IRON
BY E. C. HARDER AND F. T. EDDINGFIELD
USES OF IRON
The uses of iron ore are so well known that their enumeration is hardly
necessary. From iron ore are manufactured cast iron, wrought iron, and
steel. By the addition of one or more other elements, chiefly silicon,
carbon, chromium, nickel, manganese, vanadium, sulphur, and phosphorus,
in quantities less than 5 per cent. and usually less than 1 per cent.,
various qualities, such as hardness, toughness, elasticity, durability,
brittleness, density, porosity, endurance, resistance to oxidation or
corrosion, malleability, and fusibility, can be controlled and given to
the cast iron or steel in the desired degree.
The uses of the products of iron ore are so common that the finding of
objects which do not contain some of them is difficult. Besides being
used as a metal, iron enters into the manufacture of paints (especially
red, yellow, and blue), chemicals of various kinds, medicines, coloring
matter in glass and pottery, and in the form of specular hematite it is
made into jewelry. Considerable amounts of iron ore are also consumed
annually for flux in the smelting of silver, copper, lead, and other
metalliferous ores.
Iron and its products are more widely used than any other metal; and
the yearly production of pig iron makes up 94 to 96 per cent. of the
total amount of all the metals produced in the world, and in normal
times averages about 80,000,000 tons annually.
GEOLOGICAL DISTRIBUTION
Iron ores are associated with many different classes of
rocks--sedimentary, igneous, and metamorphic. Where associated with
sedimentary rocks the ores may be the result of direct sedimentation or
may be later replacements of sedimentary beds by magmatic or meteoric
iron-bearing waters. Many iron-ore deposits associated with sedimentary
rocks are formed by the enrichment of original iron-bearing beds,
either by solution and transportation of iron compounds or by the
removal of other associated mineral constituents.
Among those important iron-ore deposits of sedimentary origin that have
undergone little or no further enrichment since deposition, except
perhaps directly at the surface, are the iron ores of the Clinton type
of the eastern United States, the Wabana iron ores of Newfoundland, the
“minette” ores of the Lorraine district in northern France, Luxemburg,
and southern Germany, the oolitic siderite beds of the Cleveland
district in northern England, and the hematite ores of Minas Geraes in
Brazil. The most important of the sedimentary iron ores that are the
result of further enrichment since deposition are those of the Lake
Superior district in the United States.
Iron ores associated with igneous rock are mostly of deep-seated
origin, usually having been formed by solutions that accompanied or
followed the intrusion of the rocks with which the ores are associated.
These ores are of two main classes: (1) Those associated with siliceous
igneous rocks; and (2) those associated with basic igneous rocks.
The ores associated with siliceous igneous rocks consist either of
hematite or, more commonly, magnetite. They occur in granite, syenite,
and monzonite, and in gneiss derived from these by metamorphism. Many
important ore deposits in different countries belong to this class,
among them being the magnetite and hematite deposits of Swedish Lapland
and of central Sweden, the magnetite bodies of the Adirondacks and
northern New Jersey in the eastern United States, various magnetite
and hematite bodies in California and elsewhere in the western United
States, the mixed hematite and magnetite deposits of the south coast
of Cuba, most of the iron-ore bodies of Chile, and the newly developed
iron ores of Manchuria. As a class, the iron ores associated with
siliceous igneous rocks rank next in importance to iron ores of
sedimentary origin.
Iron-ore deposits associated with basic igneous rocks are nearly all of
a distinct type known as titaniferous magnetites. These ores consist
of a mixture of magnetite and ilmenite in varying proportions, and
therefore carry a variable amount of titanium. Many large ore deposits
of this class are found in different parts of the world, among the
larger ones being certain ore bodies in Wyoming, in the Adirondack
region, and elsewhere in the United States, and several deposits in
Norway and in northern and southern Sweden.
An important group of iron-ore deposits has resulted from mineral
replacement along the contact of sedimentary rocks with igneous
intrusives. These ores usually occur in limestones not far from
intrusive masses of granite, monzonite, syenite or diorite, but they
may be found within the igneous rocks themselves, near the contact.
They are rarely associated with the more basic igneous rocks. These
ores are known as igneous contact ores, and their origin is ascribed
to iron-bearing solutions that accompanied or followed the intrusion
of the igneous rocks with which the ores are associated. Such ores
are extremely widespread, occurring in practically every continent.
Locally, extensive deposits exist, as in the Cornwall district of
Pennsylvania, in the western United States and British Columbia, in
Chile, and in China and Japan. Igneous contact ores have furnished
only a relatively small percentage of the world’s total production of
iron ore, however.
There are also widespread replacement deposits in sedimentary rocks
that are not associated with igneous rocks. These are believed to be
formed by ordinary meteoric waters which dissolve disseminated iron
minerals from certain beds or masses of rock, and redeposit the mineral
elsewhere in a more concentrated form. Such ore deposits may be roughly
tabular and resemble bedded deposits, or they may be very irregular.
Most deposits of this type consist of siderite which has replaced
limestone, but hematite and limonite deposits formed by replacement
also exist. Among the important deposits of this group are the siderite
ores of Bilbao, Spain, largely altered to limonite near the surface;
the siderite ore of Eisenerz, Styria; and the hematite deposits near
Hartville, Wyoming. Small deposits of siderite, hematite, and limonite
of this type are found in many parts of the world.
Besides the classes of iron ores already mentioned, widely distributed
iron ores occur as residual products derived from the weathering of
either igneous or sedimentary rocks. These ores have been formed by the
concentration of iron-bearing materials originally disseminated through
the rocks whose weathered products they now constitute. They are mainly
in the form of limonite and occur either as large bodies of relatively
pure ore or as aggregates of irregular masses of various sizes imbedded
in clays. To this class belong the brown iron ores associated with clay
in the Appalachian region of the United States, the limonite ores of
parts of Russia, and similar ores in Korea. In this class should also
be included the extensive limonite deposits derived from the weathering
of serpentine which have recently been developed along the north coast
of Cuba, as well as the lateritic iron-ore deposits found in many
tropical countries. Limonite ores associated with clays have been
smelted since early ages, owing to their accessibility and the ease
with which they could be smelted by crude methods. They have, however,
furnished a decidedly minor percentage of the world’s production of
iron ore.
GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION
The iron ore consumed by the world has been obtained principally from
the four great iron-producing countries: United States, Germany, France
and Great Britain.
Other countries that yield important quantities of iron ore are, in
the order of their importance: Spain, Russia, Sweden, Luxemburg,
Austria-Hungary, Cuba, Newfoundland, and Algeria. The normal annual
output in each one of these countries is more than one million tons.
Minor amounts of iron ore are produced in many other countries.
