The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1907-12-27
IRON ORE BEDS
IN LAKE COUNTY
State Geologist Blotchley
Tells of Deposits in
Swamp Districts.
STATE ONCE LARGE PRODUCER
Difficulties Attendent to Mining
Metal Makes Presence
Unimportant.

TO say that Indiana was at one time
a chief iron producing state might an
pear to be misleading. according to
State Geologist Blatchley. but when we
go back to the years of 1830-1S7O and
| find dozen blast furnaces in onera
ton and producing a fairly good ton
mage OF iron, we cannot fail to see that
Indiana was a large producer of iron.
some or the furnaces used exclusively
Indiana ores. Others worked these
ores mixed with foreign ores. others
used only such ores as were shipped
10 them from deposits like Iron Noun
tain" Missouri.
ne hankakee and lake region is
comprised of the counties of Lake, Por-
Ter, l+aPorte, St Joseph, Elkhart. La
grange Steuben. DeKalb, Noble, Kos
clusko' Marshall Starke, Whitley.
Northern Wabash. Fulton, Pulaski and
the northern part of Newton and Jas
per. This area includes more than 25O
lakes' varying in size from less than a
fourth of square mile in area 10 a
little over five and one-half square
miles, and varying i'll depth from few
lett TO l25 feet. The rivers and
streams wind through marshes. with a
slight current and without definite
banks The Kankalxee marshes com
prise the most extensive body of swamp
land in Indiana. The original area of
this marsh land in the seven counties
drained by this stream was almost a.
half million acres. The Calumet river
is also noted for its low banks and the
sluggish action of the water. Much has
been done by the use of artificial
bitches a in
there are thousands of acres that for
four or five months of the wear are
covered with from one to five feet Of
water and during the remainder of the
year this area is little better than an
immense bog.
In the margin of many of the lakes
and In the marshes are found consid-
cradle quantities of limonite or bog
iron ore. and peat formed by the par
tial decomposition of vegetation be-
meath the surface of the water. AL
though this ore is apparently abund-
ant in many places and would yield a
superior iron. yet the expense Of remoy-
ing the everything material increases
the cost of the ore so that it cannot be
furnished in competition at present
with the rich ores of the Lake SUPERIOR
region. An excellent fuel, where great
heat is required, has been produced by
mixing about equal proportions of coal
and peat, and when some such plan
has been devised for converting the
peat with which the ore is associated
into fuel that can be successfully used
in iron manufacture, each may add to
the value of the other and bring these
marshes into more favorable notice.
The bog ore in Indiana is usually
found al the bottom of the peat bogs.
often as a hardpan of iron ore, some
times one or two feet thick 1t is also
found in masses scattered through the
lower materials OF the marshes; masses
OF several tons weight have been found
in few places. 1t is never crystal
ized but grades from the loose. por-
Gus bog ore and earthly ochre OF brown
10 yellow color to more compact vari-
ties. Bog ore. or limonite. is variety
of brown hematite, usually quite impure
from sand, clay and Phosphorus 1t is
often found intermiNed with or replac- I
ing leaves OF twigs. It collects in low
places even where there is no decided I
bog
"A sedimentary deposit OF bog iron /
is finally concentrated by precipitation /
Of the mineral in marsh or lagoon T
But the earlier stages of the work Of
segregation are by underground waters. I
and if their part Of the work were con
sidered the ores would be classed as