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AUGUST 16, Ig00. WYOMING’S WEALTH OF IRON ORE. Writing from Guernsey, Wyo., William E. Curtis reviews in the Chicago Record the iron prospects of that locality. He says: As long ago as 1852 rich iron deposits were reported in this vicinity and were afterwards thoroughly explored by the agents of the geological survey, but no practical use was made of them until 1889, and then they were so far from a railroad that a comparatively small amount was shipped to market. This was hauled by ox teams 115 miles to the nearest railway point and from there shipped to the smelters at Denver and Pueblo. In 1893 a collection of the ores was sent to the World’s Fair and created a decided sensation among mineralogists and furnace men. This brought into the country a large number of prospectors, evidences of whose industry are seen on the mountain sides in every direction. At this time C. A. Guernsey, with the assistance of wealthy friends in Chicago and New York, organized a com- pany which bought upevery promising prospect, and few miners turned the turf without finding abundant evidences of ore. Mr. Guernsey and his friends bought everything in the way of prospect holes within a radius of eight or ten miles of his ranch. Hence they now control a belt of re- markable deposits covering an area of not less than thirty square miles, in the center of which isthe city he has waited so long to see. He owns not less than seventy-five different claims, which he has purchased directly from the original locators. This gives him the control of every valuable property within the area described, which experts believe to contain the largest deposit of high-grade Bessemer steel ores to be found on this continent at least, and probably in the world. The ore lies in mounds on the surface of the earth and is mined with steam shovel and scrapers, such as are used in building railway grades and digging canals. Shafts have been sunk in several places to a depth of 150 feet and have shown solid masses of ore from the grass roots down—both carbonates and rich red oxides, which stain everything they touch and were used by the Indians for paint. The amount of ore in sight has been variously estimated from 25,000,000 to 50,000,000 tons, and so far as the shipments have gone, they have averaged from 63 to 70 per centiof free metallic iron. : : Three years ago the Colorado Fuel & Iron Co., which has extensive furnaces and mills at Denver and Pueblo, with a capital of $25,000,co0, constructed a railwuy from the Colo- rado Southern at Badger, Wyo., to the mines and obtained,a lease of what is known as the ‘‘Sunrise Park group’’ for twenty years from Mr. Guernsey. Under the terms of this lease the company are required to take out not less than 500 tons per working day, or 150,coo tons for the first year. This minimum must be increased 25,000 tonsa year until the output reaches 1,000 tons per day. At present the com- pany are taking out between 600 and 700 tons from the side of a hill with a steam shovel which carries two tons to the dip and can load an ordinary gondola in eight minutes. When the terminal facilities which are now under way are completed, at a cost of $350,000, they will be able to handle 2,000 tonsa day. That is the amount required to keep the furnaces at Denver and Pueblo running their full capacity. Mr. Guernsey receives a royalty of 15 cents a ton for all the ore that is taken out of the mines. The mine as we saw it today looked like a gravel pit, ex- cept that its contents were a brilliant vermillion, the reddest ore I have everseen. A great pit had been dug out of the side of the mountain and a double railway track had been laid be- sideit. A gang of men with crowbars were ranged along the upper rim breaking off great chunks of ore, which fell like avalanches into the bottom of the pit, where it was scooped up by a steam shovel and hoisted over into the freight cars on the outer track. The air was hazy with an almost in- visible red dust that settled upon one’s hat and clothing and if allowed to remain left an indelible stain. Superintendent Butler explained that the ore then being taken out was a high grade of carbonate running from 62 to 66 per cent. pure iron, and asserted that the mountains all around us on both sides of the canon for two miles were composed of similar material, which could be mined in the same manner at a cost of not less than 35 cents a ton. Itis expected that the Colorado Fuel & Iron Company will sooner or Jater remove their smelting plant to Guernsey, which is admirably situated for such enterprises because of the presence of almost unlimited water power. i oe A SHIP with two mates but no captain.