The labor world., 1899-11-18

things have been accomplished in the
face of a constantly diminishing val
uation and with a regular decrease of
the tax rate, ard it speaks we'll for
those in charge of the several funds.
Even since Minnesota became an
iron ore producing state and Duluth
began the shipment of ore to the East
in quantity, it has been the hope of
those living at the head of the lake
that both cities here might arrest
some of the ore passing eastward and
reduce it at home, thus saving not
only the freight east on the raw ma
terial but that west on the finished
product, for such portion as was re-
quired for the consumption of the
Northwest. In boom years, led by in
discriminate bonuses and gifts of lands
and sites, many manufacturing con-
Germs that were looking for, new loca-
tions were brought here, but with
scarcely an exception they proved the
miserable failures that might have
been expected. AS is the case in many
another city the suburbs Of Duluth
and Superior have been dotted with
idle factories with buildings falling in
to decay. But gradually and in a
modest way most Of these have now
become active, and are moving along,
content to build up a business from
the bottom and not from the top as
was the former idea On November 1
negotiations were closed, that cannot
fail to have the most far-reaching eff
feet on the future of the head of the
lakes as manufacturing center in
iron and steel, and are likely to build
up here a new western steel-making
center that will compete for the trade
Of the Northwest at least, with the
great establishments of the East.
for the purchase of the idle plants Of
the Ironton Structural Steel company
and the Duluth Manufacturing COM
pany at Duluth and the Bessemer de-
partment of the Wisconsin Steel COM
pany at Superior. A company led by.
John e. Searle, ex-treasurer Of sugar
trust and president of the American
Cotton company, and capitalized at
$4,000, 900, bought the three plants after
exhaustive examination of the situa-
ton and of it's possibilities. Experts
have drawn. plans for the works, and
il is intended to spend at once about
$400, 900 in Improvements and to have
the properties at work at the very
earliest dates. Speaking in general
way, it has been decided to give the
Ironton plant a daily capacity of 300
tons Of open hearth steel and to make
this into merchant forms, to give the
Bessemer plant a capacity Of 200 tons
daily and to roll the product there,
while structural erection and car maxi
ing, will be carried on at the Duluth
Manufacturing cpmpany's :, plant.
Contracts have been made with the
Duluth Furnace company, which has
just blown into successful operation 4
large and modern blast furnace at .Du-.
sluth, for 5000 tons of metal month,
and contracts for an additional re-
quirement have. been made with the
Hinkle furnace at Ashland, Wis. 1t
is mile from the Duluth furnace to
the Bessemer plan at Superior, and hot
metal will be conveyed from furnace
to sconverters, putting the plant up to
date in this respect. The open; hearth
furnaces at Ironton will use scrap,
pig metal and ore. The shops. of the
other concern are we'll: equipped with
steel aud wood working machinery. 1t
is expected that from $500 to 5000 men
will be employed within year. II the
company does not find itself fully oc-
cupied in caring for a trade already IN
existence in a territory where it must
have an advantage by reason Of exist
ing rates, its friends will be disap-
NH nf
is 9. matter for the future, but If the
Northwest grows as in the recent past
the head of the lakes will make itself
no small steel center without infring-
ing on the territory of Others.
There certainly seems no reason for
the continuance of the practice of ship
ping ore east under freight charge
Of $1.25 ton, OF almost ~ per ton OF
pig, and then sending the manu-
featured product back at still higher
freights, when it might be made on the
spot with all those freight charges
eliminated except for the S5 cents to 81
necessary to bring west the coal and
limestone to make a ton OF pig 1ron.. +
The commencement of operations at
the Duluth blast furnace is Of much
Importance in this connection. This
furnace is running on class OF ore
whose shipment to the East high
freights will not permit, it being of a
low grade, but it can be had cheaply at
Duluth and makes as good an iron
as any other. The furnace has already
succeeded in making Bessemer pig
out Of all-Mesabsl ores that run about
IS to 65 per cent iron, feat that had
not been accomplished lin the history
Of iron making in America. If one
furnace can do this others can, ana
this should become an important factor
in bringing smelters to this new DIS
trict. BY shipping coal and coking 1t
at the furnace the fuel problem VIII
probably be solved, These low grade
ores should be had here at a price, per
unit of iron, much below that of ores
rich enough to bear the long haul east.
That the lake tonnage of the port
of Duluth exceeds that Of Chicago is
not@, generally known, but is a fact.
This year the Mesaba and Vermilllon
ranges will ship about 100000 gross
tons of iron ore, while in other COM
modities handled these lead: Coal,
$500, 900 tons; wheat, 100000 tons;
coarse grain, 100000 tons; lumber,
100000 tons; flour, 650,o0O tons. The
the