Grand Rapids herald-review. [volume], May 23, 1917, Image 3

About Grand Rapids herald-review. [volume] (Grand Rapids, Itasca County, Minn) 1896-current

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Mesaba Range Iron Mining News
A BAD START FOR THE SEASON
The Mesaba range has had the worst time in recent
history in startin gthe shipping season. Everywhere there
seems to be trouble and much of this is because many of
the boats are delayed for various causes. The ice was
very deep. This delayed the season a good many days.
The great packs of ice would shift from harbor to harbor,
causing much trouble to all of the boats which entered.
Some boats were marooned for several days. It is now
near to the first of June and still shipping affairs are
far from normal. The ice situation is practically cleared
up, but many of the boats which were loaded at the docks
early in the season have not yet returned for a cargo. Con
sequently many of the mines are shipping only to about
one-half of their capacity.
The iron range responds instantly to the boat situa
tion. A delay of one-half hour or maybe less, is trans
ferred to the railroads and the railroads will handle from
the mines only such ore as they can handle at the docks.
Consequently steam shovels in the pits and at the stock
piles are working intermittently and a general unsatis
factory condition exists. However, by the end of this week,
it is thought, that things will be running as normal and
that mining and shipping operations will be in a more
satisfactory condition.
J FOOD PRODUCTION ON THE MESABA
Throughout the whole length of the Mesaba range
gardening and farming activities are especially apparent.
Every available place seems to be occupied with gardens.
Every force has worked to make this a success.
The municipalities have done all that they could. In
many of the villages plowing of the plots has been under
the direction of the village authorities and with village
teams. This has been a great help to all who desire to
have a garden. The mining companies have also done
what they could. Land has been furnished and people
permitted to work it as they desire. Several of the min
ing companies have offered prizes for best production
and a large amount of vegetables and like products will
be grown, not only for purposes of winning prizes, but
for the practical use which these staples will find. The
schools are helping with instruction and the state is leas
ing its property for garden purposes.
The Mesaba is peopled to a large Extent by Europeans
who understand the art of making gardens. In the old
country a family will be supported on property in which
the average American gardener or farmer could pro
duce little or nothing. These people understand thor-
oughly the problem of fertilization of the soil and the
problem of its tillage or care, and the different nation
alities are doing everything to increase food production.
The time should come when the Mesaba should be
more independent of outside food production. In and
about the range there is much land which produces agri
cultural crops. The range itself is but about three
miles wide at its widest point. The hills which char
acterize the ore bearing areas, flatten away to the north
and south, and the adjoining lands are found to be fetrile
and this land is gradually being settled up by those who
see an excellent market for farm products.
RAILROADS DOING WORK
Among the busiest organizations on the range are
the railroad companies which, during the present season,
are spending a great deal of money in improving their
right-of-ways or in installing new side tracks. The rail
roading in this particular section is more intense than in
most communities. When one considers that a million
cars of iron ore were shipped from Minnesota last year,
he realizes the task which railroads have. A million cars
of ore is a train which will reach from New York to
San Francisco and back again to Pittsburgh. At many
of the transfer yards thousands of cars are handled each
day during the heaviest season.
The railroads on the Mesaba range carry the largest
tonnage per mile- of any railroads in the United States,
consequently upkeep is a great problem for the constant
pound of heavy tarins deteriorates a road bed at a rapid
BIGFORK DEPART
MEMORIAL DAY
PROGRAM PLANNED
The memorial Day exercises will be
held at eleven o’clock in the assem
bly hall of the new school when the
following program will be given:
America —the school and audience.
Flowers For Our Dead —Dialogue by
six pupils.
Memorial Day—Lyle Gilbert.
Soldiers' Chorus —Boys of the Inter
mediate department, with solo by
Lenora Pederson.
The Palmetto and the Pine—Marcel
la Blaha.
The Blue and the Gray—Victrola
selection.
Columbia, The Gem of the Ocean—
School chorus.
Our Heroes —Internediate chorus.
Address —Kev. £. Test.
Hurrah For the Flag—Primary chorus.
Our Flag—Scott Holycross.
The Three Sisters —Frances Gilbert,
Lenora Pederson and Randalia Root.
The Star Spangled Banner —School
chorus.
Flag Salute —School.
After the program the school child
ren will lead in the procession to the
cemetery where they will scatter their
flowers 'on the graves. Appropriate
ceremonies will be performed.
Phil Berard and Mary Frazer drove
in Saturday from town of Wirt.
