The broad ax. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1895-19??, 1901-05-04


IN the Century "Ths Transportation
Of Iron" "a described b. Walden FaW-
eett, with drawings by Ernest L. Blum
enschein. To carry the freshly mined
ore twelve hundred miles By land and
sea, he says, and deposit Il. within
little more than q week after Il has
LEFT the miners shovel, at the furnaces
In Pennsylvania and Ohio. where It Il
to receive It's baptism OF ere. Il the
task which has been successfully &C
eomplished Of late years BY the men
who have charge Of the transportation
chain which connects the mineral
storehouses In the Northwest with the
manufacturing plants Of the middle
states. They have, indeed, done more;
by undertaking operations on = gigan-
dc scale, they have shaved costs 30
closely that the embryo non Is now
carried more eheaply than freight -
moved anywhere. else In the world. II
q q marvellous transit, this trip third
OF the way across the continent and
the journey itself Is not more wonder
ful than the vehicles In which II 10
made. The flying trip Is made By rail-
then BY boat, and finally BY rail again;
and Il might be made even more quick
" were Il not necessary 20 lose .
day and . half changing cars" 90 to
speak, although In reality, Of course.
the transfer Is from cars 70 the mon
ster freight-carrying vessels Of the
Great Lakes, and thence back again
from the lsViathans Of the inland seas
20 the metal wagons Of the steam-road.
On the first stage Of its journey, from
the mine 70 the loading-Wharf at some
port on the upper lakes, tina iron ore
travels on what Is probably the most
crowded steel-tracked highway IN the
world. Each OF the powerful loc6mo-.
dives can draw q load Of ore nearly
equal 20 the weight Of the entire Amer
lean standing army prior TO the Span
ish war. Almost all the cars now en-
ployed are made OF pressed steel. and
each Of them win hold hfty tons. Il
would seem as though the designers
Of these modern coaches Of commeres
had thought Of every contingency, for
there are even provided holes In the
sides Of the car through which streams
Of steam may be played upon the froz-
en- ore In order 70 thEW Il quickly. The
development Of the commercial navy
Of the Great Lakes, the chisf work OF
which is found IN thu transportation Of
iron ore, constitutes one Of the most
remarkable sVolutions Of the century
which has Just closed. The hrst car
goes o. the mineral were transported IN
vessels that carried only q few hun
dred tons and required more than I've
weeks for the journey. The new cram
carry ten or twenty times as much,
and little more than half as many days
are given up 70 the delivery Of saAh
consignment At its port Of destination
All the best Of the lake vessels are en-
ployed largely, or exclusively IN the ore
traffic. natural sequence, since this
r. the one plum Of internal commerce
at which the railroads get scarcely .
nibble. Indeed, the "all-ran" ship
ments, e. they are termed, hardly az
coed half q million. tons yearly, out OF
q total Of twenty million tons. That
the stsam-lines get even this morsel
Of comfort is largely due 70 the exigen-
cies OF sudden demand after the ice
has sealed up the waterway. The ships |
Of the ofe-aeet range from three hun
dred and htty 70 I'VE hundred feet in |
length-the latter equal In size TO the |
liners Of a few years ago.
Few Of them draw. When fully laden.
nom than eighteen feet Of water, and |
they are capable Of carrying anywhere
from six thousand % nine thouEaad
tons OF ore, OF q Sufficient quantity
10 hn more than dozen ordinary ran
road frainA The modern vessels are
built entirely Of steel, even TO the deck
houses, where the men eat and sleep,
md the slender, bare mastB. Essen
tally they are froight-earriers, ana Jet
Tor the accommodation 90 occasional
guests there are Fitted up On many Of
hem rooms quits - handsomely fur
lished e. those On. the average ocean
EoiDg passenger steamer. TIE vessels
Ire lighted b. electricity. stesrsd and
heated b steam: and b their equip
nent are included poWsF-Wtndlasses
ma aI TIE latest- coutrlEauces Of the /