The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-11-26
JOSEPH SELLWOOD.

The part of a, pioneer is always in
structive and interesting. This is es-
pecially the case when the man is en-
gagged in any branch Of industry about
which there is a certain mystery and
glamour, and Of these industries that
of mining easily takes a prominent
place.
The life Of Joseph sellwood is en-
phatically that of pioneer, a big.
bluff, great-hearted, common-sense
pioneer of the west, Of a man thoroly
master Of his profession during q.
period when the art of mining, like
every other profession and business
OH the face of the civilized earth,
has changed and advanced with start
ling rapidity. 1t is worth something
to have been a leader in such an adj
vance. 1t is a pleasant thought, as a
man grows in years, that accepted
methods of to-day are due, in part at
wood in no small part, to ones own
ability and ready adaptibility.
Since Sellwood came, barely more
! than child, from the old home in
Wales, where he had been in deep
mines from the time he was old
| lily purse, he has been prominent i'll
| Lake Superior affairs. Before 1886
he was a contractor in the operation
of large mines. In that year he took
hold Of the old Milwaukee mine, near
! Negaunee, on contract. There he IN
@troduced what was then revolutionary
but is now almost universal among
underground Lake Superior mines, the
50 called caving system Of mining.
The advantages Of the system are
many. but can be summarized in
t,eheaper per ton Of product and more
4of the ore body. This was the first
lake mine to adopt the system.
Q ~
The first ore mined had been but two
years before, and 1885 was it's first
full season. Mr.. SellWood introduced
the caving system at the Brotherton
mine there that year, and no other
system has since been adopted. He
was iii charge at the old Colby also
at that time. Then all piles Of ore
ment in summer months and called
"stock piles were loaded into cars by
hand, men with shovels and wheel
barrows. At the Colby, in the spring
Of 1887, there were 10000 tons to
be shipped. Mr.. Sellwood considered
this pretty big pile to move by hand,
so he introduced the steam shovel.
This was comparatively a new ma
chine anywhere at that time; decided
ly SO In mining, for it had never been
tried, and old mining men predicted
it's absolute failure. Now the steam
shovel IS universal lot STOCK Pile load
ing, and its use in mines is OF world
wide Importance.
Jan. /, 1888, Mr.. sellwood moved
to Duluth to take charge Of the Chan
dler mine, a new exploration on the
Vermillon range. He retained control
Of the Colby and gravitated between
the Ver1nilion on the north and the
Gogebic on the east for a year. There
was no railroad to the Chandler till
Sept. Is Of that year, SO mining there
was enphatically pioneering. From
the day the road reached the mine to
the close Of the season, about two
months, Mr.. Sellwood shipped $1,000
tons, marvellous feat in that day.
and a good one even now. At the
Chandler, in order to win this first
one quickly, another new process was
adopted, that Of milling" the ore into
cross-cut below after stripping the
surface above. This did the work, but
was naturally changed to caving SO
soon the ore began to pitch under
a rock Gaping.
For number Of years afterwards,
and until the American Steel and Wire
company went into mines, Mr.. Sell
wood was vice president Of the Du-
luth & Iron Range road and an Off
. Ger Of the Minnesota Iron company,
= with particular charge Of Mesaba
) CONTINUED on Page Eight Coal and
: Iron Section.)