302 TRANSACTIONS OF THE CANADIAN INSTITUTE. [VoL. II. 



our own territory, for the Vermillion and Messaba ranges of Northern 

 Minnesota have been followed north-easterly into Ontario, and appar- 

 ently large Iron deposits have been located on our side of the Inter- 

 national line, where, it is a well known fact, that our neighbors in the 

 United States are rapidly acquiring the largest proportion of these 

 discoveries. 



These deposits are all in the Huronian formation, and I think it can 

 be unquestionably stated that the Iron ore deposits of the Lake Superior 

 Ranges, as developed in the United States, are the most remarkable for 

 richness and extent at present known anywhere in the world. 



The best known Iron ranges to the south of the lake and in the States 

 of Michigan and Wisconsin, are the " Marquette," the " Gogebic," and 

 the "Menominee" ranges, while the "Vermillion" and " Messaba" ranges 

 are on the north-west shores of the lake. 



The production of ore from these ranges reached in 1890 nearly six 

 million of tons, the estimated amount being placed at 5,900,000 tons. 



It might be of interest to quote from Mr. Berkinbine's figures for 1887 

 to show the ratio of the consumption of the various iron ores used in 

 the United States in the production of pig iron. Since 1887 the amount 

 of the Lake Superior production has however increased over a million 

 tons but at the same time the production of pig iron in the United 

 States has increased nearly three million tons, largely owing to the 

 immense development in the southern States. 



RATIO OF CONSUMPTION IN 1887. 



From Lake Superior Ores 44.4 per cent. 



" Foreign Ores (largely Spanish) 10.5 " 



" Lake Champlain Ores 6.5 " 



" Cornwall Ore hills-Pennsylvania 5.0 " 



" Alabama Ores 5.0 " 



" New Jersey Ores 4.4 " 



" Tennessee Ores 4.1 " 



" Missouri Ores 3.5 " 



" Virginia Ores 3.2 " 



" Ohio Ores 2.4 



" Salisbury Ores 8 



" Georgia Ores 7 " 



Many of the iron mines of the Lake Superior region are comparatively 

 new discoveries, yet it is astonishing the manner in which Railroads have 

 pushed into every part of these iron ranges, and, as may be judged from 



