The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1899-09-15

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" $500 gross tons..a feat never
before accomplished. Another
Improvement which greatly re-
duced the cost Of mining was the
substitution Of machine drills,
driven by compressed air, fol
the hammer and drill in the
hands Of the old timer.
In 1889, 1900 men we're EN-.
ployed in the mine, and the av.
erage amount of ore per man
produced daily was one and a
tenth tons, at q cost varying
from 81, 40 to $1.5o per ton. At
the present time 600 men are EN-.
ploted and get out nearly the
same amount of ore as ten years
ago; with a daily average OF
more than two tons per man, and
at B cost of Jess than a dollar a
ton.
The transportation branch of
the Minnesota Iron company, the
Duluth B Iron Range railroad, is
figpring on making extensive
changes in it's roadbe], the effect
of which will be to greatly re>
duce the cost of hauling ore from
the mines on the Vermillion
range TO Two Harbors. Almost
$500, ,00Q have been spent in such
improvements in the past two
years, the chief of which has
beeh the building of the new line
east OF Cloquet river to get
around the heavy grade above
Two Harbors. The increased
amountof ore hauled at a time
by each engine has already near-
~ pAid for this last improvement.
Previous to the construction of
this 1brR Rnch nineteen to twenty
carscnstituted a trainload, but
since that time and with the ad-
dition u helping engines sta
toned ion the hills at Tower
Junction and Hinsdale, the size
0f theEtrainload has been doub-
led. Trains are now made up on
a tonnage basis. each locomotive
beingrequired to pull approx
matelt 1900 tons, or 42 cars.
This q mount will be increased
after next year. when it is pro.
posed ito tunnel at Hinsdale the
Mesah hill; the granite range
trave,s ,sihg Minnesota in a north>
easteHy direction from the Miss.
issip Il river to the Canadian
bound dary. The estimated length
of thetunnel is 700 feet, and ow
ing tothe hard rock to be pene.
trated* will be very expensive.
At Tower Junction 500 cars of
ore, a approximately 1850 tons.
are baing, handled daily, $50 cars
from the Minnesota and the bal
anc from Ely, principally from
the Chandler. At the Minneso-
ia 14m tons of ore being hoisted
daily from three shafts. Alaska,
No. Z and 8. These three are
situated near each other and are
connects ID underground by a
nnmber!of drifts and levels. The
most orr is sent up from No. 8
skaft,' which is nearly vertical
and has attained a depth of 1000
feet. far below the level of Yer.
million lake at the foot of the
hill. Alaska shaft is $50 feet
deep hnd is be ing sunk another
level,s from which c,oss>cut
will fe run to reach a large body
of ore recently discovered by the
aid ofa> diamond drill at work in
the mine. Five of these drills
are constantly at work under
ground, exploring for ore shoots
to which the mine workings can
be extended. The drills are at
work on land adjoining the town
site Of Tower, but great secrecy
is maintained as to the results
secure The operators are for.
hidden to answer questions and
the drill cores are locked up as
soon as pulled. Despite these
precautions it has leaked out
that one hole put down last win.
ter within the city limits encoun-
tered forty five feet of ore, par>
tally mixed with quartz. An.