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November, 1909 TAE MarRINE REviIEW 465 Iron Ore Trade of the 'Lakes EREWITH jis presented a statistical summary of the iron ore trade of the great lakes, the dominant trade of the lakes, and judged as a single item, the largest trade in the world. The statistical summary gives the ship- ments by ranges since iron ore was discovered in the Lake Superior coun- try the rail rate from the mines to the shipping docks, the vessel freight rate, the price of ore delivered at lower lake ports and the average price of pig LAKE FREIGHT RATES ON IRON ORE. (From ports named to Lake Erie.) a SA Bree CH mov is qs a a 8 SE % E Eee G ot CS urs bel « 20 8 3 3 3 Gan > fx = < Tees. $3.00 eG ee 3.00 ey 2.67 ee cs 2.09 PSG 2 2.00 ee ec Seg 2.00 Pe oes 221 AGO ee es 2.89 ee ee 3.19 eo 3.37 Pes es 2.98 peGoe $3.77 AAT bey ee 3.28 2.98 eee 2.44 311 tao ee: 2.43 231 TA ae 2.40 3.06 er ore 2.07 283 ea 2.50 3.59 Le 2.74 3.44 DBM es icc No shipment 3.84 TOs ass No shipment 2.87 WSO ys Ses No-shipment 2.54 MOMs 4 No shipment 1.40 Woh. ee 685 1.56 1 ONS a tia 107 1.61 tee ee, 177 2.50 OB sce 1.55 2.25 BBO ccs, 1:22 1.50 tees 4 14d 1.30 Pee, .98 1:21 Peg .84 1.01 $1.20 boeG ee, 1.16 1.35 1.49 ee 1.49 1.75 An ee .97 4.22 1.34 gee oe 1.00 1.14 1.29 | aE ae .99 1.16 1.26 oe: 74 96 1.05 TROD ro 87 1.06 1.20 16a ie, .70 185 ° .88 1598 oe, 53 .70 79 Pee os ou, 64 .83 96 edhe ty 61 .80 91 MBO en 45 .60 .63 ee Ss .48 .60 61 Me Oe eae 72 ea 95 MOA i ek "85 94 1.05 690s .62 74 .84 HOQR a 59 68 .76 HS ee ee 63 73 .83 Pe hs ee OA .61 70 De ee 60 .70 .76 M906 ey .60 .70 28 TOR eo 60 .70 A ee 50 .60 65 M9 es 150 .60 .65 iron annually. The tables have value, if not commercially, at least histo- rically. Iron ore was discovered in the Lake Superior country in 1844, but it was not until 1855 when the ship canal at Sault Ste. Marie was finished that » shipments were commercially practi- PRICES OF IRON ORE AT LOWER LAKE PORTS FOR EACH RANGE SINCE OPENING. Marquette Menominee Vermillion Mesabi Non- Non- Non- . Non- Year. Bessemer Bessemer Bessemer Bessemer Bessemer Bessemer Bessemer Bessemer Lodo eee $10.00 $10.00 OOO svc 5 8.00 8.00 LOOT eee 8.00 8.00 1858.23 6.50 6.50 : ? LS oo ee 6.00 6.00 LSOO RK 5G 5325 S50) TSO 1S ange 5:20 5.00 LOOR ees b3Zd 9137 USO35 66 G5 7250 7.50 VS64 5 ech 8.50 8.50 TS Gon Sa 7,50 7.50 PoO0cw a, 9.50 9.50 to 14.00 EOOVA Sea 10.50 8.00 to 11.50 TSG ees 8.25 O20 T8696 3c 8.25 9.50 LOVU coun ee 8.50 8.50 to 9.50 ESAT re 8.00 8.00 1822 ea 9.00 7.50 (873 eG, 12.00 9.00 - TETAS ee 9.00 7.00 LSPS es 7.00 5.50 1870. 504% 6.75 4.50 LOVTG ESS 6.50 4.25 87S ee: oO) 4.25 LOLs 6:25 4.75 TS8On. sey 9.25 8.00 PSST os eee 9.00 7.00 LS82e 58893 9.00 6.25 L8So ree 6.25 5.00 , $6.00 $4.75 : L884 cess 5.76 4.50 5225 4.50 $4.75 $4.50 LS8oer eee: 5.50 4.25 4.75 4.00 5.00 4.00 L8SG:0s ona deo0) 4.75 5e25 4.50 S75 4.50 LSS7e ee 7.25 S45) 6.00 5.00 6.75 '5.00 L888 4 550 4.75 4.75 4.00 5279 4.00 1889.0 5.50 4.50 4.50 4.50 5.50 4.50 LS9O es 6:75 5325 5.50 5.254 6.50 5.50 LOO 6.00 4.75 4.50 4.25 5.50 4.00 OOD Sa et 300 4.85 4.50 3.65 5.65 4.85 T8995 a 4.25 3.00 to 3.50 3.85 3.20 4.50 4.00 $3.00 L894 275 Zt5 2.75 2.50 oc 3.00 2.39. TS9 oa e 2075 tO 3-50 2:15 t0°2:30 2.90 2025 3.40 3.00 255 $1.90 TS9G es 4.00 2.45 to 2.85 4.00 2.7.0 3.50. 