Iron-bearing rocks (economic) [of the upper peninsula of Michigan]

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1873 Excerpt: ...that the blasting does not endanger the tracks. The Iron mountain mine, Missouri, shipped in 1870 more ore than any one mine in the Marquette region. It employed during the winter 68, and during the summer a somewhat less number of horses, mules, and oxen. One animal moved about twelve tons per day, or 3,600 tons per year; but more than three-fourths of this stock was employed in getting " surface ore," a feature which does not exist in Marquette mining. The bluff (quarried) ore moved per horse employed was more than five times the above amount. No steam-engine or locomotive was in use at the mine. At the Caledonia and Keene mines, St. Lawrence County, New York, in 1869, three horses handled 37,500 tons of ore and waste, the average haul being over 700 feet, all up grade, in places steep. This gives over 9,000 tons per head; steam was not employed for handling material at either mine. The Sterling mine, Orange County, New York, shipped in 1869 40,000 tons of ore, which was handled under circumstances quite similar to those encountered in the Marquette region, by two horses and one small stationary engine, which gives 20,000 tons per animal employed. The system of tramways and sidings at this mine is very complete. Passing from American to Swedish mines, which are far deeper, and in which there is a larger percentage of rock mixed with ore, we find that in the Persberg mines, in 1870 (see table), the total cost for handling ore and water drawing was I42 per cent. of the whole cost, or 33 cents per ton of ore; and this amount included the handling of all the rock and other waste material which in our table is embraced under Dead-work. If we take out of dead-work 10 cents for handling this waste and add it to the amount found above, we have 51 cents ...