IRON ORE, PIG IRON, AND STEEL. By ERNEST F. BURCHARD. INTRODUCTION. Pro The course of the iron industry in 1913 was unusual in several respects. The production of iron ore, pig iron, and steel exceeded that of any previous year, and stocks of finished products were reasonably low at the close of the year, yet this apparently favorable record does not accurately reflect the actual conditions for the year as a whole. As recorded in this chapter a year ago, the year 1912 was characterized by recovery from the industrial stagnation of 1911. The buoyant activity of the closing months of 1912 characterized the first quarter of 1913. During this quarter the demand for iron and steel products was strong and greatly stimulated preparations for a record-breaking output of iron ore during the mining season. duction of iron and steel continued at a high rate during the second and third quarters of the year, even though buying had been checked, but prices were greatly lowered, and finally, in the closing months of the year, production of these metals greatly declined, prices dropped nearly to the low level of 1911, and stocks of iron ore at the mines showed an increase of more than 21 per cent over those at the close of 1912, compared with a decrease of more than 16 per cent in 1912. These conditions are graphically shown in the curves of monthly production and prices of pig iron, figures 5 and 6, pages 323 and 326 of this chapter. It has been decided to continue the feature of the iron ore report introduced in the chapter for 1912-that of including detailed tables both of the quantity of iron ore mined in the various States and districts and of the quantity of iron ore marketed. Reported stocks of ore at each individual mine have been checked and in many instances revised figures have been obtained from the producers which balance closely with ore mined and marketed, although it can not be expected that there will ever be exact accord from year to year between these three sets of figures, since the tonnage of ore in stock piles is necessarily partly estimated, and there are generally variations in the mine reports from year to year. The beneficiation of iron ore, which is now receiving attention from a steadily increasing number of ore producers, tends to further complicate the statistics of ore mined and ore marketed; for if all the ore that is subjected to treatment be included under "quantity mined," irrespective of whether it originally is in a marketable state or not, and if the resulting washed or dried ore, nodulized or sintered ore, and magnetic concentrates, be taken as the quantity marketed, then the loss in weight of tailings must be accounted for. Heretofore, and also in the present report, the ore as mined has been considered as market able, the beneficiation process having been regarded simply as a process for enhancing the value of the ore. The quantity mined thus represents the tonnage of crude ore mined, and the quantity marketed represents the shipments of crude ore from the mines, whether direct to the consumer or to the beneficiating plant. The stocks at mines FIGURE 4.-Curve showing production of iron ore, pig iron, and steel in the United States, 1870-1913. likewise represent crude ore. It is hoped that it may be possible to present some statistics of beneficiated ore in future reports. In response to many recent requests for a printed list of Survey publications on iron ore, a bibliography of Survey publications and also of the more important reports issued by State geological surveys is given at the end of this chapter. IRON ORE INDUSTRY IN THE UNITED STATES. IRON ORE MINED AND MARKETED IN 1918. The quantity of crude iron ore mined in the United States in 1913 amounted to 61,980,437 long tons, as compared with 55,150,147 long tons mined in 1912, an increase of 6,830,290 long tons, or 12.38 per cent. The quantity of iron ore shipped from the mines (marketed) in the United States in 1913 amounted to 59,643,098 long tons, valued at $130,905,558, as compared with 57,017,614 long tons, valued at $107,050,153, marketed in 1912. This represents an increase in quantity of 2,625,484 long tons, or 4.60 per cent, and in value of $23,855,405, or 22.28 per cent. The average price of ore per ton for the whole country in 1913 was $2.19, as compared with $1.88 in 1912. These quantities of ore, both mined and marketed, include the iron ore used for fluxing other metallic ores at smelters in the Middle and Western States, but do not include the iron ore sold for the manufacture of paint. The quantity of iron ore for paint marketed in 1913, which is reported in detail in another chapter of Mineral Resources, amounted to 16,950 long tons, valued at $44,851. The ore reported as sold for fluxing purposes other than in the manufacture of pig iron amounted to 62,842 long tons, valued at $235,588, in 1913, as compared with 88,449 long tons, valued at $244,315, in 1912. The domestic iron ore actually marketed for the manufacture of pig iron amounted in 1913 to 59,580,256 long tons, valued at $130,669,970, as compared with 56,929,165 long tons, valued at $106,805,838, in 1912. A graphic comparison of the annual production of iron ore and its derived metals since 1870 is affored by the curves shown in figure 4. It must be borne in mind, however, that the figures for the three products are not strictly comparable, because considerable foreign iron ore enters into the production of pig iron, and because a considerable tonnage of scrap iron and steel is used in the production of new steel. PRODUCTION OF IRON ORE BY GEOGRAPHIC DIVISIONS. The States in which iron ore occurs may be conveniently grouped into six geographic divisions, namely: 1. Northeastern States.-Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Ohio. 2. Southeastern States.-Maryland, the Virginias, Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina, Georgia, and Alabama. 3. Lake Superior States.-Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota. 4. Mississippi Valley States.-Iowa, Mississippi, Missouri, Arkansas, and Texas. 5. Rocky Mountain States.-Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Nevada. 6. Pacific slope States.-Washington and California. Each of these divisions may be subdivided into mining districts and the ores classified with regard to variety and to distribution of deposits. These subdivisions are discussed in another section. The Lake Superior is by far the most important of these divisions, and is followed in order by the southeastern division and the northeastern division; the Mississippi Valley and the western divisions are of minor importance. The table following shows the relative output of iron ore in each of these geographic divisions during 1911, 1912, and 1913. Iron ore mined in the United States, by geographic divisions, in 1911, 1912, and 1913, in long tons. QUANTITY OF IRON ORE MINED AND MARKETED BY STATES. Iron ore was mined in 28 States in 1913, as compared with 27 States in 1912. Of these States, three-Idaho, Montana, and Nevadaproduced ores for fluxing only; part of Colorado's production was for fluxing and part for pig iron; the magnetic ore of Utah was shipped to a Salt Lake iron foundry for testing a new method of reduction and the remainder was used for fluxing; the remaining States produced iron ore for blast-furnace use only, except small tonnages for paint from Georgia, Michigan, New York, and Wisconsin, which are reported in the chapter on Mineral Paints. The rank of the five States producing the largest quantity of iron ore-Minnesota, Michigan, Alabama, New York, and Wisconsin— remained unchanged in 1913, but there were a few changes in the relative rank of certain of the smaller producers. The Minnesota iron ranges are producing at present considerably more iron ore than is produced in all the rest of the States together, having furnished 62.37 per cent, or more than five-eighths, of the total for the United States in 1913. The Lake Superior district, comprising all the mines in Minnesota and Michigan and those in northern Wisconsin, mined 52,377,362 long tons in 1913, or 84.51 per per cent of the total production. Of the two following tables, the first gives a comparison of the iron ore mined and marketed by States for 1912 and 1913, showing the rank of each State and the percentage of the total mined and marketed in the several States; and the second shows the quantity and value of the iron ore marketed in 1912 and 1913, by States, together with the increase or decrease in tonnage and the percentage of increase or decrease in the various States. |