Bergit OJson of Bustitown. went to
Grand Forks Thursday afternoon.
T. A. Brown of Deer River, was up
Thursday with the gasoline special.
Mrs. Foster of Mizpah, is here on a
visit to Mrs. Clara Test and children.
Charles Luchan of Rice river, was
a busy teacher in Bigfork Thursday.
Signe Kyllonen of Bustitown, was
a passenger for Deer River Tuesday on
WITH A GENERAL REVIEW OF IRON TRADE CONDITIONS AND LOCAL MINING ACTIVITIES.
rjite. During the present season the Great Northern is
putting on a large number of men in maintenance. On
the Kelly Lake to Gunn section, for instance, 100,000 new
ties will be laid and two hundred men are now at work
at this. In addition, there is a large amount of work in
building side tracks. Spurs are being put in at the Kevin,
the Sullivan, the York and Dunwoody mines. The yards
at the Bennett are being enlarged and two mil^ of rails
will be laid there for this property which will be one of
the biggest producers on the range this summer. A
good many miles of track are being constructed for ore
hauling purposes. Naturally this costs a great deal
under present conditions of labor and materials. But it is
work which must be done. The grading of side tracks
is done by contract—the W. J. Hoy Co. doing consider
able of the work now in progress.
The general public has little or no conception of iron
ore and factorfe which determine its value. Iron ore is
of no value unless it may be utilized, and much ore can
not be used on account of the presence of impurities, the
small amount of iron or the difference in physical char
acteristics.
In one of the text books on the manufacture of iron
and steel is found the following paragraphs which ex
plains the functions of impurities and mixing of iron
ore and how moisture affects ore values. This reads as
follows:
“The earth materials, silica, lime, alumina and mag
nesia, limit the richness of an iron ore, but such as hav
ing fluxing qualtities may more than balance the tendency
to leanness. When copper is present to about one per
cent, the value 8f this metal may compensate for its re
covery as incidental to improving the iron ore in advance
of smelting. While the other metals each form desirable
alloys with iron, they may each limit the commercial
value of an iron ore when present in moderate amounts.
Thus, manganiferous iron ores may be sought for when
manganiferous pig iron, or spiegeleisen, is to be made,
but otherwise the presence of manganese would, for some
uses, be considered disadvantageous. Ferro-chrome and
ferro-titanium are produced by electric-metallurgical pro
cesses, but neither chromium, nickel or titanium is at
present considered desirable in an iron ore smelted in a
blast furnace. The abundance of ores carrying these
elements, and their usually satisfactory composition, as
far as other elements are concerned, promise, however,
to bring them into greater favor. Sulphur is objectionable
because it must be removed in the blast furnace by the
use of additional flux, requiring an increased consumption
of fuel, with a lessened output, and it is generally con
sidered advantageous to reduce the amount of sulphur
in an ore by treatment before feeding it to a blast fur
nace. In the pig iron made, sulphur is also undesirable,
because of its interference with manipulating in the rolls
the iron or steel with which it is associated or because
of augmenting, shrinkage of castings. Phosphorus, while
desirable in moderate amount in producing pig iron for
foundry use, is tabooed in metal which is fed to the Bes
semer converter.
“The manufacture of steel by the Bessemer process
has been instrumental in dividing much of the ore used
into two general classes—Bessemer and non-Bessemer ores.
A Bessemer ore is one which is, or can be, used in man
ufacture of pig iron for subsequent conversion into steel
by the Bessemer process, in which molten metal is treat
ed in a converter. In this conversion the phosphorus is
retained, and' Bessemer pig iron must not contain over
one part of phosphorus in 1,000 or iron, or, expressed in
percentages, 0.1 per cent of phosphorus to 100 per cent
of iron. But as the phorphorus in the fuel and limestone
fed to the furnace will also enter the pig iron, the prac
tical trade Bessemer limit approaches 1 in 1,400. Iron
ores which do not conform to this standard, are generally
classed as non-Bessemer, and may not command as high
a price as the Bessemer ores of equal iron content and
physical conditions. To such a nicety is this difierentia
tion carried that increments or decrements of 0.001 per
cent of phorphorus, or one-third of an ounce in a long ton,
has affected the commercial value of the ore.
“High grade Bessemer ores can be mixed with non-
Bessemer ores so that the resulting mixtures will come
inn
ENT
her way to visit an aunt in Menahga.
Julia Swanson called .-on' Mrs. Z. A.
