The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-12-23
|[LOORADO IN |REL AND;
RICHES IN MINERALS
Immense Seams Of Coal, Iron and
Fire Clay Discovered in
North Antrim. s
Special Cable to The Journal.

Dublin, Dec. 22.-Economists have
attributed much of Ireland's poverty
to her comparative deartb Of mineral
products. A discovery has been made
at Ballycastle in North Antrim which
indicates that nature has been far
kinder to the ever green isle' in this
respect than had generally been sup
posed. Immense seams Of coal, iron
ore and fire clay have been found and
a company with $4,000, 1000 capital has
been formed to work the mines. Their
operation must exercise great influence
IN acceleratlng the progress Of indus
trial development in that part of the
country at least. It means q big boom.
The story of the discovery is an un-
commonly interesting one. Back in
the eighteenth century coal mines had
been worked in the neighborhood, but
u was supposed that the deposits had
Braude, an eminent mining expert, who
had made fortune in South Africa,
CHANGED to visit the region on a holiday
tour. Going over the ground, his
KEEN eyes !. observed signs that
appealed to him far more strongly than
the beauty. OF the landscape. In con-
sequence he communicated with the
geological and survey department of
ireland and received the report of Pro-
lessor Hull, who declared that his in
vestigations had convinced him that
the Garner, workings had practically ex-
hausted the entire coal deposit
Millions of Tons of Coal.
Had Mr.. Braude been satisfied with
the report of the government expert.
Ireland g new Eldorado would have re-
manned undiscovered for perhaps an
other century. But Mr.. Braude IS
South African experience had not i'm
the value of departmental. employees
researches. He engaged Professor
Cole, one of the most eminent of Irish
biologists, to make fresh survey.
The result entirely confirmed Mr..
Braude's own judgment. After going
carefully over the ground, testing the
thickness of the seams revealed by the
bor1ngs, he gave it as his opinion that
at least 55,0OO,OoO tons of coal of :ex-
ceiIent quality were accessible there.
the existence of large quantities of
biack-band iron stone. The actual
discovery of the stone did not create
much surprise, but people opened their
eyes IN establishment when Professor
Cole declared there were at the lowest
eStlmate loo,OOu,OOU tons of it. Ar
.alysts'. tests showed that the stone is
one OF the richest ores in the world,
being. superior even to the best Of the
FAMED Spanish ores. The average of
the latter is 60 per cent of peroxide of
lron, while the Irish find, according to
the analysts figures, yields slightly
over 81 per cent.
Another discovery no less remarkable
coon followed. This was an enormous
|. deposit of fire CLAW. a substance whose
existence was hitherto unknown in Ire
land, Of frst-class quality.
1t is expected that when the COM
p!ete coal mining appliances are run
ming 1,O0O, 900 tons will be raised each
year. The 1ronstone deposits will be
worked for all they are worth and an
up-to-date freclay brick plant will he
out down. The combined Operations
will furnish employment to something
like 1000 men.