The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1902-11-28

II lements of present day commercial
activity are pressed Immediately into :
service. It has recently been said by
Mr.. Jas. Gayley, first vice president
of the United States Steel corporation
that considering the increased amount
of iron ore mined and shipped from
Lake Superior by that company this
year it's mining and transportation SER
vices would save more than $5,O00,000
over last year.
The ore transportation department
of the United States Steel corporation
is in the hands of the Pittsburg Steam
shipship company, of which Mr.. Gay
ley is the general head, with A. B. VOL
vim, of Duluth, as vice president and
general manager, and T. r. Harvey
and John w. Wolvin, also of Duluth. |
as assistants. 1t is due to the work |
of these men and of those in active |
charge of mining and railway trans |
portation to Lake Superior, their cor
dial cooperation of these different
branches of the service, the care and
skill of all concerned, the interdepen-
dence of one with the other, the re-
lance of each department that none
OF the IoI1ldlHlIlS Will LdIl III 1to
exact share of the whole-the perfect
alignment, as it were, of the macnrn,
from the time the ore is taken from
the mine till it is deposited on Lake
Erie or Chicago docks-that this i'm
mense saving is being made.
The Pittsburg Steamship company
is one of the four or five greatest
steamship companies of the world, not
merely of the United States, but of the
entire maritime service of America
or Europe 1t is biggest water trans
portation interest of the United States
and perhaps three or four English and
German companies may surpass it, 1t
owns and operates 112 large steel
freight steamships, as well as small
service ships for provisioning boats en-
| route and without delay, tugs, stores
and score of smaller subsidiary en-
| terprises. In the short lake season of
| about eight months it's fleet is capable
| of moving down the lakes about 49,
| 100000 tons of cargo, and of bringing
| into the west millions of tons of con,
| or other freight. In point Of fact, how
ever, it has been found advisable to
| carry little up-freight, for the coal
rate is low and there are delays that
| would lessen the earning capacity of
| the fleet. The primary object of this
| fleet is moving ore required in the fur
naces of the steel corporation, and all
| other business is naturally subordinated
| to that. In the fall of the year, when
ore allotments have been pretty nearly
| filled, some of the ships of this fleet are
| usually turned into the grain .reue
and the result has been that the farm
| ers of the northwest have profited i'm
| mensely, from the fact that the grain
| rate to Lake Erie has been held at
a moderate figure, far less than it
might have reached had not these YES
sells been ready to take advantage OF
any increased freights Every cent
taken from the cost of getting grain
into market is the direct advantage OF
the farmer, and inures to him alone
Every fall, therefore the northwestern
| farmer owes more than he probably
realizes to the management of the
shipping end Of the United States
Steel corporation.
1t is to the management of this
fleet that the state of Minnesota owes
the distinction of having within its
borders the largest port enrolment OF
great lakes shipping. To Cleveland
in Ohio, this distinction has belonged
for many years, but in the past few
months it has come to be the fact thai
Duluth, and not Cleveland, is the chief
port of hail for the tonnage of the
lakes. AS the enrolment of a ship car
ries with it the taxation of that ship
this is a matter of some considerable
Importance to the state, to whose gen.
eral fund goes half the receipts to ta1
from this form of property. Prior tt
the organization of the Pittsbura
Steamship company only portion oil
the vessels of this fleet were of Mime
sofa register. This company is com
posed of what were seyen of the mos
important groups of steel ships on the
lakes. Among them was the Besse.
mer fleet, owned by John D. Rookie
Teller, which included the so-callec
Whaleback ship and the vessels rsla
Mr.. rockefeller built a few years age
because he thought the vessel owners
of the lakes were trying to ho1u Price.
too high. Many of these Bessemel
ships are among the very largest
staunchest and high powered on the
lakes. The entire fleet of the Minr,
sofa Steamship cimpany is also in.
cluded in the organization. This was
one of the finest fleets on the great
lakes and was run on an almost exac-
schedule for years, carrying ore from
Minnesota ports to Lake Erie Still
another component part of the Pitts
burg Steamship company is the fleet OF
the American Steel and Wire company
whose ships, John w. Gates, James
j. Fill, I. L. Elwood and VIM Eden
born, are the largest ever built fol
lake service The Carnegie ships
built two or three years ago to free
that great ironmaster from the DOM
ination of vessel owners, and of most
modern construction and size, are in
cluded, as are the fleets of the Mutual
and Menominee Steamship companies
In all the aggregation is the most i'm
portant ever seen on the great lakes
and is operated in perfest unison with
an eye single to the highest efficiency
and the most predetermined economy
In such a fleet there are many hun
QreQ emnlOVaS nr0ha hlv NOT 1acc tLop