Cochran and family Monday afternoon.
T. M. Sanders of Bustitown, came
to Bigfork Thursday afternoon from
Craig.
Mr. and Mrs. John Pinette called at
1 JUDGE.YOU'D BE AMAZED^ |GEE! TRE JUDGE HAS USED W-B I
TO KNOW HOW SATISFYING) fCuT TOBACCO SINCE IT FIRST Came)
THIS LITTLE CHEW IS. ( 1 ON THE MARKET. ITS THE LITTLE
' " - < CHEW THAT SATISFIES } '
f
\ FzAt SO? / „Wb ” CT
INTELLIGENT people have a way of sizing flings
up for themselves—W-B CUT is all shreds, all
tobacco; and ordinary plug is leaf with a lot of
heavy, ’gummy sweetening, holding it together. But
everything doesn’t go by quantity either; W-B CUT
is a rich, sappy chew, because it’s rich, sappy tobacco.
It doesn’t take so much W-B to satisfy. Take a small
chew. Then notice how it lasts.
Made by WEYMAN-BRUTON COMPANY, 1107 Broadway, New York City
GRAND RAPIDS HERALD-REVIEW, WEDNESDAY, MAY 23, 1917
THE COMPOSITION OF IRON ORE
the Louis Pinette home Friday after
noon.
Mr. and Mrs. Louis Pinette and two
children transacted business in Bigfork
Thursday.
Mr. and Mrs. Harry DeForrest and
children were guests at the home of
Mrs. H. D. Horton Sunday.
Andrew Blixt went to Grand Rapids
Thursday to consult a physician as he
has 'not been feeling well lately.
N. O. Felstet and son moved Mrs.
Hulda Larson and family Into the
telephone companys building Monday.
Mrs. Larson took charge of the ex-
within the Bessemer limit, thus securing a combination
a lower cost than if the high grade Bessemer ores alone
were used. But the ’growth of the open-hearth steel
industry has resulted in creating a market for iron ores
containing moderate amount of phorphorus, although low
percentages of this element are also preferred for this
branch of the industry. The basic Bessemer process,
which uses high phosphorus ores, has not proven as suc
cessful in the United States as in Europe.
“The elements above considered are those most fre
quently encountered in iron ores, and to which attention
has been chiefly given by metallurgists, but the existence
of other constituents, to which reference has been made,
is receiving careful study and the production of ferric
alloys with these elements is growing in importance. It
is probable that in the near future the demands for fer
ric alloys will be largely augmented, and some ores now
deemed undesirable may be sought for.
“Other things being equal, the physical character of
an iron ore influence its value. Thus, the ores from the
Mesaba range in Minnesota, which as a rule are finely
comminuted, are sold for 25 cents per ton less for Bes
semer and 20 cents per ton less for non-Bessemer ore
than the coarser ores from other ranges. When ore is
finely divided, it is objectionable to handle or transport,
and its use encourages an excessive amount of blast
furnace flue dust, which is either lost or recovered at
considerable expense. An accumulation of fine material
in the blast furnace develops ‘slips’ and irregular work
ing, and when these slips carry down large amounts of
coke dust, severe explosions are likely to result. Mag
netites are considered as less readily reduced by blast
furnace gases than hematities, owing to the greater free
dom with which the later part of the oxygen, and to
the usually denser character of the former. But many
of the comparisons made were with lumpy magnetite and
finer divided hematite.
“The density and hardness of an ore, or, on the con
trary, its open, porous structure, or the ease with which
it decrepitiates in the furnace, affect the value of iron
ores. Another factor of moment is the amount of mois
ture present, for most of the mineral, in addition to com
bined water, carries hygroscopic moisture which is driven
off in the early part of the blast furnace operation. This
moisture, like the earthly impurities of an iron ore, must
be paid for in transporting it and as a result nearly all
iron ores are marketed based upon their composition
when dried at 212 degrees Fahr., or 100 degrees Cent.
The importance of considering the hygroscopic moisture
is evident from the following table which illustrates the*
per cent of iron in some of the standard Lake Superior
ores in their natural state, and when dried as above:
Dried at 212
Natural State Deg. Fahr.
Iron Moisture Iron
Per Cent Per Cent Per Cent
Red Hematite, hard 64.7 0.75 65.19
Red Hematite, hard 64.89 0.82 65.43
Red Hematite 57.4 10.42 64.05
Red Hematite 54.3 10.90 60.90
Red Hematite 55.23 6.91 59.33
Red Hematite 51..3 13.00 59.12
“In brown hematities, the percentaes of water is
usually greater than indicated above.