TABLE 11.--IRON-ORE OUTPUT OF PRINCIPAL PRODUCING COUNTRIES, 1910-1917,
IN GROSS TONS[12]
--------------------+--------------+--------------+--------------+
Country | 1910 | 1911 | 1912 |
--------------------+--------------+--------------+--------------+
North America: | | | |
Canada[13] | 231,623| 187,807| 192,753|
Cuba[13] | 1,462,498| 1,163,714| 1,397,797|
Newfoundland[13] | 1,108,762| 1,171,992| 1,251,968|
United States | 57,014,906| 43,876,552| 55,150,147|
South America: | | | |
Chile | ... | 28,150| 6,546|
Venezuela[14] | ... | ... | 12,100|
Europe: | | | |
Austria-Hungary | 4,592,572| 4,779,851| 4,997,311|
Belgium | 121,024| 148,130| 164,734|
France | 14,375,984| 16,376,967| 18,858,668|
Germany |[17]28,257,579|[17]29,408,812|[17]33,180,258|
Greece | 527,040| 493,106| 424,835|
Italy | 542,578| 367,900| 572,900|
Luxemburg | ([18]) | ([18]) | ([18]) |
Norway | 100,834| 217,051| 401,665|
Portugal | 3,307| 19,233| 28,947|
Russia | ([19]) | ([19]) | ([19]) |
Spain | 8,530,310| 8,635,523| [20]8,990,743|
Sweden | 5,465,234| 6,056,868| 6,595,044|
United Kingdom | 15,226,015| 15,519,424| 13,790,391|
Asia: | | | |
China | [21]130,472| [21]109,542| [21]201,561|
Chosen (Korea) | 104,627| 96,902| 121,224|
India | 54,626| 366,212| 580,029|
Japan | 132,921| 144,001| 168,479|
Philippine Islands| 148| 216 | 347|
Africa: | | | |
Algeria | 1,048,228| 1,057,087| 1,171,252|
Morocco | 186,149| ([16]) | ([16]) |
Madagascar | ([23]) | ([23]) | 22|
Natal | 50| | |
Togoland | ([16]) | 394| ([16]) |
Tunis | 327,756| 397,638| 470,866|
Australia: | 157,821| 122,361| 113,989|
--------------------+--------------+--------------+--------------+
--------------------+-----------+-----------+-------------+
Country | 1913 | 1914 | 1915 |
--------------------+-----------+-----------+-------------+
North America: | | | |
Canada[13] | 274,673| 218,620| 355,457|
Cuba[13] | 1,582,431| 821,110| 827,448|
Newfoundland[13] | 1,433,858| 566,000| 775,403|
United States | 61,980,437| 41,439,761| 55,526,490|
South America: | | | |
Chile | 13,878| 62,506| 144,783|
Venezuela[14] | 57,225| 2,400| |
Europe: | | | |
Austria-Hungary | 5,233,055| 3,939,248|[15]1,218,367|
Belgium | 147,048| 81,063| 4,646|
France | 21,572,835| ([16]) | ([16]) |
Germany | 26,771,598| ([16]) | ([16]) |
Greece | 308,640| 294,573| 154,951|
Italy | 593,618| 695,124| 669,262|
Luxemburg | 7,215,514| 4,926,980| 6,040,765|
Norway | 535,869| 641,790| 706,379|
Portugal | 48,392| 6,532 | ([16]) |
Russia | 7,947,191| ([16]) | ([16]) |
Spain | 9,703,177| 6,710,357| 5,527,552|
Sweden | 7,357,845| 6,482,904| 6,774,909|
United Kingdom | 15,997,328| 14,867,582| 14,235,012|
Asia: | | | |
China |[22]416,342|[22]488,258| 537,047|
Chosen (Korea) | 139,370| 179,062| 206,510|
India | 370,845| 441,674| 390,270|
Japan | 168,897| 134,193| 133,933|
Philippine Islands| 546 | 392| ([16]) |
Africa: | | | |
Algeria | 1,327,320| 1,097,101| 805,547|
Morocco | ... | ... | ... |
Madagascar | | | |
Natal | ... | ... | ... |
Togoland | | | |
Tunis | 584,649| 244,528| 281,304|
Australia: | [24]90,712| 177,938| 370,887|
--------------------+-----------+-----------+-------------+
--------------------+----------+-----------
Country | 1916 | 1917
--------------------+----------+-----------
North America: | |
Canada[13] | 245,693| 192,210
Cuba[13] | 712,716| 553,485
Newfoundland[13] | 903,625| 788,820
United States |75,167,672| 75,288,851
South America: | |
Chile | 55,281| 4,921
Venezuela[14] | |
Europe: | |
Austria-Hungary | ([16]) | ([16])
Belgium | 29,951| 16,732
France | ([16]) | ([16])
Germany | ([16]) | ([16])
Greece | 83,647| 62,366
Italy | 927,406| 978,174
Luxemburg | 6,643,689| 4,436,682
Norway | 865,700| ([16])
Portugal | ([16]) | ([16])
Russia | ([16]) | ([16])
Spain | 5,762,733| 5,461,857
Sweden | 6,876,278| 6,119,263
United Kingdom |13,494,658| 14,845,734
Asia: | |
China | 274,078| 299,465
Chosen (Korea) | 241,412| ([16])
India | 411,758| 413,273
Japan | 156,263| ([16])
Philippine Islands| ([16]) | ([16])
Africa: | |
Algeria | 923,598| 1,048,722
Morocco | ... | ...
Madagascar | |
Natal | ... | ...
Togoland | |
Tunis | 361,593| 596,261
Australia: | 390,108|[25]328,310
--------------------+----------+-----------
[12] BURCHARD, E. F., “Iron Ore, Pig Iron and Steel”: U. S. Geol.
Survey “Mineral Resources,” 1915 and 1917, with additions and
revisions. (The above figures are, so far as possible, based on
official reports and, where these are lacking, on the technical
press.)
[13] Shipments.
[14] Exports to United States.
[15] For Hungary only.
[16] Statistics not available.
[17] Includes Luxemburg.
[18] Included in Germany.
[19] Russia produced 2,936,024 long tons of pig iron in 1910;
3,536,417 long tons in 1911, and 4,131,890 long tons in 1912.
[20] Includes 1,563 long tons of argentiferous iron ore.
[21] Exports.
[22] From Tayeh deposits only.
[23] Madagascar produced about 8 long tons of iron in 1910 and 1.5
long tons in 1911.
[24] For South Australia and Queensland.
[25] For South Australia only.
TABLE 12.--PIG IRON MANUFACTURED IN PRINCIPAL COUNTRIES IN 1850, 1890,
1900, AND 1910 TO 1916, IN GROSS TONS[26]
-------------------+---------+----------+----------+----------+
Country | 1850 | 1890 | 1900 | 1910 |
-------------------+---------+----------+----------+----------+
United States | 563,755| 9,202,703|13,789,242|27,303,567|
Germany | 350,000| 4,584,882| 8,381,373|14,559,509|
Great Britain |2,300,000| 7,904,214| 8,959,691|10,217,022|
France | 405,653| 1,931,188| 2,669,966| 3,974,478|
Russia | 227,555| 912,561| 2,889,789| 2,992,058|
Austria-Hungary | 250,000| 910,685| 1,472,695| 2,153,788|
Belgium | 144,452| 775,385| 1,001,872| 1,822,821|
Canada | ... | 19,439| 86,090| 740,210|
Sweden | 150,000| 483,155| 518,263| 594,385|
Spain | ... | 176,598| 289,315| 367,423|
Italy | ... | 14,094| 23,569| 347,657|
Japan | ... | ... | ... | 186,794|
Other countries[27]| 10,000| 80,000| 100,000| 200,000|
+---------+----------+----------+----------+
Total |4,401,415|26,994,904|40,181,865|65,459,712|
-------------------+---------+----------+----------+----------+
-------------------+----------+----------+----------+----------+
Country | 1911 | 1912 | 1913 | 1914[27] |
-------------------+----------+----------+----------+----------+
United States |23,649,547|29,726,937|30,966,152|23,332,244|
Germany |15,404,648|17,586,521|19,004,022|14,162,147|
Great Britain | 9,718,638| 8,889,124|10,481,917| 9,005,898|
France | 4,309,498| 4,870,913| 5,227,378| 3,500,000|
Russia | 3,531,807| 4,133,000| 4,474,757| 4,190,000|
Austria-Hungary | 2,056,839| 2,276,141| 2,335,170| 1,500,000|
Belgium | 2,072,836| 2,307,853| 2,318,767| 1,500,000|
Canada | 824,368| 912,878| 1,015,118| 705,972|
Sweden | 624,367| 688,757| 728,103| 629,608|
Spain | 402,209| 396,872| 418,061| 400,000|
Italy | 298,144| 373,960| 420,011| 379,028|
Japan | 200,000| 200,709| 236,491| 295,428|
Other countries[27]| 250,000| 350,000| 250,000| 200,000|
+----------+----------+----------+----------+
Total |63,342,901|72,713,565|77,876,347|59,800,325|
-------------------+----------+----------+----------+----------+
-------------------+----------+----------
Country | 1915[27] | 1916[28]
-------------------+----------+----------
United States |29,916,213|39,434,797
Germany |11,603,874|13,000,000
Great Britain | 8,793,659| 9,047,983
France | 4,000,000| 5,000,000
Russia | 3,638,000| 4,300,000
Austria-Hungary | 1,929,000| 2,000,000
Belgium | 500,000| 1,000,000
Canada | 825,420| 1,069,541
Sweden | 755,000| 750,000
Spain | 421,000| 440,000
Italy | 389,000| 454,923
Japan | 312,957| 379,574
Other countries[27]| 200,000| 500,000
+----------+----------
Total |63,284,123|77,000,000
-------------------+----------+----------
[26] “Metal Statistics,” 1914 to 1918, with some additions and
changes.
[27] Partly estimated.
[28] Largely estimated.
