles at Two Harbors are now being
increased to twice their capacity, which
is an indication that next year will
see more ore mined than ever before
The most approved appliances are
used in getting this ore to the market
The new steam shovel which is used in
the mines on the Mesa ba ranges will
load car in two minutes and a half
and the mines on the Vermillion range.
several of which have shafts sunk
LOCO feet deep, are lighted by electric
ity. The mines on the Mesaba range
are the most peculiar in the world,
known as the surface mines. The
ground is stripped to a depth of a
dozen feet or more, and the ore, which
on this range comes in earth form is
scooped out by the agency OF an i'm
mense steam shovel and loaded upon
the patent ore cars. Occasionally they
come across a rock-like formation,
which requires blasting, but most of
this surface ore, which is the most
profitable on account of the small cost
of mining, is easily scooped up.
Very little of the stock in the Con-
solidated company is held by Mime
hands of Eastern people. Some of the
stock of the Minnesota mine is owned
by Minnesota people, but it, too is
being bought up by representatives OF
Eastern capital. There are untold for
tunes hidden in the Northern Mime
sofa counties. and hundreds of thou
sands of dollars have been spent so
far in developing it. That country will
never be worth anything except for
iroir tI,n
price of the ore and cost of transport
tation discourages home capital, and
as a consequence very little Minnesota
money is represented in these mines.
e. NJ. Wright. a young business man
from Toronto was in the city yesterday
end registered at the Merchants. Mr.
Wright says the people of Toronto
would receive in open arms any prop
Osition which would give them free
trade with the United States. Nearly
everybody there favored the candidacy
Of Mr.. Bryan as it was thought if Mr.
Bryan became president they would
be able to carry on an unrestricted
commerce with the United States Mr.
Wright says that Toronto is very dead,
and that the city is unable to order
paved the public highways. which are
in q terrible condition. He says five
years ago the city had all the streets
in the city paved with cedar blocks,
and that nearly all of the streets so
paved gave out at once, and at the
present time all the streets are in
very poor condition. He thinks the de-
preston which prevails throughout the
city is caused by the Chinese WalI''
which encloses the city, and shuts off
much trade which otherwise would
come to them. Mr.. Wright says Tor
onto Is the most Americanized town in
Canada, and as a residence place it is
unsurpassed. The residence of George
Goodwin, the big Canadian distiller,
was erected at cost of 81, 100000
N s. Erb, son-in-law OF Donald Grant of
Rochester, was in the city yesterday. Mr.
Erb says that the concession of Il 900 0O0 acres
of land along the Orinoco river, in which the
Grants are interested, is being developed as
fast as circumstances will permit. A French
syndicate was organized last month to go
into the country and build a placer mining
mill; they will also put in a large capacity
stamp mill for reducing quartz. In all an
expenditure of 100000 will be made in the
furtherance of gold mining within the conces-
sion. The Grants to receive royalty for
all ore taken out by the French syndicate
The country is also very rich in iron ore, and