The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-12-30

mite in the blasting out Of the ores
in the mines-discharge that are
echoed the length and breadth of he
range by the rafting fire Of the ex-
plorers firing charges in drill holes.
The extent Of the work that is going
on rather overcomes ones idea Of
measurement and utterly dissipates the
profound respect in which the average
man is apt to hold that unit of weight,
the ton. You must talk of millions of
tons on the range to get a hearing. I
asked an operator what he thought
might be the extent of a new mine
that had been recently found.
"Oh, it is certain to be a small af-
fair" he said. "Not more than 4,0O0,-
900 or 100000 tons, I should iudge.".
Captain Sellwood was standing on
heap of debris that formed an artif-
cial mountain beside ragged chasm,
with companion, when the latter
asked how far the iron formation
reached. .~.-. 49,. ...s-...s
t'see those buildings over yonderg'.'
said the captain, pointing to group
of houses two miles and half away.
"Yes.' - .....-.....
"Well, everything between here and
there is iron ore'' &C.
The intervening space was gashed
and furrowed as though torn up by
some madly propelled gigantic pillow.
In the burrows, regularly laid rails
made, paths for locomotives and cars
and permitted steam shovels-iron
monsters with far-reaching, powerful.
prehensile arms--to reach out. and tear
from its bed the red ore that had lain
for ages waiting to serve the uses Of
man. Ceaseless activity is everywhere,
but the least obtrusive Of the evidence
of life in the scene is man, whose hand
guides the massive machines his genius
has created. Not but that there are
plenty of men engaged in the work, for
they are numerous enough. But they
are lost sight Of in the immensely Of
the operations they direct. A decent
crowd Of men might readily stow them
selves away about one Of the ponder
Gus steam shovels without being con-
spicuously noticeable. -...
Machinery has been created capable
of doing incredible things that were
once by way Of being done by hand.
If science and the mechanic arts had
not been compelled to the service Of the
Steel corporation, the profitable exploit
tation of the ore beds of Minnesota
would be impossible. Nothing is left
to manual labor but the control of the
machines. And the vastness Of the ma
chine equipment Of the Oliver Iron
Mining company-which is the mining
arm Of the Steel corporation-is but
weakly estimated by the contemplation
of the fact that there are in the en-
ploy Of the company upward Of $4,000
........ + j. i
To keep these men employed at all
Seasons Of the year in occupations profit
able to the company and to the indi-
vidual was problem to be met by the
Steel corporation. Like every other
problem set before it's executives, it has
been solved and so effectually solved
that there is no better paid, more pros
porous or contented mining population
i'll the world than that which finds en-
ployment in the iron mines Of Mime
sofa.
The most convincing evidence Of the
fact that the United States Steel cor
poration is something more than a mere
money getting machine; that it accepts
tuoSo IoSpOAS1OAlItles tHdG Idl1 20 IHe
conscientious individual employer Of la
Dor, is the condition Of the people it
carries on its payroll and those de-
pendent on them. Nowhere in the steel
corporation 3 sphere Of influence on the
range is there any Of that sordid pow
erty, ignorance and vice which we have
been led to believe is Inevitable in
mining country. The shocking condi-
tions that have been depicted as nor
nal in the coal countries Of the east
and Europe. the tales Of vice and mis-
cry that are told Of the mining centers,