Iron County news. [volume] (Hurley, Wis.) 1913-1950, 1921-02-05
ORE RESERVES OF THE
LAKE SUPERIOR DISTRICT
Lake Superior District Has the Re-
sources and Will Be Source of
Supply for Many Years.


erican iron industry situated be-
tween the mountain ranges in the
East and the Rocky mountains in
the West. Chilean, Spanish and
Swedish, and possibly Brazilian
ores may be imported and used in
the furnaces along the Atlantic,
but under present conditions the
ores cannot be transported COM
mercially over the mountains and
brought to the heart of the coun-
try" declares the Iron Trade Re-
view in a lengthy article on the
reserves of the Lake Superior dis
trict.
ORE RESERVES INCREASING
"The great ore beds of Newfound
land from the Hudson Bay dis
trict and other localities may be
considered when the Lake Su-
perior district approaches exhaus-
ton, but the fact is that consider
ed as a whole there is no sign yet
of the exhaustion of the mineral
wealth of the Lake Superior dis
trlCt, says the trade journal.
Big mines are becoming depict
ed rapidly, but reserves of high
grade ore in sight actually are
increasing on some of the ranges,
while the tonnage of the lesser
grades are measureless. With the
principal market and mines thus
fixed in relationship with one an
other, it becomes only a matter of
experience and judgment on the
part of the Lake Superior operators
in selecting those properties which
at the time promise to be the most
profitable,
"A considerable difference of
opinon exists as to what are to be
considered iron ore reserves and
before a clear understanding can be
reached the meaning of iron ore
must be defined" continued the
article.
The practical mining man OF
the Lake Superior district will
speak of reserves as merChantable
ore, conforming as mined with the
prevailing market standards, or
capable of being mixed to conform
with market standards, IS per cent
metallic iron in the bessemer and
| 551z per cent in non. bessemer."
The article continues:
ENOUGH ORE FOR 900 YEARS.
Bases of comparison are not
Uniform either in the United States
or abroad, ore for which there
would be ready market in one
district or country would not be
suitable under conditions prevail
ing III another. In some instances
iron bearing formation as under
stood and estimated by geologists
is confused with merchantable
supplies as interpreted by mine
operator. This same confusion
exists among the mining men of
the Lake Superior district. The
operators or owners understand
that there are at least 2 2,45o, ,Ooo, 900
tons of standard iron ore in the
ground and call these reserves.
At the present rate of consumption
/ these reserves are sufficient to supp
ly the market for 40 years. On
the other hand, in estimating re-
serves some geologists include all
low grade ores and iron bearing
formation and place the figure as
high as Sc, 600, 600, ,oocs ano more,
enough to supply the world for
1000 years. The iron bearing
formation in the Lake Superior
district is so vast that tbs foremost
biologists will not attempt to esti-
mate the tonnage contained in it.
RESERVES DEFEND on LoWGRADEs
Operators know that for each
drop of ten per cent in the proper
tion of meta,nc ron, billions Of tons
will be added to reserves as cal.
culated by operators III future
years; but for them it is idle to