The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1920-01-30
CARGO" NAME OF
new NEICHB0R
Possible Change In Routing Ores From
This City by New Line.

the entrance of this new industry on
the Mesaba may revive the proposed
development Of water power on the
Vermilion range. Also there is UNI
developed water power near at hand
on Dunka river.
The character Of the proposed out
put of the Mesabi Iron company
is not widely understood ex-
cept perhaps by iron ore operators
and furnacemen. The idea of many
is that the final product is fine pow
der, but on the contrary is in the ma
ture of clinker, which'is produced
after the separation of the ore from
the rock, by the sintering process.
Peat may be used in sintering. Ex
periments are being made. The pro-
duct may be described as clinker of
high grade ore, free from moisture
and all deleterious elements, and
very porous so that the gases of the
furnace, may pass through it with
ease. The desirability of the prod
uct has been established by the pre-
liminary tests, following the opera
ton of the experimental plant in Du-
luth.
If the late Alexander Ramsey,
governor of the state Of Minnesota
! from 1860 to 1862, could be aware
of what is now being done with these
lands on the Eastern Mesaba he
would be intensely interested. He
was prominently identified with the
old Mesaba Iron Company, which was
the original mining company in Min
nesota, and which owned the lands
which are now part of the Mesabi
Iron Company, of which D. c. jack
ling is president. The new company
has perpetuated that name in every
thing except the spelling of the word
Mesabi, and that word is spelled
either carelessly by many or careful
y by the few, but in the end several
ways. The old Mesaba Iron Com
pany used to hold it's annual meetings
n Duluth, and Former Governor
Ramsey was invariaDly present. 1t
has developed that this first iron min
ing company in the state happened
to pick out mineral lands, consisting
of 5000 acres, nearly all on the iron
formation, that were not destined to
come into demand for many years,
and even then not until the ore bear
ing rock has been experimental with
long and carefully and at great ex-
pense.
/ John G. Williams and George A.
st. Clair some years ago acquired
the holdings Of the old Mesaba Iron
Company. These men at the time
had vision. They believed that the
time would come when these lands
would be valuable, and they have
been proved to be such much sooner
than they had expected.
The bulk of the lands of the Me-
sabi Iron Company lie in 60-12 and
60-13. There are other lands not
| yet acquired which the company has
under optien and is investigating.
| There will be no such thing as min
ing in the sense that mining is under
stood, in the operation of the Mesabi
| Iron Company. Their mining will be
Irather quarrying. The operations
will be conducted from surface in
that manner.
The principle involved in the pro-
cess Of separation Of the ore from
the rock which has been adopted by
the, Eesabi Iron Company is not new,
but it should be appreciated that
each time that it. is sought to apply
lit new problems are encountered.
The combinations of problems met
with on the magnetic deposits OF
the East Mesaba are different thar
those at any ether place where pro
cess involving the principle is in.
z volved.
It may not be significant, but it j:
of interest, that the first shipment Of
ore produced by the Mesabi Syndi
lcate, the forerunner of the Mesab
Iron Company, went to Midvale Stee
Co. And this steel company is wei
represented on the board of the Me
sabi Iron.
Phosphorus occurs in both tn,
rock and the ore, in the magnetit,
deposits to be treated commercial.
2 by 'Mesabi Iron Company, but prin
cipally in the rock The phos. in tn
rock is eliminated with the rock, an,
the phos. in the ore is diminished b.
y the treatment.
One of the items of much prospec
= tive importance in the treatment o
the magnetic deposits is that tn
crushed rock is by-product TO
which there may be expected a goo
! demand. It will be crushed in vary
/ ing degrees of .fneness, and thi
waste is desirable for any of the pun
poses of crushed rock, which ar
many.