The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1901-02-15

done a. syndicate on a tract of
land owned by the Mesaba Iron
company, situated ten or twelve
miles east Of Mesaba station on the
extreme@eastern end of the Mesaba
range formation. A shaft was sunk
and a. hosting plant erected.
About this time, however, the Mer-
ritts discovered ore near Mountain
Iron and: all explorations .ou the
EASTERN end of the. range were
abando1ned. Interest centered on
the new iron ore Eldorado.
The eastern end of the Mesaba
range has received but little atten-
ton since then, until about year
ago wien various parties began to
pick vi uP,properties and inaugurate
explorations. Now this part of the
Mesa ba# range is the theater of
greatest activity in iron ore explo-
rationssin St. Louis county.
The Oliver Iron Mining company
has nine or ten drills at work on the
Mesaba Improvement Co. lands, the
old Mailman, or Silverman proper
ty, and8on state lands; also on lands
in 21, 59.l4, owned by Messrs Went
worth. The Minnesota Iron COM
pany recently acquired an option
on number of state and old St.
Paul & Duluth leases, from o. D.
Kinney Senator E. B. Hawkins, D.
H. Moon, J. G. Vivian and Geo. w.
Wallace. Under the option the
Minnesota Iron company had a
right to acquire the leases for a bo-
nus of $5oo,O00. The option was al
lowed to expire and later was re-
ncwed Tor Is days. The bonus un-
der therenewed option was reduced
to $4S0,W0. At the end of the Is days
the option was allowed to expire,
much to the surprise of many, and
now al 4three-fourths interest has
been picked up by new parties. Ad-
ditional explorations have been be-
gun on.the property and two drills
are at work near Mesaba station,
where some very good ore has been
shoWn;pp. Further up, in section
zae;st lsainnesota 1foo,nsrroI,,.
pany has4two drills at work. IN the
town Immediately west of this the
same company has two other drills
at work, in Is and 26, 59-15. Another
party is working two drills in the
northwest quarter of the northwest
quarter of 20, 59-14, one mile from
Mesaba station.
To people who recall the rush
from the eastern to the western part
of the Mesaba range the new activ-
ity in the former district is of spec
ial interest. The district was aban-
doned before it was explored. It
had merely been skinned over and
had the discovery of ore on the west
ern end of the range been delayed
for a few years the eastern end un-
doubtedly would have long since
attained prominence for ore pro-
duction. Circumstances have de-
layed it's development, but it is ap-
parent from the present activity
and the encouraging results that
the eastern Mesaba will ere long oc-
cupy leading place in the atten-
ton of iron ore men and as a ship
ping district.
One of the principal reasons why
iron ore deposits on the eastern Me-
SARA range are eagerly sought is
that the ore of this district as rule
is of remarkable good structu, e, is
low in moisture and carries more
unitsiof iron than many other of
the easily mined Mesaba ores which
carrya higher analysis of metallic
iron. There is said to be scarcity
of ore;of good structure on the Me-
saba, as very large part of it is too
fine for obtaining the best results in
the blast furnaces.