The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1904-07-01
ORE SUPPLY.
Lean Ores to Come into Demand
Within Few Years.


Within Few Years.
A writer in the Scientific American
of recent date has the following on
"Our Available Iron Ore Supply"
The falling off in demand for iron
ore and iron ore properties last fall,
incident to the slackening of general
business, iron manufacturers primo
ipally and the cdrtailments of the
United States Steel Corporation has
| in measure obscured the real facts
as to the available iron-ore supply and
put damper on the wild rush for
iron properties which prevailed in
1901 and 1902. The sagging Of the
iron trade has not changed the facts,
or have there been made within re-
cent years ony discoveries Of available
iron ore that will materially postpone
the day when the great iron industry
of the country is to be brought face
to face with the problem of supplying
the vast and increasing amount of
ore annually CONSUMED. About five
years ago, U. S. Geologist G. r. Van
Hise predicted that inside of de-
cade the standard of marketable ore
from the Lake Superior district
would be between SO and 60 per cent
of iron content, instead of over 80 per
cent, the then prevailing limit. The
condition has been realized in less
| than half decade and there is a pre-
vailing opinion that an even lower
standard for merchantable ore in the
Lake Superior country is even now at
hand. Considerable ore between 40
and so per cent in iron was mined at
Ishpeming, [Michigan] last year, and
iron men no longer look for the ''lOw
grade" properties as formerly. The
lowering Of the standard has increas-
ed the available supply considerably.
1t has been due partly to the advant-
ages of cheaper mining and transpor-
tation and improvement in furnace
practice, but it is a certain indicat-
ion of the realization of the iron con-
sumers that there is limit to the
amount of high grade ore in the Lake
Superior district. The chief consider
alton in the situation is the Lake
Superior supply, sibcesfrom that dis
trict in 1902, 70 per cent of the iron
ore production of the United States
came, and in 1903 and increasing por-
portion. The older eastern and south
ern districts do not hold any large
ore reserves, and the newer districts
are as yet all uncertain OF, unavail-
able.
From the standpoint of the Lake
Superior supply an interesting esti-
nation as to the available iron ore of
the whole country can therefore be
drawn. Estimates made by the
United States Genealogical Survey in
1902 of the amount of merchantable
ore In sight that is ore in sight that
is ore above SO per cent in iron, give
the ore reserve in the Mesaba district
as 500, 600, 900 to 7OO,0OO,OO0 tons. The
aggregate of ore in sight in all the
other Lake Superior district is placed
at 350,000,O00 tons. Explorations
since this estimate was made have
not materially increased these re-
serves. 1t is fair then in the light of
the present known facts the iron-ore
supply in the Lake Superior districts
to place the available reserve at ,000,.
600, 900 tons of SO per cent ore. With
this as basis and the figures of an.
nual consumption as a measure the
time of the exaustiorf of these iron
ore reserves can be estimated The
production of the Lake superior
mines in 1890. 1901, 1902 average
about 5000, 900 tons; in 1893 it fell tt
6,000,0 900 tons year. The production
in 1902 was q, 1863, 900 tons and in 100;
was "a, 300,00 tons to use round fig
ures. Take this as indicating a pre-
sent yearly demand for %, 100000 ton
and allowing for no increase tn
visible ore would be exhausted il
forty years. Allowing for an averag
5 annual increase of i've per cent, which
I is fair increase deduced from TIL
! 1899 and is within the estimate,
5 general increase of business for tn
country. not allowing for the yearl
: enlargement of the uses Of iron in al
6 lines, il can be automatically com
Z puted that the available ore estimat
9 ed will be exhausted in twenty tire
years.
On the other side OF the question
the possibility and probability tina
iron ores below SO per cent will b
utilized in the near future This wi
: largely increase the available supply
9 but how much cannot be estimated
Z as these ''low grade" ore bodies hav
not ordinarily been explored. The
g there is Il fair certainly that new or
8 bodies will be located within the di!
: tricts now worked for ore. Thes
9 new bodies cannot be very large, nc
& can thew affect The suDDly in any sue