More than two-fifths of the total annual output of iron ore in the
world has come from the United States, and of the American production
more than 80 per cent. is generally produced in the Lake Superior
district. This district is, therefore, by far the most important
iron-ore district in the world, producing annually more than 30 per
cent. of the world’s total of iron ore.
Germany and France have been next in importance to the United States
as iron ore-producing countries, about 80 per cent. of the ore mined
in these two countries being obtained from the Lorraine iron fields
situated on the border. The annual output of these fields, which
includes also the ores of Luxemburg, has been about 25 per cent. of
the world’s production. The Lorraine district and the Lake Superior
district together, therefore, produce somewhat more than one-half of
the total iron ore annually mined in the world.
The iron ore produced in Great Britain is obtained mainly from the
Cleveland district of northern England, this district furnishing about
40 per cent. of the British total, equivalent to about 2.6 per cent. of
the world’s annual production. In comparison, the Birmingham district
of Alabama and the Krivoi-Rog district of southern Russia, which are
next in importance to the Lorraine and Lake Superior districts, furnish
about 3.5 per cent. and 3.2 per cent., respectively, of the world’s
annual production.
TABLE 13.--PRODUCTION AND MOVEMENT OF IRON ORE AND PRODUCTION OF PIG
IRON, 1913[29]
Gross Tons
--------------+----------+----------+----------+-----------+----------
|Production| | | Apparent |Production
| of | Iron ore | Iron ore |consumption| of
| iron ore | imports | exports | (in part | pig iron
| | | | stocks) |
--------------+----------+----------+----------+-----------+----------
United Kingdom|15,997,328| 8,028,532| 21,223| 24,004,637|10,260,315
Canada | 307,634| 2,110,828| 126,124| 2,292,338| 1,015,118
Belgium | 149,450| 4,400,000| ...| 4,549,450| 2,484,690
France |19,160,407| 1,410,424|10,066,627| 10,504,264| 5,311,316
Italy | 603,116| 7,666| 20,000| 590,772| 426,755
Russia | 8,077,000| ...| 565,000| 7,512,000| 4,557,000
Austria | 3,039,324| 942,312| 106,071| 3,875,565| 1,757,864
Hungary | 2,059,000| ...| 700,000| 1,359,000| 623,000
Germany | | | | |
(including | | | | |
Luxemburg) |35,941,285|14,019,045| 2,613,158| 47,347,172|19,291,920
Spain | 9,861,668| ...| 8,907,202| 954,466| 424,774
Sweden | 7,475,571| ...| 6,440,000| 1,035,571| 730,257
United States |61,980,437| 2,594,770| ...| 64,575,207|30,966,152
Algeria | 1,349,000| ...| 1,350,000| |
Chile | 70,000| ...| 65,000| |
Cuba | 1,500,000| ...| 1,582,431| |
Newfoundland | 1,605,900| ...| 1,605,920| |
--------------+----------+----------+----------+-----------+----------
[29] Advisory Council, Dept. of Sci. and Indust. Research: “Report on
the sources and production of iron and other metalliferous ores used
in the iron and steel industry,” London, 1918, p. 12.
Table 11 shows the world’s production of iron ore from 1910 to 1917.
Table 12 shows the production of pig iron in 1850, 1890, 1900, and 1910
to 1916.
Table 13 shows the production and movement of iron ore and the
production of pig iron for the year 1913.
POLITICAL AND COMMERCIAL CONTROL
=United States.=--The principal iron ores of the United States are the
extensive pre-Cambrian hematite deposits of the Lake Superior region;
the bedded fossiliferous ores of the Clinton type of Alabama and
other southern states; the magnetite deposits of New York, northern
New Jersey, and southeastern Pennsylvania; the limonite ores of the
eastern and southern states; and the mixed hematite and magnetite
ores of the West. The United States is the largest producer of iron
ore in the world, and annually yields more than two-fifths of the
world’s supply. More than 80 per cent. of the output comes from the
Lake Superior district and most of the remainder from Alabama, New
York, and Pennsylvania. In 1917 there were mined in the United States
75,000,000 tons of iron ore, of which 63,000,000 came from the Lake
Superior region, 7,000,000 from Alabama, 1,000,000 from New York, and
about 500,000 each from Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Tennessee, Virginia,
and Wyoming; in 1918 the total production was 69,000,000 tons, of
which 60,000,000 came from the Lake Superior district, 6,000,000 from
Alabama, 900,000 from New York, 500,000 from Pennsylvania, and 400,000
each from Tennessee, Virginia, New Jersey and Wyoming.
The following table shows the approximate reserves of iron ore in the
principal districts of the United States:
TABLE 14.--IRON-ORE RESERVES OF THE UNITED STATES IN GROSS TONS[30]
Millions
of tons.
Lake Superior District (hematite) 3,500
Birmingham District (fossil hematite) 355
Tennessee and Virginia (fossil hematite) 100
Adirondack District (non-titaniferous magnetite) 40
Adirondack District (titaniferous magnetite) 90
Northern New Jersey and Southeastern New York (magnetite) 15
Southeastern Pennsylvania (magnetite) 40
Appalachian region (magnetite) 50
Northeastern Texas (limonite) 260
Western United States (magnetite and hematite) 100
Other Districts 150
-----
Total 4,700
[30] Kemp, J. F.: “The Iron-Ore Resources of the World,” Stockholm,
1910 (with minor revisions).
The greatest single iron and steel industry in the United States
is that of the United States Steel Corporation, which controls the
following iron- and steel-producing companies: Carnegie Steel Co.,
Illinois Steel Co., Indiana Steel Co., American Steel & Wire Co.,
American Sheet & Tinplate Co., National Tube Co., The National Tube Co.
of Ohio, Minnesota Steel Co., The Lorain Steel Co., Tennessee Coal,
Iron & Railroad Co., and the Shelby Steel Tube Co., with a total of
124 blast furnaces, having an annual capacity of about 18,000,000 tons
of pig iron. Most of the blast furnaces are in Pennsylvania, Ohio,
Illinois, and Alabama.
With the United States Steel Corporation is connected the Oliver Iron
Mining Co., which produces about 43 per cent. of the iron ore mined
annually in the Lake Superior district, this being equivalent to nearly
37 per cent. of all the iron ore mined annually in the United States.
The Tennessee Coal, Iron & Railroad Co. is the chief producer of iron
ore in Alabama.
Next in importance to the United States Steel Corporation as a producer
of iron and steel is the Bethlehem Steel Corporation, with its
subsidiaries, the Bethlehem Steel Co., Pennsylvania Steel Co., Maryland
Steel Co., Jurugua Iron Co., Spanish-American Iron Co., and Bethlehem
Iron Mines Co.
The works of the Bethlehem Steel Corporation have a total pig
iron-producing capacity of 3,060,000 tons annually from 23 blast
furnaces. Seven of the furnaces are in South Bethlehem, Pa., seven in
Steelton, Pa., four in Lebanon, Pa., three in Cornwall, Pa., and four
in Sparrow’s Point, Md. The Bethlehem Steel Corporation owns large
iron-ore deposits in Cuba and Chile. Most of the ore consumed in its
furnaces at present comes from Cuba, from the Lake Superior district,
and from Cornwall, Pa.
Third in importance of the iron- and steel-producing companies of the
United States is the recently organized Midvale Steel & Ordnance Co.,
controlling Worth Brothers, Midvale Steel Co., Remington Arms Co.,
Cambria Steel Co., and others. The combined pig iron-producing capacity
of the 14 blast furnaces controlled by the Midvale Steel & Ordnance
Co. is 2,420,000 tons of pig iron. Three of the blast furnaces are at
Coatesville, Pa., and eleven are at Johnstown, Pa. This company owns
important iron-ore deposits in Cuba and in the Lake Superior district.
Four other large companies produce more than a million tons of pig iron
annually, these being the Republic Iron & Steel Co., with an estimated
total capacity from its 11 blast furnaces in Ohio and Alabama of
1,430,000 tons of pig iron, and of 2,500,000 tons of ore from its mines
in the Lake Superior district and in Alabama; the Lackawanna Steel
Co., with an annual capacity in 1918 from its nine blast furnaces at
Lackawanna, N. Y., of 1,440,000 tons of pig iron; the Jones & Laughlin
Co., of Pittsburgh, with a capacity of 1,920,000 tons from 11 blast
furnaces; and the McKinney Steel Co., with eight furnaces in Ohio, New
York, and Pennsylvania, and an annual capacity of 1,205,000 tons of pig
iron. The last three companies named have extensive iron mines in the
Lake Superior district.
