The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1903-07-25
there will be connection with Salt
Lake and later with the coast.

Lake ana iater Win the coast.
The Rio tirande Western road is to
build southwesterly from point on
its main line to the ore region, in
order that the Colorado Fuel 4 Iron
Go. may have access to these fields
have recently been opened by men
downing large parts Of the ore deposits.
This coal has been found to make an
excellent furnace coke-a coke carry
ing more than 80 precent fixed carbon,
ess than O. sulphur and but a trace
Of phosphorus. IL is very firm and
granular aud should carry harden
we'll.
Col S. 3. Miner. OF Salt Lake,
who is one of the earliest as well as
larg est holders of lands in the ore
district has closed a contract for the
delivery of 400 tons Of ore daily for
a Western works. delivery to begin
when railway connection is made. He
is now at work opening out ore for this
operation. Col. Miner and associates
have plans for iron aud steel works, 10
be erected ON the shores of Utah lake
some 30 miles south Of Salt Lake City.
and it is stated that they have the
money assured the for this work, They
propose to build. at onCe, the first
of series Of furnaces, of $50 tons
ca..acity each, and work may be start
ed this summer This is the initial
development of an iron industry west
of Pueblo and as such is entitled TO
careful consideration.
The iron ores Of this region were
and attempts were made 40 years ago
by them TO smelt at the mines. The
great obstacles then in the way. not
less in any sense and in some much
worse, than those that beset the smelt-
ing of Lake Superior ores at Marquette
so years ago, carsed the abandonment
of the undertaking and the withdrawal
of all inhabitants from the spot. Four
years ago Messrs Miner, of Salt Lake,
and Dear and Lerch. OF the Mesabi
range, became interested and took up
a large acreage where immense magne-
tic outcroppings showed themselves
They did large amount of test work
and surface exploring and satisfied
themselves of the value of their pro.
perties. Col Miner himself also took
q large acreage. Within the past few
months others Lave gone in and taken
lands, until now everything that APP
pears TO be of most value, either from
outcroppings, showings in shafts and
trenches, or from the geological in-
dications, has been GOV cred under the
various land acts The Colorado Fuel
q Iron Co has been most active in
this work 1t now controls ABOUT
25, 900 acres ON the formation. Duluth,
MINI, and Cincinnati o.. parties
own about all that is left.
The Colorado Fuel & Iron CO. is
proceeding in this region on very
large scale, and the size of its initial
and preparatory operations are such
as to leave no doubt in the minds Of
any who have seen them and become
acquainted with their work, that
they not only are fully convinced Of
the value Of these lands, but that thsy
know exactly what they are going to
do with them so far, at least, as trans
portation is concerned, This means
nothing less than an understanding be-
tween the steel company and The Rio
Grande Western, ownership in both
o. which il largely identical. IL Is
probably between 800 and 600 miles
from Iron county TO Pueblo by any
route that a road can take.
More than 200 men are now engaged
premiliary operations for the Colorado
company testpitting, shaftsinking,
trenching and in all the many details
OF work necessary in such district.
This force is 10 be increased as &C.
casion permits The men are under
charge OF competent mining engineers
from the Lake Superior region A
large force is at work for y B. Miner,
in preparing for actual mining and in
explorations throughout the district.
AS the region Is reached only by team
and is 35 miles from the nearest rail-
way station across waterless and
shadeless desert. the meaning OF what
is under way there now is considerably
greater than the same quantity of
work would be in many other districts.
IL is unfortunate that these ores are,
so far as explored, largely non-Bes-
semer, but there is hope that phos-
phorous may diminish as explorations
are carried on and a better knowledge
] is had of the region. This hope is
is based on what is actually being
found in some OF the deeper workings.
Ore exposed ON surface is dense mag
/ uatita mt "a fine aoft hpmatite il fonnd