The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1899-06-07
Nothing Alarming.

IN the iron Age eQitoriaily comments
on the statement Of the danger Of
exhaustion of the Ore deposits and
scouts the idea as follows:
There is just row discussion
among men whose opinions have, and
deserve to have, the greatest weight,
OF the question of the future Of iron
ore supplies, as they affect those de-
pendant Oh the Lake Superior region.
Opinions more or less alarming nave
Deem given and iii the minds Of many
there is evident fear that the whole
fabric of the steel making trade is in
danger or failing from Il dearth of
raw material, and the sceptre passing
in4O hands that know not today
chief seats OF Industry. A glance at
tile Stats Of the mining Industry,
a recognition Of the fact that con
suIupLi0u is progressing today at the
ra,e of fifteen million Lous year: d
realization of the meaning of the
gashed hiilsldes, he suuken caves,
the barren ore hills of the lake dis
srict, might lead 10 agreement with
these ideas and the conclusion that
this fear for the future WAS not only
we'll founded, but immediate.
But there Is another side to the
picture. In 40 years, 134, 000,0 tons
have been shipped from the lake re-
gIon. and of this 81 .UG0.0 900 tons have
come from the Marquette range.
Notwithstanding this tremendous
output. chat range last year made its
Chief shipment, and will this year
follow with an aggregate perhaps
even larger. Of'cogrse, many mines
lave been exhausted, Others are near
Iy SO. and from many the ores Of good
grade have been succeeded by those of
less value. but the fact remains that
close 10 the iirst openings of 1854 new
lenses are now being discovered, big
mines lave better underground out
looks than they have ever had. very
considerable areas of promising
grouI.d are yet TO be explored and
The new matallurgical processes are
bringing into use ores that have been
overlooked.
On other and newer ranges there is
more room for exploration than on
the Marquette, and this exploration
is now under way at pace that is
scarcely realized by those that have
not followed 1t closely. The advance
in ore values and the increased de-
mands have had a wonderful effect in
stimulating exploration. and these
have had important results already,
while there is no reason to doubt they
are but d beginning. Further adj
vances IN price will put still more
prospectors in the fields, and the
search will be more carefully and
scientifically directed. with proba
bIiLy Of even greater results than
heretofore. There is mile after mile
of unexplored though presumably
valuable mineral land on more than
one lake iron ore range. and group
after group Of properties whose ore
limits have never been tested.
Last year there were Ii shipping
mines on the Marquette range, II on
the Menominee. Is on the GOgebc,
} on the VermiIion and 20 on the
Mesa BID, SO in all. Who will be will
ing to deny that ii the present con-
ditions continue another year there
will lie 100 shipping properties on the
five ranges before the close of 1900.
There will be nearly that many this
season, and the boom did not strike
the mines till SO late that it will take
hustiing to get any mine in shape for
the summer. Last years Fermiiiou
output was 1.275, 900: this years will
be 30 per cent greater. But there will
be shown UP on that range alone BY
the close Of the present season almost
double the ore reserves there were a
year ago. No authority under the
heavens can forelell what stores of
ore may be found on the 80 miles of
UNEMPLOYED length of that range by
the time more is needed. The history
OF the lake region is full of instances
OF mines that were supposed to have
been exhausted, but that by more
skilled direction renewed their lease
OF life and becomes prosperous. 1t is
also full, of course, Of worked out and
abandoned properties. The probable
ity is that the chapters of such re-
newallS has not been closed. And
while everyone has its UNEMPLOYED
territory, the five present ranges are
not the whole of the Lake Superior
IN II