Important iron and steel companies producing somewhat less than a
million tons of pig iron annually are: the Youngstown Sheet & Tube Co.,
with an annual capacity of 990,000 tons of pig iron from six blast
furnaces, all of which are at Youngstown, Ohio; the recently organized
Steel & Tube Co. of America, having six blast furnaces in and near
Chicago, with an annual pig-iron capacity of 900,000 tons; the Colorado
Fuel & Iron Co., an important western iron and steel producer, which
has six blast furnaces near Pueblo, Colo., with an annual capacity
of 625,000 tons of pig iron, and has iron-ore mines in New Mexico,
Wyoming, and Colorado; and the Schloss-Sheffield Steel & Iron Co. of
Alabama, with seven blast furnaces and a pig-iron capacity of 530,000
tons. Many other plants with smaller capacity are scattered through
eastern and central United States. So far as is known, practically the
entire iron and steel business of the United States is in the hands of
American capital.
=Germany.=--The “minette” ore of the German Lorraine district before
the war constituted by far the largest iron-ore reserve of Germany and
is the chief source of present supply. Next in importance of the German
ore reserves are the brown hematites occurring north of the Harz, and
third and fourth in importance, respectively, are the deposits of the
Lahn and Dill districts in the Rhineland, and those of Siegerland. All
of these districts are in western and southwestern Germany and all of
them, except Lorraine, are in the region lying east of the Rhine in
Hanover, Westphalia, Hesse-Nassau, and Rhenish Prussia.
The Lorraine district is on the French border and forms a part of the
large ore field of Luxemburg and northern France. The deposits, of
sedimentary origin and Jurassic age, comprise extensive beds of oolitic
limonite varying in thickness up to 20 feet, interlayered with marl and
limestone. Seven principal beds of ore are found within a thickness of
sediments ranging from 75 to 150 feet, the most important being known
as the Grey seam. The tonnage[31] of “minette” ore available in the
German Lorraine district is estimated at 1,830 million[32] as compared
with 300 million in Luxemburg and 2,975 million[33] in northern France.
The “minette” ores average 30 to 40 per cent. in metallic iron content
and 0.3 to 0.7 per cent. or more in phosphorus.
[31] The ore reserves in this chapter are given in metric tons unless
otherwise stated.
[32] EINECKE, G., and KOHLER, W.: “Iron-Ore Resources of the World,”
Stockholm, 1910.
[33] NICOU, L., idem.
The deposits of the Salzgitter and Ilsede districts north of the Harz
Mountains are beds of brown ironstone conglomerate with an average
thickness of 20 to 30 feet, consisting of limonite pebbles in a clayey
or calcareous cement. These deposits cover many square miles, the
reserves being estimated at 248 million tons. The ores contain 30 to 40
per cent. of iron and average 0.7 to 0.8 per cent. in phosphorus.
The ores of the Lahn and Dill region are mainly red hematites, that
lie in an extensive sedimentary bed. They contain about 48 per cent.
of iron, 0.2 to 0.3 per cent. phosphorus, and are high in silica. The
reserves are estimated at about 135 million tons.
In Siegerland the iron ores are mainly carbonate, carrying 38 to 40 per
cent. metallic iron and 6 to 9 per cent. manganese. They form irregular
deposits abundantly scattered through the region, the available
reserves being estimated at about 100 million tons.
The total iron-ore reserves of Germany (not including those of
Luxemburg) actually available have been estimated at 2,540 million
tons, and the probable further reserves at 1,067 million tons. Of
these amounts, however, Lorraine has by far the largest part, so that
the transfer of this province to France reduces Germany’s available
reserves to 28 per cent. of the pre-war figure, and her further
probable reserves to one-half, altogether reducing her iron-ore
resources to one-third of the former amount.
As far as is known, the German iron and steel business is in the hands
of German capitalists, who, besides, have important iron-ore holdings
in France, Spain, Sweden, and elsewhere. Among the important iron-ore
and pig-iron producing firms in Germany are Gutehoffnungshütte, de
Wendel & Co., Krupp, Gebrüder Stumm, Aschener Hütten Aktien Verein,
Rombacher Hüttenwerke, Thyssen & Cie., and others. All of these firms
had large ore reserves in the Lorraine district when the war began.
=France.=--The iron ores of France are divided into three distinct
groups: the “minette” ores of the Briey, Longwy, Crusnes, and Nancy
districts; the Silurian ores in Normandy; and the vein deposits of the
eastern Pyrenees.
The “minette” ores of northern France form part of the great basin of
“minette” ores of France, Luxemburg, and Germany already mentioned.
In 1913 they furnished about 91 per cent. of the total production of
France. The iron ores of Normandy and Brittany are of sedimentary
origin and are composed of hematite or carbonate or a mixture of both.
The carbonate becomes more abundant with depth. The iron-ore deposits
of the eastern Pyrenees consist of both hematite and siderite and are
of high grade, constituting the only considerable source of Bessemer
ore in France. The iron content of the ores of Normandy and Brittany
ranges from 30 per cent. to 50 per cent.; that of the Pyrenees ores
from 51 per cent. to 57 per cent. The latter range includes calcined
siderite.
The production of iron ore from French Lorraine was about 19,500,000
tons in 1913; that of Normandy and Brittany about 1,500,000 tons, and
that of the eastern Pyrenees about 500,000, making a total production
of more than 21,000,000 tons for France.
The following table shows the relative output of iron ore from the
different iron fields of France and Germany during the last three
normal years before the war:
TABLE 15.--PRODUCTION OF IRON ORE IN FRANCE AND GERMANY, 1911 TO 1913
Metric tons
---------------------------------+----------+----------+----------
District | 1911 | 1912 | 1913
---------------------------------+----------+----------+----------
German Lorraine |17,734,576|20,050,245|21,135,554
Luxemburg | 6,059,797| 6,553,930| 7,331,050
French Lorraine, including Briey,| | |
Longwy and Nancy |14,878,000|17,235,125|19,499,166
Germany, outside of Lorraine | 6,968,000| 7,167,000| 7,472,000
France, outside of Lorraine | 1,584,000| 1,925,000| 1,686,000
---------------------------------+----------+----------+----------
The available reserves in the different districts of the French
“minette” ore field are estimated as follows:[34]
TABLE 16.--ORE RESERVES IN FRENCH “MINETTE” FIELD
Million tons
Briey 2,000
Crusnes 500
Longwy 275
Nancy 200
-----
Total 2,975
[34] NICOU, L.: “Iron Resources of the World,” Stockholm, 1910.
The list of operating companies in France shows a considerable number
of German companies among the predominating French. German or probably
German companies produced in 1913 six and a half million tons of iron
ore, or one-third of the whole production. In the Normandy and Brittany
region two German companies made 11 per cent. of the whole production;
and in the eastern Pyrenees one German company produced 20 per cent.
Altogether, German capital controlled over one-third of the iron and
steel industry of France in 1913. The rest seems to have been in the
hands of French capital.
The most important iron-producing firms in the Lorraine field in recent
years have been those of de Wendel & Co., Gutehoffnungshütte, Société
des Hauts Fourneaux et Fonderies de Pont-a-Moussons, Société des Forges
et Acieries de la Marine et d’Homecourt, Société Anonyme des Acieries
de Longwy, Société des Acieries de Micheville, and Société des Mines
d’Ammermont Dommery. The first two firms are chiefly German and have
controlled lands not only in German Lorraine, but also in French
Lorraine. Thus, the iron-ore lands of the Lorraine district will, even
after the cessation of the territory to France, be owned largely by
German-controlled firms. Politically, however, France will have control
of the output.
=Great Britain.=--The iron ores mined in Great Britain come chiefly
from the Cleveland Hills in Yorkshire and from Lincolnshire,
Northamptonshire, Cumberland, Staffordshire, Leicestershire, Scotland,
and Lancashire, in order of importance. More than one-third of the
total production is derived from the Cleveland Hills. The ore from the
Cleveland Hills, Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire, Leicestershire, and
Scotland is bedded oolitic siderite of Middle and Lower Jurassic age;
that from Cumberland and Lancashire is hematite, exceptionally low in
phosphorus, found in pockets in Carboniferous and Silurian limestones;
and that in Staffordshire is siderite of the “black band” and “clay
band” varieties found in the Coal Measures.