“The practice which formerly prevailed, of charg
ing into the blast furnace large lumps of ore, has given
place to preparation which reduces the ore and also the
flux to smaller sizes, and at important mines or quarries
powerful crushing plants are installed to produce ma
terial of desirable size for shipping, handling and use in
the blast furnace.
“The acceptable percentage of iron in ore, independ
ent of other elements, which will make it commercially
valuable, varies in different sections of the country, and
this limit is also dependent on the east of mining, dis
tance to markets, freight rates, etc. Thus, in the Lake
Superior region, from which the greater portion of the
product is transported long distances to market, iron ore
has been used as a ballast on roads, or laid aside as a
reserve, which, in the southern states, would be consid
ered valuable at the present time as iron ore. It is also
possible to utilize an iron ore carrying a comparatively
low percentage of iron, when other elements are combined
to make it of value for some special purpose. Thus, low
grade^siliceous ores are mined in the Lake Superior region
change. Louise Pederson is central
girl.
Mrs. Joseph Reigh came in Tuesday
forenoon with J. N. Babcock and went
to Deer River on the afternoon train.
H. D. Horton left Thursday for Kee
watin where he will take charge of the
Chronicle, formerly the Plain Talk.
Mrs. Z. A. Cochran and children and
Mrs. H. D. Horton and children were
visitors at the home of Mrs. R. L.
Mitchell Thursday.
Alma Larson and J. O. Larson went
to Bustitown Friday in the launch.
Miss Larson will remain on Jter home
stead for a time.
George McLean has been busy re
pairing Arthur Gilbert’s car the past
week. It is now in running order after
being laid up several days.
Duncan McDonald, who has bought
and scaled logs for the Duluth Log
ging company around Bigfork the past
winter, went to Deer River Thursday.
Mrs. Harry DeForest went to Craig
Tuesday to visit Mrs. DeForrest’s par
ents, Mr. and Mrs. Louis Wallin, of
Bustitown. They returned on Satur
days train.
Erick Hanson, Carl Hanson and
Aaron Prose were business callers in
Bigfork Tuesday. Erick Hanson took
H. D. Horton’s canoe up river with
him and put new canvas on it.
H. D. Horton spent the first part of
the week on the M. D. and W. right
of-way takin gup cedar for the In
ternational Lumber company. This
finishes up his season's work scaling.
John Steffis of Little Falls, and his
nephew, John Waldron, of Bustitown,
passed through Bgifork Tuesday on
their way to Grand Rapids, where John
Waldron went on important business.
Earl Patrow moved his family from
the central office to their home on the
Coon lake road. They have been in
the telephone office about a year. Mrs.
Patrow and her sister. Daisy Johnson,
taking care of the switch-board.
Levi Cochran of Effie, came down
on Thursday afternoon and visited his
children in Bigfork until Friday. He
was a guest at the home of Mrs. E.
F. Bjorge Thursday and took dinner
and are sold for mixing with certain Mesaba ores. The
| principal reliance of the Birmingham, Ala., district is
on the hard Clinto ores .which will average about 3b' per
cent'of iron, but as this ore contains lime, it requires
‘ less flux in the furnace, and being adjacent to extensive
coail fields and close to centers of pig iron production and
steel manufacture, is used in large quantities; but this
The results of this campaign carried on so thoroughly
that year became evident, not only in the months which
followed, but its influence has helped conditions in the
seasons of 1916 and the present season when so much
energy cannot be devoted to special work for prevention
of injuries.
The hazard of mining is greater in these time of
activity than at other times. This is due to several rea
sons. In the first place, greater actviity means greater
chance of accident. When there is more blasting, more
moving trains, more machinery working, there is greater
chance for accident conditions. Moreover, one of the forces
lending to danger is the fact that so many men are new
to their work. In restless times, when labor is scarce,
new help is constantly being acquired and the men so em
ployed do not have a conception of the sources of danger,
nor are they trained to prevent accidents.
The prevention of accident is, however, largely a
matter of spirit. Like almost anything else, good re
sults are accomplished with care and enthusiasm. During
the present season men, perhaps, place a gi eater value
upon labor than they do in slack times. When wages
are higher, the loss through accident impresses them to
a greater extent and consequently the Herald-Review would
not be surprised if this year came through with less
fatalities and less injuries than might be expected. At
any rate, /it will be interesting to watch the statistics
when they will appear about a year and a half from now.
