Evening star., 1917-11-04
Copyright. 1917. by Frank G. Carpenter.)
HIRRINfs Mimi


HIBBING, MINI.
~ ONE with me to Minnesota and
N take look at an industry upon
~ which depends our success or
~ failure in the great war IN Eu-
rope. We are in the center of the most
important iron mines on the globe. All
about us are mighty pits. some as big as
q good-sized farm, from which they are
taking out ore for the making of steel
for armor plates, motor trucks. railway
tracks, airplanes and shells and pro-
jectiles. The most of the work Is done
with dynamite and steam shovels; and
the base metal is hardly touched by
mans hand from the time 1t comes out
of the earth until it has passed through
the furnaces and gone forth in ships,
cars and in guns and other munitions
of war.
There is no other place in the world
where iron is mined so efficiently. and
none where il is found in such quanti--
ties. More than three-fourths of all the
iron ever produced in the United States
has come from this Lake Superior re-
gion. The amount is SO great that we
cannot comprehend it. The ore carried
down the lakes last year was 65,0O0,0OO
tons. enough to have filled train OF
sixty-five-ton cars. reaching from San
FI2HClSCO u 2NSW 4OfAs dA0 IL thA lhShS
across theAtlantic to where our soldiers
are using steel guns made Of that ore
on the battlehelds of France. Moreover,
the product steadily grows In the year
1906 It had doubled and by the output
this year 1t will probably be doubled
again. Since the war in Europe began
the demand has 1eaped, and our govern
ment is now pushing the miners to do
moro than ever.
This region contains the most and
best of our iron deposits. We know that
to be SO for the scientists of the geo
logical survey recently went over the
United States and took account OF our
resources. They put all our iron into
two classes. One was the available ores;
or those that are SO rich that they can
be easily and prontably mined at this
time. The other was the unavailable
ores. or those which have smaller per-
centage of iron, but which 1t may pay
to save for use in the future All OF the
available iron of the United States was
then estimated at little over hve bill
lion tons. and of this three and one
half billions were shown to be in the
Lake Superior region. The remainder,
little less than one-third OF the whole,
is in the eastern states. the lower mis-
sissippi valley and in the Rocky noun
toms and the Pacific slope.
As to the lean ores which may be OF
value in the future, our reserves OF that
of which seventy-two billions are located
in the Lake Superior region.
The rest Of the globe, so far as Is
known. has no beds Of iron to compare
with these Of Lake Superior. Germany
has. all told. something like two billion
tons of ore and the iron in 1t Is 80
small that much Of 1t would be classed as
unavailable here. Russia has perhaps
ovd half tnro at RTOunn
France has an equal amount and Austria
Hungary and Great Britain have each
about one billion tons. Spain has about
i've hundred million tons and Sweden
serves The ore Of the two latter coun-
tries is OF excellent quality.
Az to the ore reserves OF Africa. Asia
and South America. those continents arc
knowledge Of their iron deposits is to be
had. There is considerable iron In Asia.
and small deposits here and there in
Australia. During my recent visit to
something like two billion tons In CEN
trail Brazil. and 1 know that the Bethle.
hem Steel Company has long lease on
an iron mountain in Chile. None OF these
countries has anything which equals the
resources Of the United States. and there
IS no doubt that We are bound to hold our
supremacy in the steel markets OF the
world The indication IL that we shall
have to furnish the bulk Of the steel for
our allies in Europe. and that. when the
war is over. that continent win be. for
the most part. rehabilitated by products
made from American ore.
These great iron deposits lie on the
south and west sides Of Lake Superior.
mo FIRST to be discovered were on the
Msrquette and Goseblc ranges. in the
states of Michigan and Wisconsin. They
have produced up to last year about szo.-
00o0 tons sof ore. The mines at the
~ <t,A5 n lrA q In nd