The following table shows the production of iron ore in the United
Kingdom in 1915:
TABLE 17.--PRODUCTION OF IRON ORE IN THE UNITED KINGDOM IN 1915
Long tons
Cleveland Hills 4,746,293
Lincolnshire 3,149,079
Northamptonshire 2,517,150
Cumberland 1,323,408
Staffordshire 703,231
Leicestershire 685,137
Scotland 375,241
Lancashire 333,086
Other Great Britain and Ireland 402,387
----------
Total 14,235,012
A large part of the iron ore in Great Britain can not now be
worked profitably, and much of the ore that was merchantable a few
years ago could not now be worked, on account of increased cost of
transportation, labor, and particularly of fuel. The actual reserves of
ore of present merchantable grade are estimated at 1,300 million tons;
the total reserves have been estimated by H. Louis at 39,500 million
tons.[35]
[35] LOUIS, H.: “Iron-Ore Resources of the World,” Stockholm, 1910.
In 1915 the United Kingdom produced 14,000,000 tons of iron ore. In the
same year nearly 7,000,000 tons were imported, of which 4,000,000 came
from Spain and between one-half and one million from Algeria and Norway
each, making a total of over 20,000,000 tons smelted in the United
Kingdom. The total production of pig iron was nearly 9,000,000 tons,
of which nearly 7,000,000 tons were produced in England, 1,000,000
tons in Scotland, and nearly 1,000,000 tons in Wales. Ireland produces
no pig iron. The iron and steel industry of Great Britain, so far as
information is available, is in the hands of British subjects.
Eckel[36] reviews the British iron-ore situation as follows:
The position of Great Britain as regards iron-ore resources is
peculiar--perhaps more curious than satisfactory. The matter may be
summarized by saying that England has still several hundred million
tons of high-grade ore which would be salable anywhere; that she has
in addition perhaps double that quantity of low-grade ore, workable
because of its nearness to coal and markets; and that England,
Scotland, and Wales have thousands of millions of tons of ore now
unworkable, but which may be serviceable in the future provided that
at that future date there is still any other good reason for making
steel in Great Britain. This last limitation may not be palatable,
but it is really the crux of the whole question, and it seems to
have been overlooked by the British geologists who have discussed
the subject. People do not make iron out of low-grade ores simply to
use up the ores; and with an increasing coke cost and a narrowing
export market it is a very serious question whether the bulk of these
British carbonates will ever be used. The duration of the British
steel industry will be fixed by its coal supply, and not by its
supply of local ores; for so long as coke and markets justify it, ore
can be imported to good advantage. If other conditions do not justify
the importation of ore, they will certainly not justify the use of
these hypothetical reserve tonnages.
[36] ECKEL, E. C.: “Iron Ores, Their Occurrence, Valuation and
Control,” p. 320, 1914.
=Spain.=--Spain is rich in iron-ore reserves, but the iron and
steel manufacturing industry has had little development. The annual
production of iron ore in Spain during the last years before the war
amounted to about 9,000,000 tons, of which more than 8,000,000 tons
were exported. The consumption of iron ore by Spanish blast furnaces
has been in the neighborhood of 800,000 tons annually.
The principal iron ores of Spain lie in the northwestern part,
in the provinces of Viscaya, Oviedo, Lugo, and Santander; in the
northeastern part, in the provinces of Teruel and Guadalajara; and in
the southeastern part, in the provinces of Granada, Almeria, Murcia,
Sevilla, and Huelva.
The iron ores of the Bilbao district of Viscaya are all of Bessemer
grade, and for many years large amounts have been exported to England
for use in Bessemer plants to supplement ores from the Cleveland and
other districts of England. Because of their excellence, they have
been in continuous demand, and the English iron and steel industry has
depended to a considerable extent upon these and other high-grade ores
of Spain. In more recent years, Germany has also become interested in
the Bilbao iron fields, and in the last years before the war Germany
took more than one-third of the total Spanish production, including
large amounts of ore from southern Spain as well. Spanish interests own
important deposits in southeastern Spain and in the Bilbao district.
Most of the ore of southeastern Spain is of high grade, being rich in
iron and low in phosphorus. Nearly all of it is of Bessemer quality,
and some is very low in phosphorus; the latter is exported extensively
for use in the manufacture of low-phosphorus pig iron. The United
States has been largely dependent in past years upon Spain for this
grade of ore, more than 100,000 tons being imported annually.
Spain has a number of blast furnaces and steel plants, the principal
ones being at Bilbao, in the Province of Viscaya. More than 300,000
tons of pig iron are produced annually in Viscaya, this being
approximately three-fourths of the total output of pig iron in Spain.
=European Russia.=--In European Russia[37] the principal deposits of
iron ore are distributed over four chief districts: Ural Mountains,
central Russia, southern Russia and the Caucasus.
[37] BOGDANOWITSCH, K.: “The Iron Resources of the World,” Stockholm,
1910.
In the Ural Mountains for the greater part the ores are associated with
igneous rocks. The most important deposits are in the neighborhood of
Gora Blagodat, in the northern Ural regions, and near Gora Mongnitnaja,
in the southern Urals. The ores are mainly magnetite and limonite
and come from an extremely large number of small mines. In central
Russia, over widely scattered areas, are deposits of calcareous ores,
clay ironstones, and bog ores. Many of the deposits are thin and can
not be profitably worked. The only reserves in southern Russia of any
importance are divided among three centers: Krivoi-Rog, the Donetz
basin, and the Kertsch peninsula. By far the most important deposits
are the magnetite-hematite ores in the region of Krivoi-Rog. The
ironstones of the Coal Measures in the Donetz basin and the limonite
of the Kertsch peninsula are of secondary importance. The mines of
Krivoi-Rog are extensively worked, and their reserves are estimated at
some 86 million tons of commercial ore. The mines are controlled mainly
by the following three companies: the Briansk company; Krivoi-Rog Iron
Ore Co.; and the Providence company.
The following table shows the production of iron ore in different parts
of Russia in 1912:
TABLE 18.--OUTPUT OF IRON ORE IN RUSSIA
Long tons
Southern Russia 5,679,000
Ural 1,817,000
Central Russia 286,000
Other Russia and Siberia 6,000
---------
Total 7,788,000
The ore reserves of Russia may be summarized by districts as follows:
IRON-ORE RESERVES IN RUSSIA
Millions of tons
Ural 282
Central Russia 789
Southern Russia 536
Caucasus 14
-----
Total 1,621
Eckel[38] reviews the iron-ore situation in Russia as follows:
On their face the ore reserves noted seem satisfactory enough, and
until the data are examined more critically it is difficult to
explain why the relatively large furnishing capacity of the Moscow
and other central Russian districts is so far out of line with the
comparatively small ore production of that area. As a matter of fact,
however, the large total ore reserves credited to central Russia are
in reality less important than they seem, owing both to grade of
ore and thinness of the ore bodies. From an international viewpoint
the ore deposits of southern Russia are the ones which require most
attention; for these are so located as to be of importance to foreign
competitors, while the total reserve tonnage is high, and the grade
of much of the ore is excellent.
[38] ECKEL, E. C.: “Iron Ores, Their Occurrence, Valuation and
Control,” 1914, p. 326.
Actual available ore reserves of merchantable grade in Russia are
estimated at 865 million tons.
Before the Revolution the greater part of the Russian iron and steel
industries was controlled by syndicates.[39] The oldest of these
consisted of manufacturers of medium sheets (1902); then followed
manufacturers of joists and =~U~=-iron (1903), axles and tires (1904),
iron tubes (1906), rails (1907), and bar iron and hoops. These six
syndicates were afterwards combined into one, officially styled the
Association for the Sale of Products of the Metallurgical Works of
Russia, but generally known as “Prodameta,” from its telegraphic
address. There were separate syndicates for wire, wire nails, and
roofing sheets. The “Prodameta” consisted, at last advices, of nineteen
works, of which sixteen are in southern Russia, and one each in
Petrograd, Moscow, and the Ural region. The “Prodameta” expired at the
end of 1915, but was provisionally prolonged for one year, and again
at the end of 1916 it was extended for a similar period. The aggregate
capital of the eighteen works was 198,400,000 roubles, and their net
profit for 1915-16 was 76,200,000 roubles.
