The Logan Republican. [volume] (Logan, Utah) 1902-1924, 1914-01-15
IRON ORE
RECORD
Production Of 1918 Exceeds BY Large
Tonnage the Record Figures
OF 1910

The quantity OF iron ore mined in
the. United States in 1913 Is estimated
by e. F. Burchard Of the United
States Geological Survey to have been
between 5s,OOO,OOO and 100000
long tons. This estimate is based on
preliminary reports from rs Of the
largest iron mining companies which
represent the principal iron produc.
ing districts and whose combined out
put is about 81 per cent of the total
iron ore mined in 1912
The average increase In output
shown by these % companies was s.
per cent over that for 1912, and II
this increase should be maintained BY
all the iron companies in the United
States the total output Of iron ore
for 1913 should reach 59,5O0,000 long
tons. At any rate, 1t appears almost
certain that the former high retrd
of iron ore mined, 57,O14.O96 long tons
in 1910 has been surpassed in 1913.
The reports received for 1913 showed
considerable variation in the percent
age of changes In output compared
with 1912, the maximum range being
from a decrease of SO per cent to an
increase of Sc per cent. These APP
parently wide variations were evil
IDENTITY due to conditions affecting par
ticular companies rather than to gen.
eral or even local conditions Of the
iron mining industry; moreover. they
concerned, for the most part, the OPP
erations of companies whose produc'
ton is not sufficiently great to affect
largely the grand total tonnage.
In the Lake Superior district, where
about IS per cent of the domestic iron
ere is mined, the increase in produc-
ton correspondent closely with that
for the United States in general or
about s per cent, thus indicating a
total production for that district OF
about 100000 long tons, compared
with 46,36S,S7S tons in 1912. The year
1913 is therefore a record year for
production and shipments In this dis
trict, also. The preliminary figures
indicate that the shipments OF Lake
Superior ore by water will exceed
As. 900 900 long tons, which, together
with the all rail shipments Of more
than 500, 900 tons brings the figures
for total shipments of Lake ore Veryl
close to the tonnage OF ore mined and
indicates that not much change hasl
occurred in the stocks OF ore at the
mines in the Lake district. These
stocks amounted at the close OF l9lz
to about 100000 long tons OF ore.
In the Birmingham district, Ala
bama, the production of irqh ore IN
1913 as indicated by the preliminary
returns was about 10 per cent greater
than that for 1912. In Tennesseel
there was apparently a. slight decreased
and in North Carolina slight in
crease. New Jersey and New YORK
both showed slight increases, WHILE
Pennsylvania showed a slight del
crease. In the Rocky Mountain dis
trict of Wyoming. Colorado and New
Mexico there was slight decrease.
The types of iron ore produced com
mercially consist Of red and specular
hematite, brown ore, magnetic and
siderite, or spathic ore. Hematite
constitutes about 30 per cent of the
output. Only a very small fraction
of / per cent Of the output is slider
lite, the production. of brown ore and
magnetic together constituting near.
ly 10 per cent Of the total.