The age-herald., 1901-01-13
THE COMING OF
 CHAIRMAN BACON Of the Tennessee Coal, Iron &
 Railroad Company HE WILL ARRIVE THIS WEEK Was Leader in the Development of Iron Ore Mining Industry in Minnesota, / and Has Large Experience With
 Big Companies.
HE WILL ARRIVE THIS WEEK

IS expected to arrive In Birmingham some time this week. This will be his first trip to the Birmingham district since being placed at the head of the Tennessee com pany, and 1t is understood that he comes to acquaint himself with the properties and the workings of the company It is not known just what day he will arrive here, but he is expected the latter part of the week.
 In connection with his appointment to the chairmanship of the board of directors of the Tennessee Coal, Iron and Railroad Company, the Iron Trade Review of Cleve- land, O., has the following article on MT. Bacons life and his connection with the ore mining industry of Minnesota:
 With the departure from the mining field of the Lake region of MT D. H. Bacon, president of the Minnesota Iron Company, it is interesting to glance at the changes that have been current with MT. Bacon's connection with mining in Minnesota and to note his own career to some extent.
 MT. Bacon is a man of 50 years of age, in the prime of life and in the full maturity of judgment. He goes from the Lake Supe- rior field to the chairmanshp of the Ten nessee Coal, Iron and Railroad Company with broad grasp of affairs an experience of years in mining and the execution of large undertakings, ana Win a hnowiedge derived from opportunities it has been giV- en few men to enjoy In his new field he will have full charge of the business of company whose activities are not alone in iron mining, or in any class of mining only, but in the manufacture of pig iron and coke, the selling and exporting of large quantities of both iron and coal and in the manufac- ture of basic open-hearth steel in quanu- titles from Southern ores. The mining op- eragions of the Tennessee Company include e of irnn and cDal 1iip in its manufacturing operations 1t sends out 650,0 ,000 tons of pig iron and twice as much coke, to which will soon be added 1250 tons daily capacity in steel billets, rails etc. The company has assets of $Sie00,000.
 MT. Bacon first went to Minnesota in 1SS7 three years after mining had begun in that state, but his career there mas been conincident with the industry, for it was in his first year. and by his initiative, that underground and business-like mining began. In the wonderful advance of Min nesota mining state he has been in the front rank and has led in the move ment To the spring of 1887 less than 600,- 900 tons of sron ore had been mined; now the total is 46,00000o tons, and nearly half of all has been under MT. Bacon's direction and supervision.
 "The development made by the mining company slice Iooi las ncCesol.a.eu ..e extension of the sus!dlary railway from length of ninety-seyen miies to about 250, and the movement of the vast volume of freight furnished by uks mining company has involved the expenditure of many mill lions ill other extensions and improve ments. It involved the change of eighteen miles of toad at a cost of more than $500,- 000; it resulted in the construction of one of the great fleets of ships on the lakes, With capacity for delivering on Lake Erie 2,0cO,000 tons of freight in the brief lake season, and in the erection of large dao1x ID,,efa Aei,t l,,,l, Lake Erie.
 When the Minnesota mine closed it's season of 1SS6 it was found that it had cost about $2. 25 ton to mine every ton of shipped. MT. Bacon looked over the situa- ton and told the directors that ore could be mined for $165 at once. The following years operations did cost about s165, though an expensive change in methods was inauguratsd. In no subsequet year has the cost sheet approached that figure, though the work of getting up a ton of ore has in- creased every season. Since the commence ment of underground mining in Minnesota the company has gone to a depth of $50 feet. It has gone still deeper with the dia- mond drill. It has drilled the hill upon which its mines stand pretty thoroughly, and has as complete and elaborate series of records of the ground for a depth of 1000 feet as is possible.
 The company is operating three shafts at its original dard ore mine, and is min- ing a very desirable non-Bessemer ore.
 When the Mesabi range came into prom thence the Minnesota Iron Company was early and prominently in the field. It has, spent in thespast few, w,<yeare, chiefly ths1ne more than $9,0OO000 in the acquirem fl o ore lands. Among its Mesabi 1lro,Jfirtaes is the great Fayal, and thaGl cp Elhs and Auburn, as well as evarsl aSle pron critics and Unopened deposits-srs { all of tn, utmost Value "a a pH magnitudex At it's va niuos T ono ood mines mes 6ere were mfned last veal 2soo'ooo1 tons &ef ore moreF than any othet com pany ln jthe world <With the exception of the oliveE Iron Mipfng Company, which operates a1 all the five lake ranges. Tht present 4ar it's bssi hess is expected to be m & excessf of BOO, ,OOO Hons.
 he Policy of the 4 Minnesota Iron Com pahy, finder MT. B4con'S guidance, has Deeh 1f5st altrWlstic Sand in many respects ull9Se as to its em ployees. For the pas ny or six years it thas averaged fore, tf0f about 1S,0OO men. in all it's history tht 9 company has never Q,nissed a pay day an( 1 hes invariably paid ih cash. This rhougf
 at one time it gave x bonus of Si00 to se
 cure $7000 currehcy, etlad at times it wa!
 impossible to get cash lpn the paper of the largest steel companI "a in the country
 with the Minnesotas Endorsement Dur l ing a shont period in fhe winter of 1S93-.
 the company was oblXed practically tC l close it's works. It tin yn retained all the | married men for whomfzit could find i'm | p!oyment, gave all free f<ent, free fuel, ant | assisted them in ever $ way possible l though 1t, like every otht A mining corpora | tion in the Northwest, As about as bad | ly oH as the men, It Ina s always paid tht | highest wages and hasy never disputAf l valid claims of tfs men fIt has never beer
 troubled ny labor unionst and has had bu l one strike, and that noS over wages, but | on account of some unexpected church
 feast day.
 | MT. Bacon was the 1 irst man to crusf
 hard ores for furnaces. , 1t had been tb, | habit to ship chunks as large as could bt handled. Up to 1895 furn aace men made nc 1 objection to the large p1eoes in fact ore 1 ferred them, but later sdeoided that the, required gore fuel. Many supposed il would be Impossible to .frush the extreme. hard ores of tine Minnes'tta, but Mr. Bacon did it, and at such a cost that there was soon shown to be a pbsitive saving in the