The United States Bureau of Mines issues special
pamphlets on accident prevention. One of the character
istics of these books are their detail. Another character
istic is the fact that it seems to take the department
abou a year and a half to produce the results of their
investigations. This slowness has characterized many
government bureaus. It seems, however, to characterize
the Bureau of Mines in its work along these statistical lines.
with the "Z. A. Cochran family Friday.
Mr. and Mrs. Sidney Erickson and
two daughters, Bessie and Franses,
walked up from their homestead in
Bustitown Friday. Mr. Erickson re
turned to Bustitown while Mrs. Erick
son and the young ladies went to Deer
River Saturday.
The Bigfork school was pleased at
a visit last Thursday from E. A. Free
man of Grand Rapids and Miss Annie
Shetland, State Inspector of rural
schools. The visitors expressed them
selves greatly pleased with the new
building.
Two important real estate transfers
have been made the past week. Sam
Wardner bought eighty acres from Tom
Neveaux east of Fred Peloquin's place,
consideration about fifteen dollars per
acre. Earl Patrow sold half of his
forty east of town to Pete Johnson.
Miss Elizabeth Whitney made one
of her flying visits to the local school
Thursday. On the afternoon C. C.
mmmw M w m
U. S. GOVERNMENT BONDS S
M We can’t all join the Army or Navy but we can all help By PVR- *
CHASING U. S. BONDS, thus furnishing the necessary money, and *
BY RAISING ANI>BY SAVING ALL THE FOOD PRODUCTS POS m
J sible - 4
This Bank is agent for the Government in taking subscription m
for the new war loan.
Bonds will be issued for $50.00 each or larger amounts. m
Call and leave your subscription. *
All services by this bank without charge.
S First State Bank, Bigfork, Minn,
Let’s all do our part to back up the Government during this war
for Democracy and Civilization.
same ore, at the present time, would hardly be considered
of value if it were necessary to transport it long dis
tances to blast furnaces. Many low-grade iron ores may
be made salable by beneficiation, as carried out on a
large scale with the Lake Champlain magnetities, or by
roasting, jigging and washing.
“Mention has been made of iron ores mined which
range from 35 to 70 per c^ht or iron, but mineral contain
ing less than 35 per cent is utilized.
“A calculation based upon the quantity of domestic
iron ores fed to and the amount of iron produced in the
blast furnaces of the United States demonstrates that
slightly less than two tons of ore are required for each
ton of pig iron made, that is, the average percentage
of iron in the ores used is above 50 per cent. This cal
culation eliminates foreign ores, mill cinder and other
by-products which are fed to blast furnaces as ore.
“The tendency has been to accept leaner ores than
in former years, and the economies in mining, transporting
handling and smelting these have reduced the selling
cost per unit of iron in an ore, so as to permit the em
ployment of mineral which a few years past would have
been conisdered undesirable.”
SAFETY IN A BUSY YEAR
Safety first is one of the greatest interests on the
Mesaba. Many of the companies are doing considerable
along this line this season, despite difficulties. However,
as much is not naturally done at such a time in this as
in times of lesser activity.
The year 1915 saw the biggest work along safety
lines than was done in the history of the range. Properties
were not all very active except towards the latter part
of the year. Cnsequently the whole organization in many
cases was given mine rescue and first aid training. The
United States Bureau of Mines’ car spent several weeks
at various properties giving courses of instruction. Near
ly every company had its special officers engaged in this
kind of work. Accidents and their prevention constituted
a great subject for study.
Holsman took her to the Spruce Park
and Ottum schools in his car and on
Friday she called on the Zaizer and
Effie schools, being 1 driven out by Har
ry De Eorrest.
fra Collins of Rice River Colony, who
was injured by a shot in his arm some
months ago, was in Bigfork Saturday.
His arm has recovered so far that he
is able to work, indeed he says he can
use an axe nearly as well as ever.
However, the wound is not healed and
pieces of lead and bone coming out
x A party of Deer River people came
up anti were guests of Mrs. James
Reid while in Bigfork. In the party
were Mrs. George Herried, Mrs. Pal
mer and Mrs. Franklin. Mrs. Reid
and her guests visited the schools. Mr.
Franklin and Miss Raye of the Deer
River school. visited the Thydean
school while the rest of the party was
in Bigfork.
(Continued on Page Six)
THREE