JANTTAET 6, 1911] 



SCIENCE 



greater than those already reached in some 

 mines, two or three hundred billions of 

 tons of siliceous hematites, giving amounts 

 practically inexhaustible. 



In the Alabama ore beds we feel assured 

 of five to six hundred million tons of the 

 grades now utilized and there may well be 

 twice that number. The conservative esti- 

 mate would afford enough to last at the 

 present output of that state longer than a 

 century. In addition there is much reason 

 for thinking that there may be two or 

 three times as much. 



Speaking for the country as a whole, we 

 may say that there is an assured and dem- 

 onstrated supply, at present rate of output 

 and at present percentage of yield, for 

 about a century. There is, furthermore, a 

 less accurately measured but still very 

 probable addition, when we allow for lower 

 grade but still practicable ores, which will 

 be sufficient to last at present rate of pro- 

 duction for fifteen hundred years to come. 



If, however, production increases, as in- 

 deed it may with a rapidly growing pop- 

 ulation, and if ta this way heavier and 

 heavier drafts are made upon even this 

 great reserve, where shall we look for 

 more? There may be some new discov- 

 eries within the United States, but at pres- 

 ent it is impossible to speak definitely of 

 them. We may ask if there are other sup- 

 plies in neighboring lands. To this ques- 

 tion we may answer yes. Along the north 

 shore of Cuba, toward its eastern end and 

 near the sea, three areas of what formerly 

 appeared to be a barren, ferruginous soil 

 have been discovered and tested, so that we 

 now know that there are two to three bil- 

 lions of tons of a very pure iron ore, which, 

 when deprived of the large percentage of 

 water which it contains — a cheap and sim- 

 ple process — ^will yield from 40-45 per 

 cent. iron. This variety of ore already 

 begins to enter our ports and the deposits 



wiU undoubtedly contribute in no unim- 

 portant way to the output of our furnaces. 



The report of the International Geolog- 

 ical Congress has shown further that in 

 Newfoundland there are quite probably 

 more than three billions of tons of red 

 hematite, whose present yield averages 54 

 per cent. From Brazil, moreover, in the 

 state of Minas Geraes, but pretty well back 

 from the coast and not yet opened up by 

 rail, as estimated by Dr. 0. A. Derby, there 

 are from five to six billion tons of 50-70 

 per cent, ore awaiting the drill and the 

 steam shovel. Ore from Brazil faces a long 

 sea voyage, but the grade is rich and the 

 iron masters of this and other countries 

 are looking upon these deposits as well 

 within the possibilities of the future. 

 Ocean freights are kept at very reasonable 

 rates in later days and once on a steam- 

 ship even so low-priced a commodity as 

 iron ore, if of good percentages and 

 cheaply mined, can be taken relatively 

 great distances. This is demonstrated by 

 the shipment this year from the mines of 

 Kiruna, 112 miles within the Polar Circle 

 in Lapland, of 300,000 tons of ore, 113 

 miles to the Norwegian coast by rail, and 

 over 4,000 miles to Philadelphia by sea, 

 with no great prospect of a return cargo. 

 These shipments also demonstrate that we 

 are not without the range to which Euro- 

 pean ores may be shipped when exception- 

 ally rich. Some portion of the vast ore 

 body of Kiruna, with its demonstrated 500 

 millions of tons of 65-69 per cent, ore wiL. 

 also reach American furnaces. 



But even were our actual ores of present 

 grade to become exhausted, iron as a metal 

 would not fail. The basic rocks with their 

 low percentages still remain. The trap- 

 rock of the Palisades contains 7-8 per cent, 

 of metallic iron, a value that is far above 

 the general yield of our copper ores in the 

 red metal. 