—Courtship. THE MARINE RECORD. THE PANAMA CANAL. Recent letters at the Navy Department from Panama are to the effect that work on the Panama canal is being pushed with greater vigor and earnestness than at any time since its inauguration. Thousands of laborers are now at work, and machinery, brought mainly from France and Belgium, is being installed in larger amount than ever before, It is evident from all the information at hand that the Panama canal people are not going to permit the Nicaragua Co. to have a walk-over in the matter, but the most strenuous ex- ertions must be put forth if the latter company is to make real headway against the already partly complet.d Panama canal, Our enterprising French contemporary, the ‘Armee et Marine,’’ had in a recent issue copious illustrations of the progress of the work. Until one sees such a photographic record of the development of this enterprise, it ishard to grasp the magnitude of the undertaking and the steady ad- vancement that has been made. The two chief difficulties in the way of the Panama engineers are the Cordillera range and the Chagres river. Because of the mountains, a sea level watercourse would necessitate a depth of the excavation of more than 350 feet. Even with locks the depth would have to exceed 270 feet. The torential rush of the waters Of the Chagres would prove a great danger to the canal unless extensive defences are made tor it.—The Army and Navy Journal. NN MARINE RAILWAY AND DRY DOCK. Within the next forty or sixty days ground will be bro- ken at Norfolk, Va., for a marine railway to cost $250,000. The projectors :lso contemplate beginning work within a year upon a dry dock capable of holding ships of the larg- est size. J. A. C. Groner, secretary and treasurer of the company, has blue prints and specifications for the plant, which show that three piers, 1,300, 1,000 and gco feet long, respectively, and 20 feet wide, are to be built. Between those a marine railway upon which vessels not exceeding 3,009 tons register may be hauled out, is located. The officers of the company which will undertake this work are: H. W. Anderson, shipbuilder of Bath, Me., presi- dent; Walter H. Doyle, ‘of Norfolk, vice-president, and J. A. C. Groner, secretary and treasurer. ; Mr. Groner says that $50,c00 has been paid in by those interested, among whom are all the large transportation companics here. And two New York trnst companies will furnish the $200,000 additional required. There will be at the piersa depth of water of 27 feet, and to secure this dredging to cost about $8,000 will first be done. A marine railway repair shop, saw mill and shipbuilding plant and dry dock are badly needed here and will be high- ly profitable. rr or oS COAL IN ALGERIA. While statisticians, economists, and others are discussing the shortage of coal in European countries, due to this or that cause, it may be well to note that the London Daily Mail calls attention to recent discoveries of coalin various. parts of Algeria. Lignite has also been discovered. The quality of coal found in Algeria cannot be compared to the Welsh: product, but, says our contemporary, it is not inferior to some Scotch coals. If it can be extracted in sufficiently large quantities, there is no doubt that most of the works, ete., which at present use Scotch coal wiilin the future ex- clusively patronize the Algerian mines, asit can naturally be supplic.d at a much lower figure. The greatest disadvan- tages that Algerian mine owners have to contend with is the difficulty of transport, but several lines will shortly be com- menced, which will open up the country and result ina great many mines being worked which at present are lying idle. Labor is very cheap, as hords of Moors and Kabyles wander all over the country in search of work, and, as a rule, water is plentiful. Algeria has certainly a great future before it as a mineral producing country, and if the colonists and capitalists would only recognize the fact that it would pay them much better to invest their capital in the country than in French securities, Algeria would soon rise to the position of a paying colony, which it certainly is not at present.—Bradstreets. rr THERE is much activity about the Crescent shipyards at Elizabethport, N. J., where 1,000 men are now employed. . Twenty-three vessels are on the ways and the machine shops are ruuning night and day. Rush orders have been received for three more submarine boats of the Holland type. This makes five that the company has orders for. SHIPPING AND MARINE JUDICIAL DECISIONS. (COLLABORATED SPECIALLY FOR THE MARINE RECORD.) | Breach of Contract.—It is no defence to a suit for damages for the breach of a contract made by a bill of lading to trans- port goods by a particular vessel that the carrier afterwards torwarded the goods by another vessel without additional cost or risk to the shipper. The Protection, 102 Fed. Rep. | (U.S.) 516. Recision of Contract of Carriage—Transfer of Bill of Lad- ing.