Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1899-12-28
iron MINES IN IOWA
Vast Deposits Of Richest Ore in
Arlamakee County.
BIG BLAST FURNACES PREDICTED.

They Will BE Built In the Future-Syn.
dicates Now Planning to Develop
tho Mines-Have Options
On the Land.
Des Moines, Dec. 21.-The northeast
Iowa iron mines. in Allamakee county,
have been proved by the actual smelt-
ing of their ores to be among the rich
| contrary to all expectations, can be
used for making the finest grade Of
Bessemer steel. The ore is present in
such immense quantities as to warrant
the statement that ii is one of the most
valuable deposits in the country. A
test of the ore, of which forty-three car
loads We're sent to Chicago for smelt-
ing, has proved all this, and 4 good
deal more. Capitalists are now figuring
on putting blast furnace into Allama-
kee county. near Waullon.
| The idea that the Allamakee iron
mines are recent discovery is mis-
take. Maps of the iron region We're
published twenty years ago. But at
that time there was no transportation,
and little value was attached to the de-
| posits. They were considered to be of
possible value at some far distant date.
The extent OF the deposit was also not
realized at that time.
| The iron ore which lies under large
| part of the area of Allamaiee county
is proved by the preliminary smelling
| tests to run from so to Sc per cent, by
weight, pure iron. 1t is remarkably
| light ore. and the report from the
smelters is that no ores are known
which are more easily reduced. This
means that the cost of fuel. perhaps
| the largest single item in iron produc-
| ton, is very small. Another very inn
portant fact is that ample deposits of
| fiux. limestone formation used in
smelling iron are found in the imme-
diate proximity to the iron. This means
! that nothing will have to be shipped in
except the small quantity of fuel with
which this ore can be reduced. Capt.
| talists who have been for some time
figuring on securing the mineral rights
in order to sell the ore. are now plan
| ming the erection of blast furnaces, be-
lieving that big iron industry can be
conducted by reducing the ore instead
of shipping it.
By far the most important develop
ment recently made is that the ore can
| be used for making Bessemer steel. All
! iron ores contain some small percent
age of PHOSPHORUS. This has the ef-
| feet of making steel brittle. In the
making of Bessemer steel it is impossi-
Bile to eliminate the native phosphor-
Gus. Consequently if there is suffi-
GENTLY large percentage in the native
ore to make the steel too brittle, the
Bessemer process can not be applied to
it. It was long supposed that the ALA
makee ores We're of this class. But the
tests in Chicago, as we'll as chemical
analyses made by fourteen different
chemists in all parts of the country.
have proved that the percentage of
PHOSPHORUS, by weight, in this ore. av-
erages only .0O13. Ore can be used for
Bessemer purposes with as high as
.oo5 of its weight phosphorous. Thus it
appears that il there were four times
as much PHOSPHORUS in this ore it
could be used for Bessemer steel. AS
a matter of fact there is less phosphor-
Gus in this ore than in many of those
extensively used for the Bessemer
process. There is no doubt of the ac-
curacy of these tests. for the chemists
in all parts of the country agree very
closely in their figures.
These developments have attracted
greatly increased attention to the ALA
makee region within the last fortnight.
The ore is found to be exceptionally
adapted for making foundry pig. and
| the tluX is of the best. G. a. Neahr-
hood. who has managed some other
large iron deals, has been purchasing
mineral rights and options on land
near Waukon, and it is announced that
he and his associates plan TO build a
blast furnace next year. They are buy
ing the mineral rights, on 4 basis of n
fixed royalty per ton, until the royalties
per acre of ground shall reach Il cer-
tain sum, generally about 800 per acre;
after that the owners of the mineral
rights are to own the title TO the land.
Fred Hansmeier has leased his farm.
three miles east of Waukon. for 10
cents per ton on all iron taken from it
| for fifty years; provided. that when the
royalties reach $500 per acre he give
title to the land. This is very similar
| to other contracts which have been
made.
The question of transportation has
| been serious one, but is in fair way
to solution. The Chicago. Milwaukee
and st. Paul road has agreed to build
a line from Waukon out to the iron
district next spring. 1t will be very
expensive road. as the country is al
most impossible for railroads. The
profits of reducing the ore on the
ground are counted very large at pres
ent prices. Foundry pig is now worth
/ from $50 to $a4.50 per ton in Pitts
burg. One ton of coke. about one ton
of tlux, two tons of ore, and the neces-
sary labor and smelling expense will
| produce a ton of foundry pig. The
Waukon people now believe that there
is little doubt they will have their own
/ blast furnaces in another year. H. F.
Balm, assistant state geologist, has been
informed OF the analysis, tests aud
other developments and is convinced
that the region is on the verge of a
great DEVELOPMENT.
| Parsons College News
Fairfield, Dec. 27.-H. G. Shriner,
whohas been studying art abroad since
1 1891, under the great French masters