Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1909-07-01
Iron Mining in Howell County.
lFrom the west Plains Gnzette.l

AAACAA ehC WOol IuNtllcsl
The Carson iron mine, three
miles east of West Plains, has
shut down, and according to re-
ports the mine will not again be
operated by the present owners,
the Frisco Ore Mining lGompany.
For several days men have been
engaged in dismantliag the ma
chinery, which will DO sold and
shipped to other points. The
steam shovel, that cosS $4,000, will
be shipped to ST. Louis and the
washer moved to some other mine.
The remaining machinery will be
left on the ground until sold.
For some time it has been re-
ported that the Carson mine was
"playing OUT" that the ore was
almost exhausted, and this is given
out by the company as reason
for shutting down tho mine. But
miners who have been working at
the mine for many years say that
there is yet great deal of ore in
the hill and much more under the
big sluice pond where the water
from the washer was drained and
which is covered with soft red
mud like quicksand to a depth of
forty feet in some places.
For seven years the Frisco Ore
Mining Company, of which w. F.
McClurg was the general manager,
has owned and operated the Car
son mine. In that time 5000 cars
of ore we're shipped from the mine
to the St. Louis Blast Furnace
Company. The ore from this
mine is of high grade, running
from So to So per cent. pure met
allie iron, and makes very SUI
pererior grade Of. steel. All the
ore was washed and the flint picked
out before it was loaded in the
cars, making it Of high grade and
the smelters preferred it to the
other ores.
Originally the Carson mine was
the property Of David Carson, who
came to this country from Sligo,
where he operated the Sligo fur
mace, which is still in existence. Mr..
Carson owned the smelter before
the war, and made considerable
steel that was used by the Federal
government in plating gun boats.
Meeting with reyerses, Mr.. Carson
decided to seek a new field. He
came to West Plains and located
the mine which became known as
the Carson iron mine. He bought
the property of E. j. Davidson
and for a time mined considerable
ore which he shipped to the Amer
lean Smelling and Refining Com
pany at Argentine, near Kansas
City. The railroads soon raised
the freight rate and as the mining
of this ore became Improbable
Mr.. Carson shut down the mine.
Later the mine was sold under a
mortgage and became the proper
ty of 7. j. Whitmire, John Hal
stead and others.
Seven years ago the st. Louis
Blast Furnace Company bought
the Carson iron mine. They or
ganized the Frisco Ore Mining
Company and spent considerable
money to get the mine on pay
ing basis. The land cost the
company 500, 900; the steam shovel
$4,000; washer, $4,000, and deep
we'll and other machinery $4,000.
BY judicious management the
property yielded handsome returns
the net profits during the seven
years reaching $4,000.
Many persons believe that like
the famous Iron Mountain, which
was reported to have "played out"
many years ago, butts now pay
ing mine, the Carson mine still
contains a big body Of rich ore,
and If the present owners do not
work it, other parties may some
day delve into it's unknown depths