The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1904-02-07
IRON LANDS STILL
HOLD MUCH RICH ORE
Eastern Correspondent Finds
That There Is Still Great
Wealth in Mines.

BOSTON, Mass, Feb. "a special
correspondent of the Boston Herald,
writing from Virginia, MINI, says:
Probably the readers of the Herald
are familiar with the fact that there
is an enormous deposit of iron ore in
Northern Minnesota, Michigan and
Wisconsin. Perhaps they do not know
the relation which this product bears
to the total product of the world This
iron ore, carrying often SO per cent
of iron. is shOveled out much more
easily than is the mud at the bottom Of
our waters. 1t looks like a rich crum-
bly, clay, varying in tint from red to
reddish brown. 1t IS taken out by
shovels, which scoop up tons Of it,
and swing the mass in a few seconds to
the waiting cars There are shaft mines
and milling mines, but, in the vernacu-
lar of the mines, the most interest
proposition" is the stripping mine. 1t
is deemed profitable to strip rather
than to sink a. shaft when there is
soil on top of the ore to the depth Of
sixty feet or less. The shovels take
off the soil and lay bare the ore. Then
they dig the ore.
The whole mine is open, for 1t is
now the surface which is ore, and
which is taken. The digging proceeds
in circles, SO that benches are left, or
else, according to the shape of the
holding, in long benches. The ore cars
enter the mines, and take out the ore,
which is carried to the great ore wharfs
at Duluth and West Superior. There
the ore is tumbled into the great ore
steamers, of from 1000 to 5000 tons
each. The cars are stopped on high
structure on the wharf and are far
above the steamer moored below Then
great circular iron pipes are unlocked
from the side of the structure, and
their farther ends are inserted into
the steamers hatchways. Each hatch
way has its monster pipe. Many
steamers have a dozen hatchways;
some have twenty four
The ore is poured from the cars into
these pipes. and is poured from the
pipes into the hatchways. A few slides
are rugged up in the hold of the YES
sci, and by means OF these simple con-
triVances the cargo is trimmed. A
great ship is thus loaded in a few hours
the largest may be loaded in two
hours.
What an industry is thisl IT Is
wealth far, very far, beyond the dreams
of avarice. The United States Steel
corporation owns mines in which there
is known to be ore amounting to 7OO.-
100000 tons. It could not carry on it's
business without this ore. 1t ought TO
be able to sell it for the full amount of
its large capitalization. 1t is the pos
session OF this ore which may justify
IT'S capitalization, emitting entirely
from the account its complete system of
plants, its control of inventions and it's
running business.
The Great Northern Railroad COM
pany controls a very large amount of
ore, and the two together own and
control about IS per cent of tie richest
iron ore in the world.
The railroad company is not miner
of ore. 1t leases it's land and takes a
GRAFTON. Indeed. everything that it
done by this company is in aid of
transportation. Its controlling powers
are in possession OF ore land In order
to induce their development. This de-
velopment is induced by offering fair
freight charges, and thus its business
OF transportation is Increased. But
what is essential to the purpose of this
letter is to show the extent and char
acter Of one of the many possessions OF
the Northwestern states.
1t Is not SO long ago that 1t was dis
covered that the old pine, fir and tam
arack districts possessed this wealth of
iron. The railroad companies, under
the lead of Mr.. J. j. Hill. have been
busy in seeking for resources in order
that they might secure transportation
business. They, more than any other
power, and Mr.. Hill. more than any
other man. have pointed out the way,
and initiated growth in the Northwest.
As I have said before, these powers,
these individuals. this private capital
and this private enterprise, have done
for the Northwest many times more
than the government has accomplished.
1t Is true that they have done 1t for
their own benefit. But a number of
years ago Mr.. Hill, who Is regarded In
this part of the country as the creator
of the modern railway business, laid
down some principles which have dis
turbed SPECTATORS and bo8dling politi-
clans, but which have largely profited