The Richmond palladium. (Richmond, Ind.) 1906-1907, 1906-06-24

I pected to be larger shortly when the de-
velopment of water powers, now under
way. furnishes substitute for the lack
Of coal for power creation.
These shipments came from I'VE ranges,
as follows: Mesaba range. in Minnesota.
20,153 800 tons; vermilion range, In
Minnesota, 1,677. 1875 tons; Gogebic range,
in Michigan, S.7O5.207 tons; Menominee
range, In Wisconsin. 1854 tons: Mar
Quette range. In Michigan. 4. 21o, $50 tons;
miscellaneous from wisconsin,, 1891
tons.
OF these I'VE ranges the youngest and
greatest and most interesting Is the
Mesaba. which made its first shipment In
1892. when It sent out 4.245 tons From
that point its advance was rapid ana
continuous, until last year its output. as
stated above, was nearly two-thirds of
the total from the Lake Superior dis
tricts. One mine alone on this range,
the Mountain Iron Mine, shipped In 1905
almost 2.b00.o0 tons
Probably two-thirdu Of the known de-
posits Of iron ore In the Lake Superior
regions IL owned or controlled By the
United States Steel Corporation, other
wise known as the 'steel trust" but the
remaining one-third IN owned by individ-
uals or by Independent manufacturers Of
steel products Several large manufac-
turing concerns outside Of the regular
steel trade. including one manufacturer
OF farm machinery. using considerable
quantities Of iron and steel. own mines
In this section and ship their own ore to
their own smelters to be made into pig
iron for use In their own factories. The
steel trust. however does better than
this. It ships its own ore over it's own
railroads to its own docks. and In its
own boats to its own smelters.
Labor IN the mines and upon the rail-
roads, docks and vessels engaged In the
iron trade Is well paid. as a rule. and
there Is. perhaps. no Industrial section Of
this country 80 free from labor troubles
as the iron mining regions Of Minnesota,
Michigan and wisconsin. The only
strikes that have occurred In recent years
have been among the laborers employed
by individuals or corporations to whom
the mine operators have let contracts for
stripping" a process to be described
later.
Ease and cheapness OF mining are prom
inent features Of many parts Of this re-
gion. while modern American methods Of
handling and hauling the product bring
It cheaply and quickly to the smelters Of
the East. Ever& year new discoveries
broaden the known fields Of iron. and the
end Is not yet. Every year great guam
titles Of II are hauled to market, and
vet the supply seems inexhaustible. Yet
II Is not Of course. and experts figure
that at the present rnte Of Increase Of
production the Lake Superior fields Of
high-grade ore will not last more than 80
years.
There are almost as many varieties Of
mining methods In the lake region as
there are varieties Of deposits and these
are many. Sometimes the ore Is found
deeply hidden in the earth. jealousy
guarded by great. difficult beds Of Jasper
and granite. Sometimes the deposits cn-
pear upon the surface. and all that Is
needed in order to work them IL to
strip" or the thin layer OF earth above
them and scoop out the ore as gravel Il
scooped out OF a gravel bed. Sometimes
the ore bodies lie In thin. wide lensea:
sometimes these lenses are horizontal. and
again they may be perpendicular. Some
times the ore IL In round compact masses
with no foreign matter Intervening: some
times I. lies In small areas separated by
earth. taconite. Jasper and granite.
There are three principal methods Of
mining. however. including openpit steam
shovel mining. the milling process and
blasting out the hard ores. In the open
pit mines of the Mesaba range In
Minnesota. they simply scoop II out with
steam shovels in the open daylight. put
It into cars with the same steam shove,s
and run It away to the docks. Often both
steam shovel and milling process are used
In the same mine. part Of which will re-
amir. underground methods. and part OF