Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The west shore. (Portland, Or.) 1875-1891 | View Entire Issue (July 1, 1886)
204 THE WEST SHORE. CHIT lode. Not far away, at the east end of the pass, are immense bods of rod hematite ores of equal purity, suit able for mixing with the maguotio iron, to increase the value of the product A favorable circumstance attend ing in the existence of ooul in great quantity close at hand, and it is Raid that limestone is also found near by. In Clo-el-um mining district, W. T., a great lode of maguotio iron is said to jionntrate throughout, with de posits of silver, copper and uickel ores attending. This lode, as well as numerous others found in Eastern Wash ington and Eastern Oregon, have received no especial attention, and doubtless will not be for many years to come of any particular value. The same is true of the iron ores of Idaho and Montana, which have not thus far Innui utilised, except in very small amounts as a llux in lead smelting. It is worth mentioning that at a point fifty miles south of Caldwell, Idaho, and near South mountain, is the Narragansett iron mine, which consists of a Ixxly of tnngnetio and iocular ores so large that two Mtres of surface dirt stripped away have not revealed any limit to the bod. Near by, a fifteen-foot lodo of hematite exists, which is said to carry thirty dollars per ton in gold; but this is, no doubt, an exaggeration and scarcely allowable unless the mine is for sale. In llritish Columbia are a great many surface indica tion of iron, but very little attention has been paid to them. The most important find yet made is on Texada island, in the Gulf of Georgia, alxiut one hundred miles north of Victoria. Thoro are enormous masses of coarsely granular maguotio ore which aro traceable for miles and aro finely situated for mining and shipping, Isiing close to deep water. Tho ore carries, by analysis, sixty-oight jor cent of meUllio iron, with very littlo phosphorus, but so much sulphur as to require roasting More smelting. The location is within twenty miles of the extensive Comox ooal fields, on the shore of Vancou ver island Limestone is plentiful in the immodiato viciu ity. It is under such favorablo conditions that great iron manufacturing enterprises are certain to grow up, and it is highly probable that the next, or even the pres ent, generation will sea these rich dojxmita utilized, and an industry of unparall.il.xl magnitude take its rise. The first ore mined at Texada was in 1879, when it was out to London for molting, the shipments that year amounting to two hundred dollars, but increasing oon iderably iu later years. Tugot sound ha already become the aeat of iron manufacturing, for at Irondale, five miles below tort Townsend, exist a smelting plant of tome importance, which hu made during a series of years the initial ef fort to firmly establish the industry upon these shores. Beginning work b the seventies, a blast furnace with a capacity for smelting ten tons daily was first set up and run on mixed ore, receiving hematite from Chinacum and magnetio from Texada. A schooner plying to the mine brought the mineral cheaply, and calling at San Juan island took thonoe limestone for flux. The fuel was charcoal, burned in the neighlx.ring forta, as many a two hundred and fifty men-half the wholo dispos able force of laborers attached to the works being em ployed in chopping wood and attending the kilns. In 1882 and 1883 the business made such a satisfactory showing that great additions were made. A wharf two hundred yards long was built and the furnace was re placed by one of fifty tons capacity, with elevators and all the usual accessories of a first-class establishment Twenty tons of iron were turned out daily during a part of 1883, and the business seemed assured, but owing to the universal depression, a partial cessation of opera tions has occurred The principal iron ore deposits in Oregon lie along the west side of the Willamette, reaching from near the falls of that river to a point opposite Kalama, on the Columbia, being developed most strongly in Columbia county, and in geographical extent are hardly equaled elsewhere in the world. The ores are bog iron and to a groat extent lie in depressions upon the upper surface of lava beds, being covered for the most part with a thin layer of soil washed there by running water. Iron ore occurring in this manner in cavities in basalt is not un known in other localities, though not elsewhere found iu such prodigious quantity. The deposits are varied in quality as well as quantity. Certain layers found near Oswego gave, upon analysis, fifty-five per cent of me tallic iron, while in other localities near by the best lots only yielded ton per cent The ores worked in 18G6, on the starting of the blast furnace at Oswego is described as a brown hematite, containing from forty-six to fifty- . six or cent of metallic iron. In 187G the ore used had but ten per cent A Mr. Olds first drew attention to these deposits by erecting, in 18fi2, a miniature reduc tion furnace two miles from the mouth of the Tuailtin, whoroin he smelted some iron, getting a product that was pronounced very fair. This was the first iron re duced from ore on the Pacific coast of North America. During the subsequent years the industry has been kept up not far from whore the embryo works stood, and what is satisfactory to add, with as constant progress as the timos would admit of. In May, 1805, a company was incorporated, with a capital of $500,000.00, to work the mines, with W. S. Ladd as president, and twenty Portlanders owning the most of the stock; within a year works were erected at Oswego, a hot blast furnace of ton tons daily capacity included. The institution was a wonder to Oregonians, few of whom had ever seen the like. In 1875, the daily product being ten tons, the ex penses of producing one ton were proportioned as fol lows: ore delivered at the furnace, $10.75: charcoal, one hundred and fifty bushels, at nine cents per bushel, $12.50; wages, $4.00; limestone, brought from San Juan, Puget sound, five hundred pounds, $5.00; total cost of one ton of iron, $33.25. The metal sold in San Fran cisco for $46.00 per ton, and has ever since been in de mand in limited quantities for those special purposes where charcoal pig is considered indispensable. The Coutral Pacifio Railroad Co. tested it and found it well adapted to car wheels, eta, but it never could compete for ordinary purposes with Scotch and English pig,