The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1905-04-18
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 filed. The
port will not be open for some time, us 1t is
In bay which does not thaw readily. Ore
has arrived at Marquette docks from lshpem-
ing. Shipments were made during the week
from the Two Harbors docks, from the Mesaba
range and the docks of the Duluth, Missabe &
Northern road are rapidly filing. Escanaba has
commenced shipments and almost every port
on the lakes is open. Ar
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 to
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 & 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 strip
ping is being taken off the body, which is
10 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 OF the Buffalo &
SnSQuehanna mines that shows signs OF opera
ton. y.... -..# - -.# ~
The Oliver Iron Mining company at its Mans.
field mine. Crystal Falls, is bailing the watrs
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 ore at good rate, unless
there are unforeseen hindrances. The company 6
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 Els
CANADA have begun. At Great Western the big
cave is being filed 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 mining
goes 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 hoisting ore
| Lamont will have It's crusher ready and IL
| operation in week or more the water is being
lowered in the Dunn pit thru the drill hole
| bored to the old workings. tho slowly on &C
count of the fact that these holes were not pu
thru to water, but were stopped In loose grount
| and readily become clogged. second crushe
and a new equipment of hosting machinery Il
being placed at Tobin mine, which Is to be
very large producer this year.
| The production this year Of silicious, lfmoniti
| and other off Ores including lean bessemers o
! the Marquette and Cascade ranges, the sale o
which in some quantity referred to las
week. is sure to be far larger than it has bee
for any preceding year. Ever since the Mesab
range became prominent these have bee
| considered valuable. largely a mix for tn
low silicon Mesabas. but of late for themselves
They are mostly easily mined. are In large guam
titles near the surface, and the silicious bes
semers carry very low percentages or phosphorus
about 40 to 45 per cent iron and 35 to 40 pc
cent silica, making them excellent for furnac
use, The oliver Iron Mining company Is mimi
one of these properties on the Cascade range b
steam shovel having stripped n few feet of sui
face off the bed Of ore. Others are operate
by milling.