2,25 3.50 22.5 1897 aes. 2.65 2.00 to 2.60 2.60 2.15 2:25 1.90 2.25 1.90 LS96 2. 3-10 to: 3.35 2.39 t0-2.45 2365 1.85 225 EeZ5 220 IVES: 1399 ee 32110 3550 2:50 3.00 2:19 2.40 2.00 2.40 2.00 T9003. 5 344 5.93 to 6.48 5.00 5.50 4.25 4.50 4.00 4.50 4.00 LOOT Oana: 4.66 to 4.92 3.65 to 3.85 4.25 3.00 3.25 2:75 3025 2:75 T1902. canes 4.65 to 5.00 3.80 to 4.00 4.25 8.20 3.25 2:15 3225) 2:75 T9035 ae 4.85 to 5.15 4.00 to 4.25 4.50 3.60 4.00 3.20: 4.00 3.20 LOOMS aoe 3.60 to 3.85 3:1.0-£053.35 3.25 Delay 3.00 2.50% 3.00 2.50 PODS ees O75 Sa) 3.75 3.20 AVOU) 3.00 350 3.00 1906s 4.25 3.70 4.25 3.70) 4.00 3.50 4.00 3.50 TOOT aes pen 5.60 4.20 5.00 4.20 4.75 4.00 -- 4.75 4.00 LOOS IO. Ses 4.50 3.70 5.00- 4.20 4.75 4.00 4.75 4.00 ISOS eee 4.50 3.70 4.50 3.70 4.50 3.70 4.25 3.'50 t j sf cable. Prior to that time about 3,000 tory of the trade, in 1866, 1867 and tons of ore had been constmed in Catalan forges in the peninsula and in the small blast furnaces of Pennsyl- vania and Ohio. This. ore had been hauled in sleighs to the shore of the lake and portaged around the falls at Sault 'Ste. Marie, a most tedious and expensive process. It will 'be noted in the table giving the rail freights of iron ore from the mines to shipping docks that the rate for 1855 was placed at $3 as against $1.27 for 1856. The railway which had been projected for Marquette to the Jackson and Cleveland mines on the Marquette range was not quite finished when the canal was opened, so that all the ore shipped that year had been hauled from the mines to Marquette in sleighs at a cost of $3 per ton. The ore brought down that year, some 1,449 tons, all shipped by the old Cleveland Iron Mining Co., now the Cleveland- Cliffs Iron Co., was sold at $10 a ton. It will be observed that this price has been exceeded three times in the his- 1873. In compiling the lake freight rate the average price has been taken. During 1855 and 1856 the ore was moved at a flat rate of $3 per ton, 'but in later years, notably 1866, a number of cargoes were moved at $6 per ton, the highest rate ever paid on the lakes. The rail rate from the Mar- quette range underwent a steady re- duction until 1894, when it was es- tablished at 32 cents. It has' been held at this figure continuously since with the exception of the years from 1899 to 1904, when it was reduced to 25 'cents. When the Mesabi range was opened the rail rate was established at 80 cents and has been maintained at that figure ever since. In fact, when the Rockefeller interests 'controlled both the railway and the mines, there was a provision in the contract that if the rail rate was ever adjudged by the state to 'be excessive, such reduction as it might suffer should be added to