The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1899-05-13

More Ore Deposits Must be Found Il the Shin
ments from This District are te be Kept Up.
Unless more great bodies 81 iron ore
are discovered IN the mining 'egion ol
Lake Superior. the iron and steel manu-
featuring interests oI the Uaiied states,
which are dependent upon that great
district for more than seventy per cent.
oi supplies, will within u lev years meet
with the serious problem of shortage
of ore. This il not 4 sensational claim
int nded To convey the idea that the
great iron ore deposits oi the lake region
will soon he exhausted. 10 is a state
mcnt prompted 10y the Tact that within
the past few months especially the qneS.
tion of possible shortage in ore supply
has bern gwen serious reconsideration by
the largest mining and CONSUMING inter.
csts of the country. There . uo longer
any talk OF an incNhausiibl supply Of
ore ON any of the Like Superior range
The best evidence oi Ia great chInge 81
opinion on this score is the scramble
that has been made lately hv the biz
steel and iron combinations ronsnmiug
interests for the purchase ~ mining
properties at double the prices that
would be paid for them "a Acar ur two
ago. In the short period since the
Mcsabi range was opened, the clnims of
ineNhaustible deposits on TINT range
have been fully disproyed and It's posi-
tion ~ factor III the situation clearly
defined. A geological survey 81 the
Mesabi, made only recently hy the
Rockefeller interest known ~ the Con-
Solidatcd Iron Mines, was followed by
the purchase oi several large prospects
for TINT interest, which is the largest on
the Mcsabi 4 most convincing argu,
ment as to the enormous Withdrawal OF
ore within the past few ycur- iIpm the
Lake Superior country - found in the
following short summary Of figures dcul-
ing with lle gross ton output IN round
numbers
aRoss TONS
Total output from date Of bru
shipments forty thpe year
ago fo......,,,,..... lttnp 600
output during ten yours rndne
WIN lNNNi,.st.as t.,.......t. Ni AhlNpu
output during lye yeAr, ending
with lSoh.,..f.....i... .s.,.......... - 1000 oot
What viii be the result OF The natural
increase IA this enormous consumption
during the next ten Year, Furnaces
and steel works drawing supplies from
thp Lake superior region are today con
cunning ore at the rate oE foil 1a,00o,0 00(
gross tons annually. The above figures
show that there was consumed in the
past ten years nearly 100 millions out
oi Il total l3l millions pr1dnpod during
some Iorty-three years since the first
shipment was made.
The Review has sought few opinions
from leading representatives ol the or,
mining industry on this question o
future supply Mr. &c Hanna, presi
dent ~ the Lake superior Or Associa
tion, and who Is lho lriiHI snirit Ia
affairs ol the lirm of NJ 8 Hanna &
Company, holds hcided views in th,
matter. ~ think il viii bo lquud " Ii,
said, "lhnt there " bat one opinion
among well Informed representatives O
producing interests az fr a- the oil,
ranges are concerned aud that * thai
we have already ina measure encount
cred The shortage problem, ii tie present
decentralization rntc pi consumption
is to be kept up iorhny great longth a
time, and unless new properties are t.
be found. capable ol development on ,
larger scale, OF means introduced iol
using Mcsabi ores in greater proportion
than they have been used since th'
opening OF That range five or SIX ycnu
ago II is true that prospects ~ i
higher range oi prizes hnye brought ol
preparations for nprnlnC up seurca q
old mines that could not live under tlr
depression ~ the past four or i've years
but large outputs nrn moi expected from
any oi these, md whnt assurance hav
we that their product will not be oiise
IL the aggregate by depletion in Ga
mlncs that have been stendly on
lplpyed2 The fhct is We are now ON
consumption h0sis ns regards old.ranp
ores fully equal, or probably more tia
equal, 60 the capacity of producin
properties Ia the districts other tba
the Mcsahi. with the position 81 ihn
range no lonrcr ane 81 unlimited suppl
but Il definite factor IN the situntiou."
Mn Samuel Mitchell 81 Ncgauuc
Mich, president oI the Jackson lro
Company, owning The mine tint cnja,
tie distinction Of shipping thc tr-t ol
from the Lake Superior region, say,
"A few years ago. much was written an
published about the supply oi ore q
the Lake Superior ranges being inc
haustibc, c-pecially the Mcsabi Gre'
damage was done the ore interests Il