New-York tribune., 1903-03-09
IRON ORE INDUSTRY.
Ertcnt to Which Machines Haze
Superseded Hand Labor.

Washington, March s (specaD-An interest
!ng British comment on American methods and
on the efficiency of American machinery is fur
nished in recent report of the Acting British
Consul at Chicago, who discusses at length the
iron ore industry in this country. A notable
feature Of this report is the attention given
to the manner in which hand labor has been
reduced. His report especially concerns the
mining operations in the Lake Superior region,
and the British representative describes mi
nuteiy the process from the scra ping off OF the
surface, building railroads to the mine and the
constant resort to machinery. Commenting on
ttis he says: Steam shovels are then brought
into use. and they load the directly upon
the cars. of these machines having loaded
10000 tons in tE'enty-six days, or at the rate
OF over sixty-five hundred tons day. These
loading machines. which daily handle more than
six thousand tons, each operated by five
men. and the Dor cost for mining and loading
aVera ges only about Is cents ton and I'm the
case of one mine. which dug and loaded 293.651
tons in 114 days. the labor cost only four
cents a ton.
In the transfer Of from mine to vessel
on the lakes the absence of hand labor is also
noticeable. The ore trains on to long
Nharves. extending high above the water. and
having large pockets, apartments. into which
the ore is discharged from the cars through an
opening in the bottom of the car. from which
the ore runs by gravity into the pockets beneath
the tracks. From these pockets the ore is loaded
into the vessel also by gravity, and passed
down long chutes into the hold of the vessel so
that hand labor is required in transferring
the from the cars to The vessel The ore
rockets or apartments. which form a part of
The dock hold about leo tons each. and number
from :Et to :}S4 according To the length of the
wharf
In unloading the from the vessels the
saving OF labor through the use of machinery
is even more notable and important in its
economies and results. a series Of steel bridges
SO adjusted as to be easily moved along the
wharves. is supplied with hinged arm. which
can be lowered TO the hatch of the vessel. Along
this arm and across the bridge runs a trolley
train TO which are attached automatic grabs,
similar TO a double scoop, which so con-
strrIcted that she grab. or scoop, digs downward
imto the ore as it closes The grab. or scoop,
holds bout five tons of ore, and is described as
a digging machine" when it begins to ORA"
together il digs into the ore and does not depend
on its weight TO get hold of the ore There are
fifteen unloading machines in A battery, and the
grabs run down the long arms which are low
cred over each of the fourteen matches that are
IN the deck Of most lake vessels carrying ore
These matches run nearly the whole way across
tho decks. The grabs can thus remove over halt
the ca rgo without any assistance, and the re-
manning half is brought directly unoer the hdl|il
by use of a scraper, also operated by similar
machinery and managed 10y man in the hold
through the use of long cords. This scraper
brings the ore from between the matches 50 that
Il can be raised by the grab
These grabs are controlled by the engineer,
Y ho can drop them at any point over the noig
that he may wish and after ii SefZeS IT'S io;tu
az ore it i raised full speed. carried rapluly
along the trolley to such given point dS oe
sira lIe where the ore is deposited into rallrodu
trucks or stock piles or in some cases, into
concrete troughs. through which it slides TO the
furnaces where it is to be transferred into pig
iron This grab which thus lifts five tons OF
orc from the vessel carrying it to such point as
&c desired within a limited space. has hosting
sra.J Of one hundred feet a minute. and can
RIM along the bridge at the rate of one thou-
rond fsa+ a minute The operator travels with
the grab and unload it at any given poiitt,C
desired. The bridges to which these arms Win
rr7air qr1 hS are attached can he swung IN an!
direction 50 that ore, limestone or coke can ut
t!eT.csited or picked up anywhere IN the Htiu,
md arc worked by electricity Twenty SIX men
viii now perform under this system the W9Ih
for which three hundred were required uiiuel
old