[39] Ironmonger Metal Market Year-Book, London, 1918.
=Sweden.=--The iron-ore fields of Sweden are among the most important
in Europe and have for the last ten or fifteen years furnished a large
output, which has gone mainly to England and Germany. A relatively
small amount of iron ore is used in Swedish iron-smelting works. The
iron mines of central Sweden have been actively worked since about the
beginning of the twelfth century, whereas those of Swedish Lapland
have been developed recently. At present about one-half the output of
iron ore in Sweden comes from Swedish Lapland, and the other half from
central Sweden.
Swedish Lapland is estimated to have iron-ore reserves amounting to
1,128 million tons. The ores are mostly magnetite associated with
igneous rocks and show wide difference in phosphorus content. Certain
deposits or parts of deposits are composed of ores that are moderately
low in phosphorus, whereas others are high enough to obtain a special
bonus from German steel plants that produce high-phosphorus slag for
fertilizer purposes. Practically all the ores of Swedish Lapland
are exported. In recent years the total production has amounted to
about 3,500,000 tons annually. The principal mines are worked by
the Trafikaktiebolaget Grängesberg Oxelosund, in which English and
German capital is interested with the Swedish government. The Swedish
government controls the output of the mines and receives a large sum in
royalties on the ore produced. The ore deposits from which ore is being
produced at present are Kiruna, Gellivare, and Tuolluvarra, the first
two being operated by the firm mentioned above and the last being an
independent operation.
The ore reserves of central and southern Sweden are estimated at 140
million tons, included in a great number of relatively small deposits.
Most of the mines of central Sweden are controlled by small Swedish
operators. Some of the mines, however, such as Blotberg, are to a
large extent under German control, and the largest one, Grängesberg,
is operated by the same firm that controls the deposits of Swedish
Lapland. Some of the ores of central Sweden, such as those of
Dannemora, Norberg, Strossa, and Stripa, are very low in phosphorus,
and are used in the manufacture of special low-phosphorus iron; others,
like those of Grängesberg and Blotberg, contain more than 1 per cent.
of phosphorus.
=Austria-Hungary.=--The iron ores of the former Austro-Hungarian Empire
are mainly low-grade hydrous iron silicates that require roasting,
large deposits of iron carbonate, and some limonite. The total probable
ore reserves have been estimated at 940 million tons, of which about
560 million are very low grade.
The principal sources from which the domestic iron ore used in
the past in the Austro-Hungarian Empire has been obtained are the
chamosite-hematite deposits at Nucitz and elsewhere in Bohemia; the
siderite beds at Erzberg, in Styria, estimated to contain more than 200
million tons of ore; the siderite-limonite deposits on the slopes of
the Carpathians; and deposits of various ores in northern and central
Bosnia.
By far the largest of the deposits is that at Erzberg, owned and
operated by the Oesterreichische Alpinen Montan Gesellschaft,
presumably Austrian. The Bohemian deposits, also important, are largely
under the control of the Prager Eisen Industrie Gesellschaft. The
Carpathian deposits are largely controlled by local individuals and
firms, among them Duke Philipp of Sachsen-Coburg-Gotha-Kohar. Thus the
principal deposits have been largely under Austro-Hungarian control.
As a result of the war and the disruption of the Austro-Hungarian
Empire, the Bohemian deposits, estimated to contain 35,100,000 tons
of high-grade ore and 221,800,000 tons of low-grade ore, will come
under the control of Czechoslovakia, whereas the Bosnian ores, with an
estimated reserve of 21,500,000 tons, will go to Jugoslavia. Austria
will retain control of the large Erzberg deposit in Styria, and the
ores of the Carpathian region will continue under Hungarian control.
=Algeria, Tunisia, and Morocco.=--The iron ores of Morocco, Algeria,
and Tunisia, in northern Africa, are mainly high-grade hematite. The
reserve tonnage of Algeria and Tunisia is estimated by Nicou at 100
million to 150 million tons, and about 30 million or 40 million tons is
reported in the Spanish territory of Riff, Morocco.
The deposits of Morocco and Algeria are nearly all near the north
coast, and the ores are shipped from various small ports, such as
Melilla, Benisaf, Arzeu, Algiers, Bougie, and Bona. The deposits of
Tunisia are 180 to 200 kilometers southwest of Tunis, the shipping
port, with which they are connected by rail.
The principal mines of El Riff, Morocco, are owned by the Sociedad
Española de Minas de Riff. German interests, the “Netta Company,” held
a large concession, but since the war these interests are controlled by
the Company of Bilbao.
The North African deposits are important as a source of high-grade
low-phosphorus ore for European blast furnaces. All of the ore produced
is exported, the annual shipments amounting to about 1,500,000 tons.
=Cuba.=--There are two principal groups of iron-ore deposits in
Cuba--the magnetite and hematite ore on the south coast, and the brown
ore, or limonite, on the north coast. All are near the eastern end of
the island. The ores of Firmeza and Daiquiri, on the south coast, are
mixed magnetite and hematite, averaging about 58 per cent. iron and
0.03 per cent. phosphorus. They are associated with igneous rocks.
A determination of tonnage is difficult because of the irregularity
of the ore bodies, and estimates of reserves range from 5 million to
9 million tons. The brown ore of the north shore is hydrated brown
hematite, a laterization product of serpentine. The dried ore averages
about 46 per cent. iron, 0.01 per cent. phosphorus, and 1.7 per cent.
chromium. The reserve tonnage, estimated as high as 3,000 million tons,
is mainly contained in the three large deposits of Camaguey, Mayari,
and Moa.
The principal deposits of Cuba are owned and operated by the Bethlehem
Steel Co. Important undeveloped deposits are owned by the Buena
Vista Iron Co. (Midvale Steel & Ordnance Co.), United States Steel
Corporation, Guantanamo Exploration Co., and Eastern Steel Co.
=Newfoundland.=--The principal iron ores of Newfoundland are bedded
oolitic hematites, which average 50 per cent. to 52 per cent. in
metallic iron. The ore reserves of Newfoundland have been estimated as
between 3,250 million and 3,500 million tons, making them among the
largest and by far the most compact iron-ore reserves in the world. The
output of ore has been 1,000,000 to 1,500,000 tons annually, except
during the war, when the production decreased. These deposits are
important on account of both their size and their situation. Ore can
be placed readily in American or European ports at a cost far lower
per unit of iron than any competitive ore, so that the market is
practically unlimited.
The ores have been mainly exported to Sydney, Nova Scotia, and to
Philadelphia, while about 10 per cent. has gone to Holland (Germany).
The phosphorus content is too high for normal economic basic
open-hearth practice if the ores are used alone, but not too high for
foundry use or for the basic Bessemer process developed in Europe.
The Wabana iron-ore deposits are owned and mined by the Dominion Iron
& Steel Co., and the Nova Scotia Steel & Coal Co., two Canadian firms.
Both companies operate steel plants near Sydney, Cape Breton.
=Norway.=--The principal iron ores of Norway are low-grade magnetite
and specular hematite, much of which can profitably be concentrated.
They occur in the northern part, north of the Arctic Circle. Small
deposits of high-grade ores, consisting mainly of magnetite lenses,
occur in southern Norway.
The Sydvaranger deposits, in the extreme north near the border of
Finland, are estimated to contain 100 million tons of low-grade
magnetite. The ore is treated in a large concentrating plant erected by
a Norwegian company but controlled by Swedish and German capital. The
concentrates analyze 70 per cent. iron and 0.02 per cent. phosphorus.
The Dunderland deposits on Rannenfjord, near the Arctic Circle, are
estimated to contain 80 million tons of mixed low-grade specular
hematite and magnetite.
In 1914 Norway produced 652,273 tons of iron ore, of which
seven-eighths came from the Sydvaranger deposit.
=Italy.=--The most important iron mines in Italy are the hematite
mines of the island of Elba, which have furnished between 500,000 and
1,000,000 tons of ore annually in recent years. Ten or twelve large
ore bodies are found in the eastern part of the island, all under
control of the Elba Company, which has obtained a concession giving it
exclusive iron-mining rights on the island. Important but as yet little
developed magnetite deposits are found in the Aosta Valley, Piedmont,
and limonite deposits are found on the island of Sardinia. These have
furnished a very small output. Minor deposits of iron ore occur in
Lombardy, in the Apennines of central Italy, and elsewhere. The total
reserves of iron ore in Italy are estimated at about 25 million tons.
