Jefferson jimplecute. (Jefferson, Tex.) 1907-1926, 1911-01-27
IRON DEVELOPMENT
IN EAST Texas FIELDS
+. y. WHERRN OF MISSOURI
WRITES GONERNO-ELECT
COLQUITT.
He Advocates Establishment of
Local Iron and Steel Manu-
featuring Plants.


County, Missouri f. p. Wherry ex-
presses the hope that the Cherokee
iron fields may be fully developed. He
attaches newspaper clipping telling
OF the incorporation of the Port Boil
var Iron Ore Railroad and its intention
to build from Longview to Cass and
Marion counties and develop the iron
fields there under the direction of
Chas. NJ. Schwab and associates. Mr..
| schwab is the well-known steel mag
nate.
Mr. Wherry's Letter.
Mr.. Wherry's letter says: "The at.
tached newspaper clipping refers to
a method Of dsposing of East Texas
iron ores, which | have been edeavor-
ing to forettall for several years by
urging the establishment of a local
iron and steel manufacturing industry
in the Cherokee County district.
at is evident that Mr.. Schwab has
found these ores well adapted for the
manufacture Of the high.grade steel for
which his Bethlehem works are noted,
and, AZ such being the case there is no
reason why similar material can not be
produced in Texas with similar treat
ment. As 1t will cost about 81 ton to
mine and load the ore on cars and the
transportation charges Of at least 81
per ton to Bethlehem will make its de-
livery cost not less than 50 per ton, the
two tons Of ore required to produce
ton of pig iron will amount to not less
than $40. The cost of ore delivered to
the state furnace al Rusl is less than
81 per ton, or, say s. per ton of pig
iron, 80 that with the coke at So per
ton, the total expense of ore and coke
per ton OF pig iron at Rusk is consid-
erably less than the cost Of ore alone
delivered at Bethlehem. From this it
will appear that with similar manu-
featuring facilities there should be no
difficulty in producing finished iron
and steel products in the Texas iron
ore district even more eheaply than at
Bethlehem or other manufacturing
centers operating under similar CON
| ditlons?
"Ihe average profit per ton Of the
finished material reported by the
United States Steel Corporation for the
year 1909 was $l3,25, aud If we add to
this the average freight rate of about
80. per ton from the various impor-
tant manufacturing centers to Texas
common points, we find that the peo-
pie of Texas are in this respect very
dearly for their failure to take adyan-
tage Of their abundant natural re-
sources,
"tiuding after it was first announ-
oed that Mr.. Schwab was becoming in
terested in that region that most OF
the Texas railroad officials agreed with
me IN the opinion that the industrial
| development Of the state, with its con-
sequent benefits to all it's property in
terests depended upon the conversion
these ores into finished iron and steel
locally. | undertook a careful iuves-
| tlgatlon OF the Cherokee County dis
uiet, with a view TO presenting the
proposition to TO Eastern investors
have recently returned from an ux.
tended visit TO Philadelphia, Pitts
burg and New York, aud ana glad 10
say that / was very kindly received by
many of the capitalists of those cities,
some Of whom have shown sufficient
interest 60 request a further opportu.
nifty 20 DISCUSS the matter after the
| inst of the year