The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1911-07-07

pendous figures Of 226,945.375
tons. 1t has been figured out that
if this ore was loaded and put
into one train, using cars Of ordin-
ary size which would hold individ-
ually so tons each, it would extend
1850 miles. The mines on the
Missabe as a rule are operated by
steam shovels, the ore laying un-
der the surface with an over bur-
den ranging from five to sixty
feet. After this surface has been
removed, tracks are laid and
steam shovels are set, which dig
the ore and transfer it to the
steel hopper bottomed ore cars
which are set alongside the shovel,
the cars are then switched out and
taken to the yards and made up
into trains, each car bearing a
card showing the mine where
loaded. The ore is then started
for the docks at the Head of the
Lakes in trains bearing from IS
to 12O cars each pulled by the
most powerful locomotives made.
These docks are built with pockets
open between the rails having a
capacity Of about five cars each,
the loaded cars being set
over the pockets and the
ore then dumped. To the bot
tom of these pockets on the sides
of the docks are attached steel
chutes which when lowered, dips
into the hold of the steamers, the
pockets are then opened and the
ore slides into the steamers which
are thus loaded with 10 to $4,000
tons in less than four hours; the
steamers carrying the ore to South
Chicago and Lake Erie ports for
delivery to the various furnaces.
The three docks of the Duluth,
Missabe and Northern railroad
now in operation, are each 1880
feet long and have total capacity
Of 270 tons, there are approx
mately $50 boats engaged in the
transporting of ore from the Head
of the Lakes to the ore receiving
ports and this tells the story of
what an industry iron ore is and
the fabulous wealth centered in
it.
The western Missabe Range, To-
Gated in the eastern part Of Itasca
county in the Coleraine district
was opened in 1907. There are
vast deposits Of ore in this re-
gion, much of it treated by hav-
ing the sand washed from it, to
make it merchantable, and a spec
tally devised plan had to be inau-
gurated in order to reclaim these
ores.
In our last issue of Opportuni
ties we devoted many pages to the
Vermilian Iron Range, and the
new properties that were being
developed and from close observa.
ton based upon the highest min.
ing engineering skill we are now
able to announce that the Vermil.
ion Range from present outlook
will equal that of the Missabe
when the new properties have
been fully developed and put on
the shipping list.
The Guyana Range is the new.
est in the discovery and produc
ton Of iron ore and there are
many of the best posted mining
engineers who give as their opin
ion that the Guyana is weather
range in iron deposits than that
of the Missabe, and if true we car
look forward to a dozen mining
towns ranging in population from
500 to 10000 on this range.
If we are to have prolonged
stringency in the commercial and
industrial makeup of affairs, Their
the place to invest your loafne
dollars is in iron mining proper.
ties where the formation has been
proven up by diamond drilling
tests pitting or shafts and thus
take advantage of the opportuni
ties that are vouchsafed in this
section Of the world s most favor.
ed spot in natural wealth, especial.