The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-08-08
Minnesota e9ron Mines.


difficulties encountered, such as amount
of water to be pumped. position of the
ore body and other conditions Improve
ments and economies are being constant
ly introduced and the present cost OF
mining is much below what it has ever
been The underground mines are
worked all the year, the winter produc-
ton being piled up in stock piles to be
hauled to the lake during the shipping
season, some Of the ore cars being entire
~ of steel construction and having ca
pacity of 100000 pounds. A conservative
estimate on the cost of mining In an
underground proposition would be from
soc to soc per ton The freight on ore
from the Mesabi range TO Duluth and
Superior is SOC per gross ton (2Z49
pounds). The lake freight to Lake Erie
ports has varied from as low as 60c TO
$l.25. The royalty paid the fee owners
on the ore varies from 121@c to 40c per
gross ton. The cost of insuring the ore
and brokerage is about 25cf per ton, max
ing the total average cost per gross ton
delivered at Lake Erie ports about $3.50.
The market price of Dessemer ore mas
ranged since 1885 between $2.75 and $3.50
per ton. The Vermilliun range ore is of
a better grade and physical structure
than the Mesabi ore and has commanded
a much higher price
The method of mining varies with the
different existing conditions. On the
MeSabf range only nave been discovered
what are known az open mines at Vir-
ginia and Hibbing and also the several
underground mines.
To describe in detail the method OF
underground mining would require seV-
eral Illustrations as web as pages; it can
be roughly stated that the ore body
10 M 1eaty =
pIasted with powder, and after being
loosened UP in this manner it is shovel ed
INTO cars and hauled to the shaft, dumped
into the skip or elevator and hoisted to
the surface. Exploration work is being
constantly carried on and new bodies OF
ore discovered. This work is done by
what is known as a churn drill and also
by diamond drill. Thb ore is found at
depths varying from % to $50 feet and
more from the surface and the ore body
varies in depth from a few feet to AS
feet in one instance
The quantity Of ore underlying the
surface can be estimated with a reason
able degree of accuracy provided a suf-
hcient number of test holes are made
on the property. In some cases drill
holes are made 800 feet apart and in such
case the cubical contents of the ore BODY
can be quite accurately arrived at and
INC HuLtber OF TONS OF DeSSemer and non
bessemer ore closely estimated by divid-
ing the cubical contents in feet by 10.
What the discovery of iron ore in our
state has been to Minnesota and else
where would be difficult to overestimate
1t mas caused the springing up of large
number of villages, towns and cities
within the state; it has brought adbnur the
construction of three lines of standard
gauge railroads within the state that
are equipped equal to the best and that
now have a tonnage equal to, if not sur
passing, any others on the basis of mile.
age. In addition to the unedualed fleet
OF ships supported by the mines. hun
dreds of thousands of the labor element
OF the country draw their support from
the same source. 1t is estimated that in
mines, docks, railroad and water trans
portation there is a cash investment of
$500 100000 in Lake Superior iron mining.
Since it is an established fact that the
prosperity of our country depends so
largely upon the condition of the iron
industry, the logical deduction is that the
commonwealth of Minnesota contributes
more towards making tnis country M,
most prosperous one on the face of the
globe today, than any other state in the
Union