Italy has several important iron-smelting works, among them being the
Elba Company furnaces on the island of Elba, the Piombino furnaces
at Piombino, on the mainland opposite Elba, and the Ilva furnaces
at Bagnoli, near Naples. In addition there are some small plants in
northern Italy.
Italy’s iron-ore deposits and iron manufactures are controlled by
commercial organizations, mainly Italian, but in part English. The
Italian government exercises control over the ore deposits by granting
concessions for comparatively short terms.
Agreements made among the Italian manufacturers for the rational
division of work have led to the formation of a syndicate of the
following firms: Ilva, Elba, Siderurgica di Savona, Metallurgica di
Lestre, Ferriere Italiane, and the Piombino Steel Works. These firms
undertook to maintain the syndicate for eleven years, dating from
July, 1911. The affairs of the organization were directed by the Ilva
Company. “In 1916 the constituent companies renewed their agreement up
to the year 1930, but the Ilva Company ceased to direct the affairs
of the Syndicate, and the relations between the Syndicate and the
German Stahlwerks Verband were abrogated and replaced by Anglo-Italian
relationships.”[40]
[40] Ironmonger Metal Market Year Book, 1918.
A further organization was made called the “Societa Ferro ed Acciaio,”
a combination of steel works.
Italy is important as a producer of iron ore and as a manufacturer
of iron products. She has been able to supply her own needs in iron
ore for many years and at the present rate can continue to do so for
probably twenty years longer. There appears to be no tendency toward
expansion into other fields to control foreign ore deposits.
Italy produced 593,000 tons of iron ore in 1913; 669,000 tons in 1915;
and 927,000 tons in 1916. In 1915, 408,000 tons of pig iron were
produced, and 87,000 tons were imported.
=Greece.=--Chromiferous iron ores are found in eastern Greece and
adjacent islands. They contain 46 to 52 per cent. iron, 2 to 3 per
cent. chromium, and about 0.10 to 1.00 per cent. nickel and cobalt.
The normal annual production of iron ore in Greece has been in the
neighborhood of 400,000 tons.
=Canada.=--Small iron-ore deposits occur in New Brunswick and Nova
Scotia. In Ontario there are two principal iron-ore districts--the
Atikokan and the Michipicotan ranges. The ore in the former is
magnetite, and in the latter hematite and siderite with some limonite.
The ores of western British Columbia are largely magnetite. The
principal deposits are on Texada and Vancouver islands, where the ore
is of excellent grade, averaging 63 per cent. iron, 0.02 per cent.
phosphorus and 4 to 10 per cent. silica. Low-grade magnetite ore is
found at the Moose Mountain mine, Ontario, and is being concentrated.
There are a number of blast furnaces in Canada, among them being those
of the Dominion Iron & Steel Co., Sydney; the Nova Scotia Steel & Coal
Co., Sydney Mines, and the Londonderry Iron & Mining Co., Londonderry,
all of which use ores from Newfoundland and Nova Scotia; the Algoma
Steel Corporation, Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario; the Steel Company of
Canada, Hamilton, Ontario; the Canadian Furnace Co., Port Colborne,
Ontario; the Canada Iron Foundries, Midland, Ontario; the Standard
Iron Co., Deseronto and Parry Sound, Ontario; and the Atikokan Iron
Co., Port Arthur, Ontario, which use largely Lake ores of the United
States and Canada. The Moose Mountain Co., of Sellwood, Ontario, has a
magnetic concentrating and briquetting plant using ore from the Moose
Mountain mine. In May, 1920, the British Empire Steel Corporation, the
second largest in the world, was formed by the merger of nine steel,
coal, ship-building and transportation companies.
In 1912 Canada produced 156,000 tons of iron ore, and made 906,000
tons of pig iron.[41] In 1918 she made 1,066,071 tons of pig iron. The
iron mines of Canada are largely of Canadian and partly of American
ownership.
[41] Board of Trade, “Reports on Iron and Steel,” London, 1905-1918.
=China and Manchuria.=--Little information is available on the extent
of the iron-ore deposits of the Chinese Empire. The principal producing
area is that of Tayeh, south of Yangtse River in the Province of
Hupeh, where a series of ore bodies, consisting of mixed hematite
and magnetite, occurs along the contact of limestone and intrusive
syenite. The deposits are estimated to contain about 40 million tons
of ore.[42] The Han-Yeh-Ping Iron & Steel Co., largely controlled in
Japan, owns these deposits and the Han Yang steel plant near Hankow.
Iron ore similar to that of Tayeh is reported to occur farther down the
Yangtse at Tungling, in the Province of Ngan-whei, and also along the
coast near Amoy, Province of Fukien. The deposits near Amoy are said to
contain about 25 million tons.
[42] BAIN, H. F.: “Notes on Iron-Ore Resources of China,” _Trans._
Am. Inst. Min. Eng., 1918.
Of considerable importance are the mixed hematite and magnetite ores
of Chin-ling-chen, near Kiaochow, Shantung Province. A series of ore
bodies, some of them 100 feet in width, are said to occur along a
contact zone two kilometers in length.[43] The deposits were exploited
by Germans and are being developed by Japanese.
[43] KOERT, W.: “Iron-Ore Resources of the World,” Stockholm, 1910.
Sedimentary beds of oolitic ore of some extent are reported in the
provinces of Chih-li and Kiang-si, but they are of low grade.
Bedded siderite ores similar to the Coal Measures ores of England have
been mined for many years in Shan-si Province and smelted in native
furnaces. In Hunan Province, also, this type of ore is mined.
The principal iron ores of Manchuria are magnetites that occur as a
series of deposits in a northwest-southeast belt south and southeast
of Mukden, in southern Manchuria. They are interbedded with schist,
gneiss, and porphyry. In this belt are the An-shan-chang deposits
that are now being developed by Japanese interests affiliated with
the South Manchurian Railway, and the Miaor-kow deposits operated
by a Sino-Japanese company, the Pen-hsi-hu Coal & Iron Co., Ltd. The
southern Manchuria magnetite belt is reported to contain reserves
amounting to about 500 million tons.[44] Much of the ore is of low
grade.
[44] WANG, C. F.: “Coal and Iron Deposits of the Pen-hsi-hu District,
Manchuria,” _Trans._ Am. Inst. Min. Eng., 1918.
=India.=--Iron ores of four types are found in India[45]: (1) lenses of
specular hematite with some magnetite, occurring in quartz-hematite and
quartz-magnetite schist of the Dharwar series and other older rocks;
(2) granules of magnetite and hematite scattered through granite and
schist; (3) clay ironstones in the Coal Measures of Bengal; and (4)
lateritic ores.
[45] DE LA TOUCHE, F. E.: “Iron-Ore Resources of the World,”
Stockholm, 1910.
The hematite-magnetite lenses interlayered with iron-bearing schists
are the most important of the Indian ores, although it is only recently
that they have been exploited. The Tata Iron & Steel Co. owns the
principal deposits of this type, including Mayurbhanj, in Bengal,
where mining is being conducted at present, and the large undeveloped
deposits of the Raipur district, Central Provinces. Important deposits
of this type are also found in southern India.
Magnetite and hematite derived from the disintegration of schist and
granite are now being used by the Bengal Iron & Steel Co., of Barakar.
They consist of surface accumulations of iron sands and are found in
various parts of India. Clay ironstones scattered through shales were
formerly used by the Bengal Iron & Steel Co., but its supply of these
is exhausted. Lateritic iron ores lying at the surface are widespread
but undeveloped.
The principal iron and steel company of India is that of Tata & Sons,
an Indian firm. Its plant, which has been mining since 1912, is at
Sakchi, in Bengal, and comprises three blast furnaces with a total
monthly capacity of 24,000 tons of pig iron. There are also extensive
coke ovens, open-hearth furnaces, and steel mills. Many additions are
being planned. The Bengal Iron & Steel Co., which has been in operation
for thirty years, has three small blast furnaces at Barakar, with a
monthly capacity of 12,000 tons. A steel mill and rolling mill built by
this company have been abandoned.
Several new developments are being planned in the Indian steel
industry, among them being the Indian Iron & Steel Co., an English
firm, which is building a plant near Asanol on the East Indian Railway.
