The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1903-07-04


and upward is slowly but steadily
growing. Last year there were five
mines in this whopper class, and this
season there will be six. The sixth
mine will be the Biwabik, which is
expected to ship about 1, 100, 900 tons.
The others are the Mahoning. Fayal,
Adams, Stevenson and Mountain Iron.
Affair estimate is that these six
mines will, between them, ship
!, 1900. 900 tons of Mesabi iron ore.
The Biwabik. which is located at
Bfwabik, will enter this class for the
first time this year. 1t has been cap
able of shipping 1000, 900 tons for
sc rai years. but has never done so
becdu,e the demand for ore has not
been large enough to warrant it. In
1899 the Biwabik shipped 925, 600 tons.
thus narrowly escaping the / 900. 600
mark. Last year it only shipped
822, 317 tons. 1t began shipping in
1893 and as shipped more than 1000,
900 tons.
the list with the biggest shipments OF
any mine in the Lake Superior regions
There will probably be a seventh
1000, 900 ton shipper in 1904, IL the
conditions Of the iron and steel market
continue favorable. The Stephens
mine will be in a position to pass the
mark 90. seven figures next season.
The BrtX mine, near Hibbing, is also
in position to enter the / 900, 600
ton class whenever the furnaces want
that much of its use in a season. It
is now steam shovel proposition as
well as an underground one. The
Stephens is stripper.
The month Of June will lie dis
appointing one in iron ore shipments.
the shortage of boats at this end and
the inability to unload them rapidly
enough on Lake Erie has set ore
transportation back
1t is estimated today that the ore
shipment from the head of the lakes
for the present month, which will be
compiled tomorrow, will hardly equal
last year shipments in June
The mines on the range are not
being worked to their full extent, and
the docks are filled at Duluth. Allouez
Bay and Two Harbors, waiting for
boats.
For two weeks there has been ser
ious shortage of boats ut Two Harbors
Boats that have been billed into that
port have been diverted and sent to
other docks for other grades Of ore ana
the result is that the dock super
tintendents and the captains hardly
know "where they are at.
The ore transportation business has
never in its history been so complcat.
ed and difficult as il is this year. and
as a result the shipping may fall far
short of what was expected.
The Steel Corporation, Pckands,
Mather g. Co. and all the ipdepend
emit companies ARE letting mp ON ship
ments from the head of the lakes
There is an obvious reason for this.
During the latter part of last year
the shipment Of ore from all quarters
was immense and the cargoes were
placed on the docks on Lake Erie and
stayed there all winter This spring,
when the ore traffic began again the
winters supply still occupied the
docks
Practically speaking, not ton of
are shipped this year has been placed
on dock on Lake Erie. The com
panies are unloading it from the boats
onto. the cars and hauling it TO the
fur The method is naturally
slower than ii would be to dump the
ore on the docks IL holds the boats
longer at the dock, and sometimes the
boats have to wait for trains TO be
made up and hauled ,ssck from the
furnaces, because~the II snsportation
f@c'ii'isS we end Cd Inc nanir
are n2tKs good as those out of the
head OF the lakes which bring the ore
Co the lake.
The result is that the dock men can
not figure on when q boat will come
back. They cannot figure it will go
10 their dock, eve If billed to it, for
the distribution OF grades 81 ore TO the
furnace has to be watched more care
fully thylever before.
wAeny ,e furnaces want a certain
grade Of ore and boat ism { in with
It or on the way, the first light steam
err nearly up the lakes is hailed and
sent TO the nearest place where the re-
n quired grade San be secured.
This has been the situation up TO
date, and as result the mines are
sluggish, The range roads and the
Great Northern are not doing the work
-. Recommendation Ihnl thar rninht mud