The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-12-24
PANAMA 4 POOR
SECOND TO MESABA
MINE STRIPPING WILL BE HEAV-
TER THAN EVER.
From Thirty to Thirty live Steamshov-
els Will Be Employed and Amount
Of Earth to Be Removed Will Prob
ably Not Be Less Than 100000
Shipping Records.
Special to The Journal.

Duluth, Dec. 24.-Ihere Will be
great amount Of stripping on Mesaba
range mines this winter--far more than
ever before. Mine operations of the
shipping season were so heavy that it
is absolutely necessary to keep ahead of
them by additional stripping. 1t was
but few years ago that mine opera
tors thought they could not strip in
cold weather, but necessity has shown
them that they can as easily as in sum-
mer.
Few persons realize the enormous
amount of dirt that is moved in an or
binary year on the Mesaba range, in
preparing for mine shipments. The
Drake & Stratton company has kept
ten shovels busy all the past season,
many of them working straight thru
the year, and has moved something
like 10000 900 yards in that time. 9th
err contractors have had nearly as many,
and mining companies have been very
busy also, so that the amount of dirt
moved during the year has been not
less than 100000 yards.
For the coming year there will be
from thirty to thirtyfve shovels en-
ploved, and the amount of material to
be taken off ore bodies on the range
should not be less than 100000
yards. If the Panama canal excavators
move anything like this in a year it
would be heralded from one end of the
country to the other as a most remark
able achievement. And so it would.
Hut Mesaha range stripping operators
90 about it as a mere matter of the
days work.
What Is Being Done.
Stripping will be started in a few
days for the winter at the Burt pit,
where an enormous amount of ore was
tai ken out this year, and where the
mine shovels are close on the heels of
the shippers. This work is to be done
by Winston & Dear, who have been in
that pit for long time.
The Drake & Stratton company is
busy in the Fayal, Leonard and Steven
son mines, where an enormous amount
of stripping has been carried on, and
where much more remains to be DONE
At the Stevenson new pit is being
opened diagonallv to the old one, from
which so large tonnage has been
taken in the past few years. This
new pit will maintain the companv's
tonnage at about 100000 tons for an
other year, and possibly for a slightly
longer period, but it cannot be ex-
pected that this mine, which is not
large as Mesaba mine SGD, shall con-
tinue the enormous tonnage Of present
years very long It has been for this
reason that some Of the steelmaking
companies that have long-term con-
tracts for Stevenson ore at low, prices
have been pushing for delivery faster
than their contracts called.
At Leonard there is to be great
stripping work The mine is deep and
the pit is now very much CONSTRUCTED,
so that any large. addition to present
tonnage will require millions of yards
of additional earth removed.
The Pillsbury stripping which has
been under. way for a wear, is going
on this winter and will be pushed
thru steadily. It is probable that his
large property in time New approaches
have been put in at Pillsburv and the
mine will be larger producer the
coming year.
On the Western Mesaba.
O On western Mesaba properties, from
s$Nashwauk to Coleraine, stripping will
be continued thru the winter At the
Mountain Iron mine the year s produc-
ton has been so great that stripping
must be maintained all winter on a
considerable scale in order to give
, room for the production Of next sea-
soon.
= It is expected that not less than 80
to 35 steam shovels will be employed
coming year and that these will move
during the season of 1907 not less than
100000 cubic yards of material.
/ The Duluth, Missabe & Northern road
is now building ten miles of additional
: yards at Proctor to accommodate the
vast: increase in traffic expected the
coming season. The road has ordered
about eight miles of freight cars, and
this new yard will scarcely more than
accommodate them. Large additional
yards have been built at various points
along the Alborn branch to Coleraine.
Cleveland Cliffs Best Year.
The Cleveland Cliffs Iron company
has finished the year with shipments
Of greater volume of ore than any
preceding season, namely 2,221, 1853 tons,
This is to be compared With 2,1o1 ,c2i
tons last year and with 1926, 125 tons
in 1904. The company has not only
; made a larger production than before
from some of its older mines, but it
has added the Iron Belt. of the Goge.
bic, the Crosby of the Mesaba and the
Austin Of the Marquette district.
Crosby mine has shipped this yeal
$4,000 tons. This ore is milled down
and hoisted from underground The
mine is so mixed with rock that il
takes good deal of care to get a
clean product. A steam shovel has
been stripping a new portion of the
deposit and it is hoped that the guam
SIl!y Oh ore, rs well as the ease OF
mining it. will improve with new de-
velopments.
The Newport mine, owned by FREQ
Schlesinger,. at Ironwood, on the Goge
bic range, has shipped this year 1855,
900 tons, an increase Of about %, OO(
tons. The Norrie, also at Ironwood
and belonging to the Oliver company
has shipped this year 725,OOO tons
and the Oliver group there has pro
duced for the year the large amount
Of 100000 tons.
Pickands, Mather & Co. have added
the Pike to their Gogebic holdings.