The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-11-18
IRON ORES Of
UNITED STATES
In Government Calculations OF
Reserves Utan Mines Are
Not Considered.
LAKE SUPERIOR RESOURCES
REGION ALONE CAN SUPPLY ALL
NEEDS FOR LONG TIME.

About two years ago. in response to a
request from the Swedish parliament, an
eminent Swedish geOlogist prepared a re-
port on the ircn reserves of the world
The report itself attracted little notice in
the United States. even among those di-
rectIy interested in the iron industry, but
early in 1906 a summary of the report was
forwarded by the American consul at
Paris and the wide circulation given
to the consular reports in America re-
suited in drawing considerable attention
TO the matter In both the daily and the
technical press.
The character of the report in the form
i'm which it reached the American public
is fairly indicated in the following ex-
tracts:
1T will surprise a great many to learn
that we are likely to run short of iron
inside of a single century if We keep up
the present rate of consumption. AS a
matter of fact, we are more likely to in
crease the consumption than we are to
reduce it. The world has only ten billion
tons of iron ore available. OF these Ger
many has twice as many tons as the
United States Russia and France have
each 400,O00,0OO tons more than this coun-
try. Assuming therefore as true
the claim of geological science that the
extent of the workable iron ore beds Is
known to within a margin of possible
error not exceeding per cent, the Swed-
| ish report. which is based upon the most
authoritative information. has naturally
attracted worldwide attention.
In an advance chapter from Mineral
Resources of the United States, Calendar
Year 1906" on iron ores, pig iron and
steel. Edwin c. Eckel, of the United
States geological survey. makes the fol
lowing statement concerning the Swedish
report and the subject in general:
ut must be admitted that an official
statement such as this Cthe Swedish re-
porD might fairly cause alarm to those
unacquainted with the facts in the case
and that the daily press cannot be blamed
for taking the matter very seriously. AS
Swedish report did not do justice TO the
American iron ore deposits. and in the
consular translation the injustice was ac-
centuated rather than lessened.
Before taking up the subject of Amerl-
can iron ore reserves in general it may
be well to dispose of one statement in
the quotation: Assuming therefore as
true the claim of geological science that
the extent of the workable iron ore beds
is known to be within a margin of per
cent > This assumption appears TO
be entirely gratuitous- No mining geol-
Ogist of any experience would make such
a claim except for very small or unusual
" uniform ore bodies. Elsewhere, in dis
cussing the Clinton or red ores of Ala
bama. the writer has said: The amount
of Clinton ore in any area can probably
be determined by a sgeolog1St within or
10 per cent. and estimates of red ore re-
serves can therefore be made by COM
petent men with a degree of accuracy
impossible in dealing with the magnetic,
hematites, or brown ores of other dis
tricts' The Clinton ore. 1t must be re
membered. is an exceptionally easy ore
to estimate because IL occurs in bedded
| form and is fairly uniform over con-
sidera BILE distances both vertically and
horizontally In dealing with irregularly
shaped ore bodies an estimate which
came within . per cent OF the actual
quantity might well be considered re-
however the
estimate covers not a single area or de-
posit but the total iron ore contained
in a state or nation. the case is very diff
ferent. for the possibility of error in such
an estimate Is enormous.
''The Lake Superior district, at pres
ent the leading American producer. has
been explored more thoroughly than any
other ore field I'm the United States. but
estimates as to total tonnage range with
i'm rather wide limits. At present the
totals commonly quoted vary from 1.5O0.-
10000 TO 2O00.O00O00 tons. This supply
is being drawn on to meet a constantly
increasing annual demand. and before
1915 the district will probably be called
upon TO ship over 100000 tons of ore
a year. tt is obvious that at such a
rate the Lake Superior ores can hardly be
expected to last beyond the year 1880 and
il is equally obvious that long before that
date the value Of good workable deposits
of iron ore. both there and elsewhere in
the United States, will have increased
''Tn the Rocky mountain and Pacific
states a few large iron ore deposits are
known, and many others are reported, but
any ATTEMPT at an estimate of total ton
mage would be- with only our present
knowledge of the subject, merely the
widest sort Of guessing.
"A more promising field lies in the
oldest estern states. 1t is probable that
careful exploratory work will develop
magnetic iron ores in New York. New
Jersey and Pennsylvania in quantities
far in excess of anything usually con-