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Show MORE ABOUT UTAH'S IRON. The coming scarcity of great Iron ore deposits for the supply of the enormous demnnd of this country is causing unusual un-usual interest to be taken In the great iron ore deposits of southern Utah. A good many reports havo been maUc on those deposits, by various experts, and In every case they are astonished at tho enormous quantity of the ore, and at its avoragc richness in the metal. The latest of these reports that we have seen is that by Fred Lerch, in the Iron Trade Review, which prints In connection with it a chart of the region, re-gion, with lines and distances. A general gen-eral description of the region in which these Iron deposits lie Is given, with elevation, formation, geologic features, etc., and then comes an account of the size and character of the ore bodies. These are many, and vary In- length from less than 100 feet to more than a quarter ot a mile, and In width from a few feet to more than 600 feet. "The ore body or vein, with a width of more than COO feet, the writer believes, is the widest vein of Iron ore In the United States." , The writer continues: "With its length of a littlo move than 1400 feet with a width of at least 600 feet, 'we have an area of 19.3 acres covered with ore. On the Mountain Lyon group of claims, two lines could be laid at right angles to each other, underlaid entirely with ore, as shown by test pits, the one line having a length of 1050 feet and the other 1450 feet. The ore body is crescent shaped. Tho three largest ore bodies, held by Mllner, Dear, and Lerch, cover a little less than 40 acres, and for each foot of depth there would be 140,000 tons of ore, qr for 130 feet in depth, this being the deepest test pit, with tho bottom still In excellent ore, there arc 18,000,000 tons. As this is a well-defined contact vein, with limestone lime-stone and andeslte walls, we have every reason for supposing that it will continue in depth for 1000 feet or more the same as the copper and lead contact con-tact veins in that country." An accurate accu-rate test of the depth is to be made with diamond drills. Suppose the depth to be 1300 feet, as It most likely is, and probably double that, the quantity of ore in this one claim is 150,000,000 tons of ore. And' there are many other claims that may bo Just as good as this patch of less than 40 acres, which in fact is a mere little fraction of a wide area. It is very likely that the total might fairly be multiplied by a hundred. There Is another thing that will, we believe, eventually prove to be true; that this ore deposit goe3 to great depth; that the ore will chango Jn character char-acter as the lower depths are attained; that silver will come in, and copper, as at Silver Reef, which Is, we believe, a mere gash vein from the lower depths of this great iron deposit. If this is true, It would carry the depth of the vein down at least to three thousand feet, and probably four thousand. Tho quality of the Iron ore, Mr. Lerch says, makes It very desirable; "the largest ore bodies arc a soft porous hematite, but free from the fineness that causes the objectionable fine dust characteristic of so many of the Mesa-bl Mesa-bl rango mines." As to the commercial prospects, Mr. Lerch says that It would be necessary lo haul tho ore either to the Virgin River at St. George, about 40 miles south, or to the Green River, about 376 miles to the northeast. The advantage of the former is the shorter haul and the less distance to the coast; of the latter, Rood coking coal and limestone in tho immediate vicinity. A third alternative al-ternative might be the Colorado River below the' canyon, which would be in Immcdlato cofttact with the business life of the coosl; but It would lack coal. We believe, all things considered, that the place for thfej great iron furnaces for Utah Is on the Green River, near tho present crossing by tho R. G. W. It is pleasont to .qeo tho general recognition recog-nition of the Importance of the Utah iron deposits. That they are probably the largest in this country, and not excelled ex-celled by any in the world, wo believe to be true. And the day when they will supply tho material for enormous Iron works, very likely In a number of places, is sure lo come. |
