The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1905-04-18

MINNESOTA
SUPERIOR IS OPEN;
ERIE STILL TIGHT
EXTRAORDINARY SITUATION OF
LAKE NAVIGATION.
Ore Traffic Begins in the North, While
Vessels Cannot Move in the Lower
/. Lakes Boats May Not Come Up for
Ten Days Yet-News from the Mines.
Special to The Journal.

Special to The Journal.
Duluth, Mimi, April 1S.-The first ore was
loaded at mines of the Gogebic range last week,
and the docks at Ashland are being filled. The
port will not be open for some time, as it is
In IL bay which does not thaw readily. Ore
has arrived at Marquette docks from Ishpem-
ing. Shipments were made during the week
from the Two Harbors DOCKS from the Mesaba
range. and the docks of the Duluth, Missabe u
Northern road are rapidly filing. Escanaba has
commenced shipments and almost every port
on the lakes Is open. r.
But the lower lakes are closed. For the first
time in the history of the lake trade western
Lake Superior is wide open while Erie Is SO
solid steel ships are damaged While trying 10
break thru, and eastern Superior has white Ice
from Iroquois to Whitefsh point 1t may be
two weeks before lower lake vessels can get up.
The Buffalo s. Susquehanna Iron company at
its Monro mine, Iron Mountain, Is making I'M
provements leading to far larger output than
before New buildings are going in, new ma
chinery has been placed and quantity OF strlp-
ping is being taken off the ore body, which IL
to be mined by the milling process. Some ore
has been mined, but the greater part Of work
done has been in getting ready for lively sum
mer. This is the only one OF the Buffalo &
Susquehanna mines that shows signs OF opera
ton. -.. vs. ar-
The Oliver Iron Mining company. at its Mans
field mine Crystal Falls, is bailing the wasst
out very fast, and in less than thirty days 1t
will be possible to install the big pumps and
begin underground drifting. BY June the mine
should be producing at good rate, unless
there are unforeseen hindrances. The company 8
other mines In this region are busy. At the
Corrigan mines of Crystal Falls great deal of
work is going on, and shipments Of ore to Es-
CANADA have begun. At Great Western the big
cave is being filled from surface and the ore
that was exposed is being mined beneath the
fill, which is settling down as desired. The
cave Is kept full of waste earth, and as mining
goes on below the filling is run down and more
is put in to replace 1t. This saves the exposed
ore and the shaft
Lincoln mine has commenced hosting ore;
Lamont will have its crusher ready and In
operation in week or more; the water is being
lowered in the Dunn pit thru the drill holes
bored to the old workings. tho slowly on &C.
count Of the fact that these holes were not put
thru to water. but were stopped in loose GROUND
and readily become clogged. second crushel
and new equipment Of hosting machinery II
being placed at Tobin mine, which is to be 8
very large producer this year. ..s.,.
The production this year of silicious, lfmonitit
and other off ores, including lean bessemers Of
the Marquette and Cascade ranges, the sale OF
which in some quantity was referred to last
week, is sure to be far larger than it has beei
for any preceding year. Ever since the Mesabt
range became prominent these ores have beer
! considered valuable. largely as a mix for thu
! low silicon Mesabas. but of late for themselves
| They are mostly easily mined, are in large guam
| titles. near the surface, and the slicous bes
semers carry very low percentages Of phosphorus
| about 40 to % per cent iron and 35 to 40 PEI
cent silica making them excellent for furnace
| use. The Oliver Iron Mining company is mimi,
| one of these properties the Cascade range b.
steam shovel, having stripped few feet of sur
| face off the bed Of ore. Others are operated
by milling.