The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1900-01-19
THE ORE OUTLOOK.
A Conservative Talks on the Prospects as
Viewed by the Herald.

4 The Iron Trade Review for thi
week reports that there has been SOM
$ moderate buying of ore in the pas
D week, some customers who did no
hurry into the the market in Decem
Z Der having picked up portions of thei
requirements for the next twelve
months. All in all, the buying ha.
been in excess of expectations, il
! view OF the large advance made. The
) statistics of unsold ore on Lake Erie
J docks show that the amount is the
smallest in years, being only about
2OO,O 900 tons in December, as compared
with more than four times that
amount twelve months before. 1t
thus appears that more than 19,0OO,-
600 tons OF Lake Superior ores went to
buyers in 1899. The present move
ment from docks to furnaces is still
J restricted somewhat by lack of cars,
and it has been demonstrated recent
ly that with all the large direct ship
ment in the past season, furnaces
were not able to get well assorted
stocks in their yards, and must keep
in close touch with dock supplies
through the winter. This means
that stocks on the Lake Erie docks
will be practically well exhausted by
the time the first ore goes down the
lakes next spring.
| The present outlook is that the
shipmentsof the coming season from
the Lake Superior mines will exceed
those of 1899 by 100000 tons, provid-
ed there are no serious Interruptions
to navigation or labor troubles at the
receiving docks, and that sufficient
number of men can be obtained to
work in the mines. The railroads
from the mines to the shipping docks
can handle all the ore that will be
produced, and could take of much
more than Will be offered. It is esti-
mated thaf the facilities Of the Du-
luth & Iron Range, the Duluth, Mis-
sabe s. Northern and the Eastern
Minnesota roads have been increased
80 per cent, as compared with last
year. 1t is altogether probable that
the shipments from Lake Superior
will reach $4,000, 900 tons during the
coming season, and that about S,00o,-
600 tons V3slgo from the Mesaba and
100000 Ems from the Vermilion.
This is al, immense. amount of ore to
handle, bus there is no question about
the abilityTbf the miaes to turn it.out
and Of the railroads and vessels TO
transport it ito the Lake Erie and
South Chicago docks.
viii not these large shipments soon
exhaust the ore deposit? This is a
question that is naturally asked by
those who not acquainted with the
full extent of the properties already
well developed and of the new depos
its that lave been shown up during
the past year. On this point Joseph
Sellwood, whose experience in iron
mining has been extensive and who
is better acquainted than most any
other man with the Lake Superior
situation, said in a recent interviews:
"There has been wonderful
amount Of exploration and develop
ment the past year, and what has it
shown? Thereare today more ores
in sight than ever before, but with
this qualification-that we are in
Guiding such ores as we did not figure
on few years ago. The high grade
Bessemer ores of the old ranges are
getting scarce, and they are taking
today lean Bessemers. high phosphor-
US ores, and in this way are bringing
to bear an enormous tonnage that
was not counted. There is very
large amount of ore in Marquette
county, for instance, that runs better
that 40 per cent iron and low in phos-
phorus, and that Is now valuable.
Then the neglected high phosphorus
ores of the Menominee are now in de-
mand. There is only one new mine
shown on the Gogebic this year. the
New Davis, and it is not what it
might be. Drill after drill has been
worked on the Vermilion this year,
but they are no deposits shown that
were not known in 1856. OF course
here, as everywhere else, the limits of
ore bodies have been extended and
the tonnage in sight greatly magnifed
by thorough search, but Of new bodies
found there are few. On the Mesaba
for example, great volume of what
might be called new ore is now passing
into thehands of big companies, but
it is ore that has been known of to
some extent for years; most of it was
found in 1892 and 1893, and dropped |
out of sight then because of temper
airy conditions. The ore now being
opened into on the Menominee is |
mostly in old mines that were aband- |
oned years ago. but that new condit- |
ions hare brought into play again, |
However, there ia far more ore on |