The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1899-12-02
Interesting Article Published in
the Engineering and
Mining Journal.
ACTIVITY UNPRECEDENTED
High Grade Ores Becoming Ex-
hausted and being Superseded
by Low Grade Ores.

The last number of the New York
Engineering and Mining Journal
contained an article on the future of
the iron mines of the Lake Superior
district that is well worth reproduc-
tion. 1t says:
\ %The activity in the Lake Super
>ior'iron ore fields is unprecedented.
! Properties that have lain unworked
/ for years are being reopened to ship
next year, and other properties
which have merely a showing of ore
are eagerly sought for, and taken
under option by the big mining and
smelling concerns which are sharing
the iron trade of this country. In
this rush to get iron lands several
curious changes in the sentiment
prevailing among the iron com
panies few years ago are evident.
The magnetites and the specular
hematites, which so long commanded
premium among the Lake Superior
ores, are now in less demand.
Another feature of the present
excitement is the inquiry for low
grade propositions. The cause of
this is the need of hard ore to mix
with the abundant, but less desir-
able, Mesabi hematites. All the
mining companies are looking for
ward to the time when the present
hard ore mines will be worked out.
This years output in the Lake Su-
perior ranges will be about IL, 800
900 long tons. OF this about one.
third will be the less desirable
Mesabi hematite. Next years out
put will be probably larger than
this; and it is not likely that produc-
ton will fall of for several years 1t
is evident, therefore, that before
long The furnaces of the iron com
panies will want $1,000, 600 tons
yealiy of Lake Superior ore other
than Mesabi, and the high grade
mines can not stand this drain long.
Mining costs may be reduced
somewhat from what they were two
years ago, but higher prices for la
Dor for at least few years, high
costs for machinery, explosives, and
all supplies, is not likely to allow
mining expenses to be lessened much
at present. On the other hand,
transportation by lake in modern
steamers can be profitable for less
I than 30 cents ton from Duluth to
Cleveland, and raj freights may bc
reduced, particularly on the Min
ncsota roads However,it must be ad
mitted that extremely low costs Of
production have already been
attained. Thus, it is known
that a certain low grade
/ iron ore body near Ishpeming
had been worked at profit when its
ore sold at Cleveland for 81 10 ton.
The price of standard hemattes at
| Cleveland fixed for the present sea-
son was So 10 to 81 %; next year it
will be higher, though prices are
not yet fixed. The low grade men
| toned contains 30 per cent Of iron !;
the standard ores 63 per cent. Thus
! ina 30 per cent ore the iron sells at
cents Il unit; in 90 per cent at
over 6 cents. Now there are in the
Lake Superior region very medium
grade ore bodies. When the coun.
| try was first opened there was an
immense supply of ores running
over 60 per cent iron. 1t is these
: ores that are being exhausted. Be
low 80 per cent there are very few
bodies of any size known until we
come to those where the iron con
| tent is 30 to 30 per cent. OF such,
the visible supply is enormous.
Rock as rich as this is the material
from which the high grade ore bodies
have been formed by process Of
concentration through percolating
waters. This stuff, known among
the miners as jasper. on the Mar
! quette, Menominec, Gogebic and
Vermillion ranges, frequently con-
/ tains 30 per cent iron. On the Mar
quette and Menominee ii forms i'm
/ mense outcrops. These outcrops
can be worked as cheaply as quar-
ries, and with improved machinery
( Il 30 per cent ore can be put on the
4 cars, as in the case above noted, for
q price that will leave profit at
( $l75 delivered at Cleveland. Thus
| it is evident that while the old high
grade mines in the Lake Superior
country may be exhausted. iron
mining in that region is still young.
The striking fact brought out by
present conditions, however, is that
a 35 per cent ore is sought for to be
smelted at furnace over 1000
miles away, where it forms de-
sirable mixture with the soft Mesabi
ores. 1t is an incident in that
general cheapening OF costs of pro-
duction which has been feature Of