—After a bill of lading made negotiable by statute has been assigned by the shipper for value to another, the con- tract thereby made cannot be rescinded without the consent of the assignee, and the issuance of a second bill of lading to the shipper, without the surrender of the first or the con- sent of the assignee, canuot affect his rights under the first contract. The Protection, 102 Fed. Rep. (U. S.) 516. Carriers—Breach of Contract to Carry Goods—Defenses.— Representations made by a shipper as to the size and weight of a machine to be transported, although not correct, are no defense to a suit against, the carrier for its failure to carry such machine on a particular vessel, in accordance with the terms of a bill of lading which was issued afterwards, and after the carrier’s agents had seen the machine, and had op- portunity to obtain full information as to its dimensions and ‘weight. The Protection, 102 Fed. Rep. (U. S.) 516. Admiralty Practice—Effect of Variance—Amendment of Pleading.—In the courts of admiralty of the United States there are no technical rules of variance which will prevent a recovery by a libelant who shows a meritorious case, but under the liberal and equitable practice as to amendment he will be allowed to amend his pleading at any stage of the case to conform to the evidence, even to the extent of changing a libel for a tort to one based on contract, where he has mistaken his legal rights, and the allowance of such amendment will work no hardship to the defendant, and is in accordance with the principles of equity and natural jus- tice. Davis vs. Adams, 102 Fed. Rep. (U.S. ) 520. Suit by Seaman.—Libelant brought suit in personam to recover damages for alleged forcible detention on board a vessel by defendant, where he was induced to go through false pretenses, and for services rendered while so detained. The evidence showed that he went on board under shipping articles which he had voluntarily signed, and by which he was bound, but that he was wrongfully forced by the master to leave the vessel at a distant port, in violation of such ar- ticles, and refused any payment for the services rendered; and also that he suffered other wrongs and mistreatment at the hands of the master which gave him a right of action in personam against the defendant. Held, that he should have been permitted at the close of the ca-e to amend his libel to state his cause of action as disclosed by the evidence. Davis vs. Adams, 102 Fed. Rep. (U. S.) 521. Salvage—Distribution of Award.—Libelants and respond- ents were associated in an enterprise to raise a sunken ship, to which libelants contributed the services of two tugs; the work to be done under the superintendence of one of the re- spondents, and the proceeds to be divided. After the enter- prise had been entered upon, and the tugs were proceeding to the locality, one of them, temporarily in charge of the superintendent, discovered a schooner aground, and, under the direction of the superintendent, rendered salvage ser- vices in effecting her release. Held, that such services were entirely apart from the common undertaking; and the award therefor should be distributed between the owners and crew of the tug and the superintendent in his individual capacity, unaffected by the agreement under which the wrecking op- erations were being conducted. The Cavalier, 102 Fed. Rep. (U. S.) 527. Shipping—Measure of Damages for Loss of Cargo.—A steamship company issued a bill of lading by which it con- tracted to transport a machine by a particular vessel from Seattle to Skagway, Alaska, which bill was indorsed to libel- ant, who proceeded to Skagway to receive the machine on arrival. The vessel, however, did not bring it, but it was forwarded by the company by another vessel, a month or so later, at which time libelant was not there to receive it, and it was entirely lost to him, Held, that as the usual rule that the measure of damages for loss of goods is their market value at the port of destination could not be applied, because of the impossibility of showing the value of the machine at Skagway, libelant was properly allowed as damages its cost at Seattle, together with his expenses in going to receive it and the freight paid. The Protection, 102 Fed. Rep. (U.S.) 516. oo oo THE first steel ever exported from the sonth has just been forwarded by the Tennessee Coal, Iron & Railroad Co. from its Ensley steel mill to Copenhagen and Glasgow. The shipment to the former city was 25 tons of billets and to the latter 30 tons of ingots. Vice President James Bowron, of the Tennessee Co., is now in Europe, and his order for these trial shipments has been forwarded. The sales were made below European figures. Export pig movements are in- creasing rapidly, upwards of 30,c00 tons having been for- warded this month. —— OO oe aoe THE Cramps have the hands, the brains and the means to build the fleetest and staunchest warships in the world, and if they are outclassed in this respect by rival nations, it will be nobody’s fault but their own.