The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1913-02-01
"On Board the Good Ship Earth"
The Iron Age---and Then What?

have the nitrogen of the world
reduced to possession in the nj
trate beds of Chile so effectively
that his descendants would have
the power to starve our descend
ants if-they chose. Science found
way out of the North clutches.
Who shall show us way out of
the clutches of Judge Gray of the
United States Steel corporation?
For he@-or, rather, his immortal
Entity the corporation itself-is
the Colonel North of Iron.
Most of our iron now available
is in the Lake Superior bunkers
the supplies for the steel and
iron works on the lakes and in
the Pittsburg district come from
there-Gary, South Chicago, Mil
waukee, Detroit, Buffalo, Cleve-
land, Conneaut, Lorain, and the
rest. These stores amounting to
1,500,000,000 tons are owned
mostly by Judge Gary's immortal
Entity--which we created by law.
In the southern iron bins God has
stored almost twice as much
Andrew Carnegie thinks about
$500, 100000 tons-and the best
of this the Entity picked up one
stormy day in 1907 when Mr..
Roosevelt let Gary have the Ten
nessee Coal & Iron Co.-to pre-
vent panic! Altogether we
have in the United States about
10, 100000 tons of iron which
is worth taking into account.
That's what the Lair of Skibo
thinks-but he also says that the
ore bodies when worked out usu-
ally fall short of the estimates.
There is no reason to think we
shall find any great supply to add
to these-not in the United States.
Canada is promising place to
search, and in the unexplored
mountains Of the other continents
great deal may be found-but
to depend on such a thing is like
throwing found money to the dogs
in the confident expectation of
picking up treasure trove before
it's gone. Germany and Britain
and Sweden have the only other
supplies comparable to ours
though Cuba and Brazil have i'm
mense deposits-but they do not
relieve the anxieties much, of a !
Passenger who cares what be-
comes of the folks on board.
Now without any increase in
the rate of mining, the known
supply in the Lake Superior re-
gion will give out within thirty
years. Judge Gary's Entity will
empty those bunkers. BY 1888
half the workable ore in this |
country will be gone-and all the |
time Sweden, Britain and Ger
many will be eating up their sup
ply-and then, resorting to the
poorer ores, the work will go on,
until by the year 1000 our sup
ply will be gone.
/ think the case is one that de-
mands attention on the part of |
those who expect to leave descend
who care about the de-
scendants of others-and that |
ought to take in about every
body.
We as a race should see to it
that iron is saved by all possible
means. For this reason, If for no
other, we should provide for the
carrying of freight on natural or
artificial waterways, so as to
prevent the loss of iron by the /
wearing out of steel rails in car
Tying an unnecessary amount of
,raffic. It's the cheapest way of
freight, anyhow. More
and less spending of
ron on railways. And 1t would
save half the coal bill for trans
too-thus easing up the
of the coal bunkers.
We should use concrete for all /
srections for which 1t is adapted
for there is cement and stone in
plenty for all ages. The next age
should be the Age of Concrete.
We should stop building battle
hips.
Think of robbing the bunkers