The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-07-25
AN OLD-NEW IRON FIELD
The Ore in Southwestern Utah May Bring Rich Returns Develop
ersA Pathetic Story Of Early Endeavors in the
Same Line Years Ago.

another interyening plain are more out
tho possibly Of lesser value than the sec
ton from Iron mountain to Lindsey hills
This intermediate portion would appear to
ton much work is under way, the Colorado
so men scattered about Sinking and drift DRIFT
ing, testpitting and opening trenches.
Drills will be moved in. and If the water
question Is not too perplexing, will be util-
lied to considerable degree. Water is
the range. The streams are few and very
small, but no attempt has yet been made to
get water at considerable depth. This is
a very serious fact in estimating the future
Importance of the whole region. In the
Lindley hills section the Miners are work.
Ing Or and as depth Is
and, iD some places, assumes q bessemer
character.
The difficulties of iron manufacturing here
seem to be very serious. There is lack
of water, which alone is enough; then lack
sence q a cooking coal in ali that part Of
the west. While options on the Miner and
Taylor properties were held by Pennsyl-
vania iron men, some months ago they en-
deavored to find suitable spot Tor the man
ufacture of iron reasonably near these de-
canyons in search of water privileges. But
! these ores, If ever economically assembled
for manufacture, must be elsewhere than near
the mines, quite possibly either at the coast,
Pueblo or Salt Lake. The Colorado Fuel and
Iron company has within the past few weeks
very greatly increased It's own water supply
at Pueblo by the purchase of extensive rights
along streams. Utah lake, some 200 miles
south of Salt Lake City, is expected to furn-
ish supply for extensive works.
Mr. Miner has recently entered into con-
tracts to mine and deliver, for iron works IN
the far west, 400 tons daily from Desert
Mound, and as soon as the branch of the
Oregon Short line reaches the region he will
commence shipping.
Mr.. Miner has plans prepared for an ex-
to be built on the shores Of Utah lake, and
work on one furnace of about $50 tons ca
| pacity will begin this year if conditions are
| favorable. He says the capital for the entire
investment is assured A severe obstacle TO
any iron making west from Pueblo has been
| the total lack of proper fuel. Mr.. Miner and
| associates control 10000 acres of coal lands
in Cord1ngly canyon and Coal Creek, not far
from Castle Gate, on the Rio Grande western
road, that is claimed to be- a fine coal for
furnace use. These Goals carry from so to a
trace Of sulphur, and merely trace of phos-
phorus,, AMI are very high in fixed carbon.
Most of the coal of that general region runs
high in sulphur, ash and moisture. This
Miner coal averages about per cent of mois-
| ture
Years ago the Mornons tried it, to utilize
these ores, under difficulties that were, and
1 might easily have seemed even to them, in
| superable. 1t Is an Ginstance of the brave
daring Of those carly Mormons, of their be-
lief in the omnipotence of labor of their
wonderful capacity for work, that they should
have tried at all Forty years ago the then
the business Of the church in southwestern
Utah He found these iron mountains, and
south from Salt Lake City, he laid out a
little furnace plant and built it. The way
aesT by Viz whs
material he could not find the ground he
brought all this way by OK team. The little
village of Iron still stands, deserted as it has
stood since his attempt failed. There is the
brick church, schoolhouse, the brick and
attempt at ornament and constructive detail
and the furnace and its charcoal kilns. The
furnace stands in the end of brick cast.
house .4Gx20 feet. 1t is built up of mud anG
granite, bound together by strap iron, and the
outside dimensions of the furnace proper are
sixty six inches square and ten feet high tt
i a smaller top. The ore was shovelled from
the ground to platform and then into ar
opening in the side of the furnace. Air was
delivered cold from a fan run by water power
and the tuyeres were lengths of stove pip.
projected as much as possible. Crude as thi
eome pigs of iron still there Evidently tn
builders intended far more elaborate plant
} for they have left the cut granite founda
} tons of furnace, casthouse, engine and boile
been Of much greater size. This larger turn
| ace was evidently to be something like eigh
J feet in diameter. What stopped operations
, do not know, probably the realization tina
water vas insufficient. But in order to oper
j ate the smaller furnace and a foundry il
connection these people actually hauled, clea
from Salt Lake, ton after ton of scrap. Thi
l was. as have aid, ESQ miles of arid desert
) Labor was surely their stock in trade, the
had lots Of it, more of it than of any othe
| commodity They stopped at no obstacle tina
! labor could overcome or that time might rem
edy. The spectacle of this crude little furn
brave effort. is one Of the most impressiv
things that has ever come under my notice