Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1915-10-14
Iron Ore Lands Purchased.
tFrom the St. Louis Republic.)

IuECud6o hdu0 IeccuuJ ny lurcc OV'
Louisians, representing Eastern and
Northern iron furnace owners, of the
mines and vast areas of iron ore lands
in st. Francois and Iron counties, Mis-
souri,, for almost half century oper-
ated successfully by the old Iron
Mountain Company of st. Louis, is
looked upon by those interested in
the iron trade of the st. Louis indus
trial district as the surest evidence
that the organization of the great in
dependent steel-producing plants into
second organization resembling the
United States Steel Corporation has
created demand on the part of the
independents for ore land leases
wherever they be obtained and has
brought an extensive speculative
movement in the ownership of such
lands.
The sale of the 1900 acres Of the
old Iron Mountain Company to the
Superior Iron and Furnace Company
of st. Louis was followed by the pur-
chase of 10000 acres of proved iron
ore land in Wayne County, Missouri,
along the Iron Mountain Railroad be-
tween Keener and Poplar Bluff. Part
of the tract is in Butler County. The
purchase was made in the name of the
Radinm Iron Company Of Chicago,
which is said to be under contract to
furnish raw ore to the syndicate
which recently planned to open the
Iroquois iron furnace in South Chica-
60 as an Independent producer Of pig
iron.
THIRD COMPANY BUYS TRACT.
Still another company composed of
st. Louisians about the same time
closed deal for 40O-acre tract Of
ore-bearing land adjoining almost on
the north the property of the Radium
Iron Company. This concern was in
! corporated as the Ozark Iron and Fur
mace Company.
All three organizations have plans
for development, the only difference
being in the volume of output. All
are agreed in the purpose of erecting
and operating cold blast charcoal fur
naces to reduce the highest grades of
ore. Cold blast charcoal iron is made
only in three or four place in the
country Hanging Rock and Ironton,
Ohio, and Glen, Pa, while the first
plant established in the country, more
than 1870 years ago, at New Canaan,
Conn, still is in operation.
The price Of this iron has not varied
more than 50 from $40 ton in 80
years. It 10 used In the FFoductionpof
Z steel for ordnance and tool making
/ nad for the making of the chilled steel
rolIs necessary in all of the rolling
mills OF the country. Recently auto
mobile manufacturers in various cities
have been using some of the expen-
sive iron in making automobiles parts
mot bodies or heavy parts.
no PRODUCE HIGH GRADE ORE.
The three companies recently or
ganized to operate in Southeast Mis-
souri, have made furnace provisions
for an output Of 75 tons day Of the
high grade iron. All of them have
submitted proposals to furnace own
ers and steel users of other cities and
to prospective operators Of blast fur
naces in st. Louis, for the furnishing
of unlimited quantities of iron ore
known in the market as No. !. In the
Southeast Missouri counties No. / ore
runs from 55 per cent to So per cent
metallic iron. 1t is desired by sheet.
steel makers Of the st. Louis district
to mix with lake or Northern ore.
In his office in the Syndicate Trus
buiEding yesterday O. A. Burton, one
of the members of the new Superior
Iron and Furnace Company, which
purchased the old Iron Mountain
property, said the new company has
patd-up capital of 100000 and thai
&257, 900 had been paid for the prop
erty.
FORTY MEN ALREADY EMPLOYED,
'fWithin the next four MONTHS" ht
said, "we will construct lotion fur
mace on the switch track of the Iroi
Mountain Railroad that skirts ou
property. Within six months we viii
be making iron. We have 40 men a
work cutting wood for charcoal witt
which to smelt the iron and will min'
only what iron we use in our owl
furnace and what is bought from u
by other furnaces.
''We get our ore, limestone, smelt
ing fnel and water power on our owl
property in unlimited quantities and |
will therefore cost US virtually so pc
cent less to manufacture this high
, grade iron than 10 paid by other com
panies in the East and we are just q
Z close to the central markets as are tn
Eastern mills.
"Our plant will employ about 8
men regularly, not counting miners
who will be employed as needed i
mining ore for outside furnaces. Ou
water power comes from q 32O-acr
lake on top OF our mountain and ou
company plans to have hotel ant
summer resort at that lake. All o
our plans together will furnish one
fourth Of the population Of city Q
1900 inhabitants which we expect t
see at Iron Mountain within thre