Iron County news. [volume] (Hurley, Wis.) 1913-1950, 1925-03-07
Transportation Of
Lake Superior Ores
Continued from page one)

his analysis. 1t is graded one, two
or three in general classes with
other ores having approximately
the same chemical composition. The
ore is unually graded before the
train and unit arrive at Ashland.
The chemist. after he has graded
the ore in the unit, calls the clerk
at the Ore Dock Office at Ashland
by telephone and tells him the grade
of each unit in the train, identify
ing the individual units by the way
bill numbers previously assigned.
When the train reaches Ashland,
the units of the same grade are
sorted and placed together under
the direction of the general fore
man of the docks, who has bat
terry of switch engines at his dis
posal. 1t frequently happens that
ores from several different mines
and of several different grades are
/ to be found in one train. 1t is,
therefore, necessary to graduate the
unit according to the character of
the ores. Unusual switching facih-
ties are needed to accommodate the
hundreds of cars which are found
in the Ashland Yards at one time.
At present, the yards have ten
miles and over of tracks providing
space for $500 cars.
The scales which are used at this
yard are of more than passing in
terest. There are two scales
equipped with Streeter-Amet auto
matte weighing devices. Each morn
ing, a sealed car loaded with iron
and weighing exactly 100000
pounds, is placed upon the scales as
a check before the start of the days
operations. AS the ore comes in
from the mines it does not stop at
the scales, but is slowed down to
speed that allows the weighmaster
to record the number and the tare
weight of each car as it runs over
the platform. The scales auto
matically record the gross weight
of the car and ore. A simple sub
traction gives the net weight of the
ore.
The problem of grading the units
is of particular interest. As a con
crete illustration, we will suppose
that the grading man at the mine
has been advised that certain boat
viii arrive in a day or so to be
loaded with cargo of $4,000 tons
of ore to apply on a specific con-
tract. He knows that this contract
calls for minimum iron content,
perhaps maximum phosphorus
content, and frequently maximum
manganese content, in addition to
other specifications. The first step
is to secure an average of all the
elements in each grade on hand.
After few simple calculations, GER
tain tOnnages of the different grades
Of ore may be combined to produce
a total of 1900 tons having the de-
sired analysis. The actual mixing,
however, is done by the railroad at
the Ore Dock.
After sufficient units have been
graded to make up the cargo, they
are grouped in trains of 30 to 35
cars each and brought to the Docks
by switch engines of large type.
A double set of tracks run over the
pockets on the Ore Dock. These
cars are again spotted as they run
over these pockets to be dumped.
The ore in the original unit is now
ready to be dumped in the hold of
the vessel by opening door at the
bottom of the pocket After the
cargo is loaded the Dock office
sends to the mine officials a state
ment of the number of every car
that carried ore to this particular
vessel. The grading man checks
these cars from his books and
makes an analysis statement, taking
the number of each car from the
waybill and placing opposite that
number the analysis of the ore as
indicated by the waybill After
listing these waybills, the general
average of all the elements con-
tanned in the cargo is obtained.
The unloading at the Lower Lake
Ports IS done by several types of
machines, directly from the boats,
and the ore is placed either in cars
or on stockpiles for future ship
ments. At the furnace plants To-
Gated directly on the Lakes, the ore
is unloaded from the boat directly
on the furnace stockpiles. Ore for
inland furnaces is moved by rail
from the Lake Ports. Present
i practice practically eliminates the
hand labor in the hold Of a boat and
greatly increases the speed of I'M
loading. as not only the capacity of
the bucket has been increased. but
the number of trips that it, can
make has also been increased. Stor-
age bridges are used for stockpiling
the ore, and. the distance that the
unloading buckets have to travel is
much less than with the older ma
chimes.
The movement Of the ore from
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