Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-09-23

firm Ohio. Indiana and western Pennsyl-
vania and is shipped from the Lake Erie
ports by the same boats that bring down
the iron ore. They can carry only two
thirds much coal because of the differ
ence In bulk. 1t is very interesting to see
the coal unloaded The work Is all zone
by machinery. Clam-shell buckets or dip
pers similar to those used in dredging are
lowered by electricity into the holds Of
vessels; they close upon the coal as If 1t
were mud, hoisting 1t into enormous bins
at the top of the docks. carrying an average
of ton and half every dip. From the
bins the coal Is let down through chutes
into cars run under them and which haul
IL away to the neighboring factories and
the markets of Minnesota, Dakota, Mon
tana and other parts of the west. In old
times Of wheelbarrows and shovels it used
to take week ten days to unload a
small vessel of coal Today, with the mod
ern machinery on the coal docks at Du-
luth il is common to unload six or seven
thousand tons of coal in a few hours.
Greatest Consumers Of Coal.
Yearly half the coal received at Duluth
is consumed by the railroads. The Great
Northern requir1s six or seven hundred
thousand ions every year, which is de-
lvered at this port and distributed here.
The Northern Pacific requires about 5O0,-
co tons. The South Shore uses about
10000 tons, which is distributed from st.
lgnaGe, the 500, Marquette and other
points along the line; the Mesaba and iron
range roads require about 10000 ms a
year: the Northwestern and other lines
will probably take as much more. The
remainder of the demand is for manufac-
turing and domestic purposes.
The Zenith Furnace Company of Duluth
uses 400 tons of coal per day in making
coke. 1t has plant of fifty ovens and
produces daily 300 tons of furnace coke,
LOCO gallons of tar. 10000 pounds of con-
Centrated ammonia. and 1.25n,CO0 feet of il
Eliminating gas, which Is consumed in the
city of Duluth.
The enormous profits that have been re-
ported by the newspapers in connection
with the iron mines of the Mesaba and
other iron ranges In Minnesota have pro-
voked the granger members of the legisla-
ture to shoulder the burden of taxation so
far as possible upon them. Many members
think that the mines ought to pay taxes
enough to support the entire state govern
ment. They complain that all the ore is
shipped to the east and that Minnesota
loses the benefits that might be derived
from home consumption. They argue that
large increase in the population, wealth
and prosperity of the state might be Sc
cured If the steel trust and other mine own
ers would reduce their ores on the ground
instead of shipping them away.
Great Steel Plant Proposed.
In order to placate this sentiment the
United States Steel Company has decided
Duluth to cost from ten to twelve millions
of dollars. Ground has been purchased and
a large gang of men is now at work clear
ing out the stumps. grading the land and
laying the tracks necessary to bring in ma
chinery and material for building. Plans
have been completed for up-to-date per-
feet establishment with two blast and seven
Open-hearth furnaces, rolling mills for rails,
structural steel and everything else except
plate and wire. About 10000 tons of rails
are imported into Duluth by steamer every
year and nobody knows how many by rail.
The new plant proposes to supply this de-
maHd from the adjoining country. 1t is also
proposed to erect a large group of coke
ovens TO utilize the gas from the furnaces.
which will make about thousand tons of
coke a day. There will also be a cement
plant capable of producing 1000 barrels per
day from the Stag of the furnaces
This new enterprise Will make it neces-
sary to increase the CCal supply at least -
per cent within the next two or three years.
without considering the development of
other interests.