The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1925-07-31
(From Minnesota Chats

/ are, HfSL ana foremoSt, 10 promote
ana build up the eTiclency ami pro-
Itabieness of It's agriculture; Sec
ona, to govern the extraction of its
vasL deposits OF iron ore in such a
way that full value Will be received
from the high grade ore ana tnat
the ore of lower grade will be made
commercially available In order to
prolong the lite of the industry in
definitely; thru, to encourage the
establishment of manufacturing in
dustries with a view to divers!Iylng
the states economic resources, ana
fourth, to maintain the efficiency OF
Minnesota transportation.
The University Of Minnesota is
making some contribution to the
solution of each of these problems,
fand to the first, agriculture, ana
the second, improving and pro 0ng-
ing the iron ore extractive industry,
the Department of Agriculture ana
the School of Mines, respectively,
are bending their best efforts.
For more than ten years past an
annual call has gone out from the
School of Mines and the Mines Ex-
pertinent Station, asking attention
to the fact that Minnesota o,e Of
so per cent or more iron intent
will not last forever and urging
that all who have the states future
at heart interest themselves in the
problem of making the low grade
ore available for industry. Pub
licity has gone to all parts. of the
state relative to such accomplish
ments as the perfection of he nag-
netic log washer, which made it
POSSIBLE to handle the low-gi ade
magnetic ore of the eastern Mesabe
Range, and the sintering operations
which have been started on the
|Cuyuna Range.
| By an act of the 1925 Legislature,
the Mines Experiment Stated has
been given money with which to at
tack new problem in low-grade ore
which promises to be of greater i'm
portance than any that has yet been
met. This is the problem Of metal
LIKING or direct reduction, process
by which the ore, instead of being
treated to improve. its quality as ore
lis converted from ore directly into
metallic iron.
If such a process can be perfected
the benefit that Minnesota will de-
rive will be tremendous. In the
first place, it will mean that the :, in
i ing of iron ore will pc prolonged in
definitely, for there are billions of
tons of the lower grade ores, rang
ing in iron content from 25 to As
per cent. This will provide sup
ply of raw material for as long a
period as need now be consider ed.
And in the second place, an industry
which up to now has been merely ex-
tractive, severance of raw mat
erials from the spot where nature
deposited them, win become a manu-
featuring industry, employing great
ly increased numbers of men and
yielding a product of far greater
value than the raw material.
E. w. Davis, superintendent of
1.-THE Mines Experiment Station, gives
the comparative figures as follows
Iron ore, value per ton about 50
to $3.50; scrap iron, value per ton
about SIS; pig iron, value per ton
about $40. Whereas the best ore
now mined brings approximately
the price given above for ore, the
poorer ore, which will be used if
the new process succeeds, is worth
today exactly nothing because it is
cess converts it successfully into
metallic iron, nearly four times the
lpresent value of good ore, and pos
sibly worth as much as pig iron.
five times as valuable as good ore.
One must remember, though, that
the University of Minnesota as not
promising to bring this about. Met
lallizing has been conducted success
fully in the laboratory of the School
of Mines Experiment Station. In
Spain a company having govern
ment sanction has begun spending
a large amount of money on met
allizing plant at Oviedo on the north
coast. Mr.. Davis recently spen. sew
eral weeks there advising and con-
sulting with the Spanish iron mas
tiers. But Minnesota is still con-
fronted by the task OF transforming
a laboratory process into a process
that can be used on a commercial
scale. Both Dean w. r. Applepy of
the School of Mines and Sup1rin-
Itendent Davis are optimistic over
the outcome of their experiments.
Yet, the Minnesota public must
await the outcome of experimental
ton in the same scientific spirit
that leads the expert to try, test
and change, with infinite patience,
until at last the purpose is accom-
Iplished.
From 1892, when a few tn ,usand
lions of ore were shipped from the
Mesabe Range, up to recent peak
Gx,c Il
even forty million tons have been
lextracted from Minnesota ranges,
Minnesota has been in command
ling position as to center of iron ore
mining. In many other parts Of
the world there are splendid ore de-
Iposits True enough. But Mime
sofa has had equally fine ore, has
had pits open and mining equip
ment installed; has had transporta-
Ition systems from the pits to Duluth
Superior, and at that point has had
access to the remarkable-through
water route from mine to furnace
which the Great Lakes afford. Why,
then, turn to other adeppsits? The
answer has been obx|6us enough.
The iron masters have not turned
to other deposits, and some Of the
best of the others remain practical
ly unworked
Let us now reverse the picture.
Biologists and mining experts know
that the Minnesota deposits of ore
ranging above 45 or so per cent
iron content can not last forever.
In all probability the peak of high
grade ore production has been
reached. Right now some Of the
famous mines have been worked
out and the leases on them thrown