The production of iron ores for 1915 was 390,270 tons, the production
of iron and steel for 1914 was 504,564 tons and for 1915 to 1916 it was
584,775 tons. Total imports of iron and steel, 1914 to 1915, amounted
to 698,635 tons, and 1915 to 1916, to 424,597 tons.
=Japan and Korea.=--The iron ore used in Japanese furnaces is obtained
in part from domestic mines and in part from Korean, Manchurian,
and Chinese mines. The iron ore produced in Japan comes mainly from
the Kamaishi group of deposits in the northern part of the island
of Honshu. These mines yield more than one-half of the total annual
production of iron ore in Japan, the remainder coming mainly from the
Sennin and Kuriki mines, also in the northern part of Honshu; the Abuta
and other bog ore deposits in Hokkaido, and the black sand deposits of
Chugoku, in southern Honshu. The Kamaishi, Sennin, and Kuriki deposits
consist of magnetite and hematite associated with sedimentary rocks
near igneous intrusions. The iron-ore reserves of Japan are estimated
by Inouye[46] at about 60 million tons.
[46] INOUYE, K.: “Iron-Ore Resources of the World,” Stockholm, 1910.
The Korean iron ores used in Japan have come mainly from the surficial
limonite deposits of Hoang-hai-do, about 100 miles northwest of
Seoul, which have been actively mined for 10 years or more. Recently
Japanese-controlled blast furnaces have been established at Ken-ji-pho,
Korea, which use ore from the Ken-ji-pho iron mine, situated in the
same region as the Hoang-hai-do mines. The pig iron produced by this
plant is sent to Japan for use in Japanese steel plants.
Chinese iron ore used in Japan has been obtained from the Tayeh mines
of Hupeh Province. A part of the ore from these mines goes directly to
Japan, and a part goes to the Han-Yang furnaces, near Hankow, to be
manufactured into pig-iron and steel products which also go to Japan.
The Han-Yeh-Ping Iron & Steel Co., which owns both the Tayeh mines and
the Han-Yang furnaces, is a Chinese concern, the capital of which is at
present controlled largely by Japanese banking firms.
Of considerable interest at the present time is the development by
Japanese of the Chin-ling-chen iron-ore deposits on the peninsula of
Kiaochow, Shantung Province. These deposits were being exploited by the
Germans just before the war and have recently been taken over by the
Japanese, who are continuing development.
Two important Japanese-controlled iron and steel manufacturing projects
are at present being developed in Manchuria. The older of these is the
plant of the Pen-hsi-hu Colliery & Mining Co. at Pen-hsi-hu, southeast
of Mukden, where pig iron is being manufactured from ore obtained from
the neighboring Miaor-kou magnetite mines. The pig iron is being sent
to Japan. The other Manchurian enterprise is the An-shan-chang iron and
steel works at Sha-ho-kou, south of Mukden. The ore is derived from
the An-shan-chang iron mines and the pig iron and steel products which
it is later planned to manufacture are to be sent to Japan. It is also
planned to send Manchurian ore to Japan.
On page 77 are shown the production and importation of iron ore into
Japan in recent years:
TABLE 19.--PRODUCTION AND IMPORTATION OF IRON ORE INTO JAPAN, 1914 TO
1916
(Metric tons)
----+----------+---------------+---------------
| | Importation |
| | from |Total including
| +-------+-------+ other
Year|Production| Korea | China | countries
----+----------+-------+-------+---------------
1914| 136,385 |163,747|300,305| 465,754
1915| 136,121 |204,101|311,310| 516,132
1916| 158,815 |192,225|282,149| 474,955
----+----------+-------+-------+---------------
A considerable quantity of pig iron is imported into Japan from British
India, Great Britain, and other countries.
The principal iron-smelting works in Japan are as follows: Imperial
Steel Works, Yawata; Kamaishi Iron Works, Kamaishi; Wanishi Iron Works,
Tanburi; Sennin Iron Works, Waka; Kuriki Iron Works, Kisen. All are
controlled by Japanese, the first being the Japanese government works.
=Poland.=--In Poland the chief deposits of iron ore are the limonite
deposits in the Vistula district, carrying 22 to 50 per cent. iron. The
production in 1912 was 289,000 long tons. The resources are estimated
at 300 million to 800 million tons.
=Belgium.=--Belgium’s production of iron ore in recent years has
amounted to about 150,000 tons annually, of which more than half was
derived from the “minette” ore beds in the southeastern part along the
French border, and the remainder came in part from beds of oolitic
hematite of Devonian age in the Namur and Liege basins and in part
from bog-ore deposits in the northern part. In the past the largest
production has come from the Namur basin, and there are still large
reserves of these oolitic hematite ores. The total iron-ore reserves of
Belgium are estimated to be about 62,500,000 tons.
The iron ore produced in Belgium supplies only a very small part of the
requirements for the Belgian iron and steel industry, most of the ore
being imported from France.
=Portugal.=--The largest deposits of iron ore in Portugal are those of
Moncorvo, in the northeastern part. The ore is a bedded sedimentary
deposit of low grade and the estimated reserve is 45 million tons.
Small deposits of magnetite and brown hematite are found in the
southern part in the Province of Alemtejo. Portugal produced 48,342
tons of iron ore in 1913.
=Turkey and Bulgaria.=--Minor deposits of magnetite and hematite occur
in Bulgaria and former European Turkey, and in western Asia Minor
several important ore bodies are known.[47] The largest of these
deposits occurs in the Berut Hills, 90 miles northwest of the Gulf of
Alexandretta. It is reported to be capable of producing 300,000 tons
annually.
[47] EDWARDS, G. M.: “Notes on Mines in the Ottoman Empire,” _Trans._
Inst. Min. Met., vol. 23, 1913-14.
Other important deposits are found near Ayazmat, on the mainland
opposite the island of Mitylene, and near Tireboli and Trebizond, on
the Black Sea. The only producing mine is near Ayazmat.
=Chile.=--Scattered iron-ore deposits occur in Chile in the coastal
mountain region; the principal deposits extend a distance of about 150
miles parallel to the coast, some of them being north and some south
of Coquimbo. The ore bodies are within 10 to 40 miles of the coast.
Most of them are enclosed as lenses in granitic rocks; a few are in
sedimentary rocks near the contact of igneous rocks.
Furnaces and a steel plant were erected by a French syndicate 10 to 15
years ago in southern Chile. The plant ran only a few months, there
being apparently no market for the product. The iron ore was obtained
from the Tofo deposit, and green wood was used for fuel.
Of the Chilean deposits, the largest, Algarrobo, is owned by a
joint Dutch-German syndicate controlled by Wm. H. Müller & Co., and
Gutehoffnungshütte. Tofo, next in size to Algarrobo, is under lease
to the Bethlehem Steel Co. Most of the other deposits are owned
by Chileans. The tonnage of Chilean ore controlled by different
nationalities is approximately as follows:
Millions of tons
(long tons)
German 50
American 40
Chilean (in part English) 50
---
Total 140
Iron ore was mined at Tofo during 1914, 1915, and 1916, and exported to
the United States. In 1915 about 153,000 tons were shipped. During the
war the mining practically ceased.
=Brazil.=--The iron-ore deposits of Minas Geraes, Brazil, are among
the most important in the world. The ore bodies, which as yet are
practically undeveloped, lie in an area roughly 100 miles square, the
center of which is 225 miles in a direct line north of Rio de Janeiro.
The principal ores are hematite and are associated as beds and lenses
with a laminated ferruginous quartzite known as “itabirite” that covers
many square miles. The interlayered beds and lenses of ore are high
grade, carrying up to 69 or 70 per cent. of metallic iron and averaging
between 0.003 and 0.025 per cent. phosphorus. Nearly all ores of this
type are of Bessemer or low-phosphorus grade. There are also large
areas of recently formed surface ores consisting of mixed hematite and
limonite moderately high in phosphorus; these average 55 to 65 per
cent. in metallic iron.
On account of the distance from the coast and high cost of
transportation, only the high-grade bedded ores are considered at
present as available. The Central Railroad of Brazil runs through the
iron-ore district to the port of Rio, 310 miles from the southern edge
of the district, but unfortunately, on account of heavy grades, it can
not be used for extensive transportation of iron ores. As workable
bodies of coal suitable for iron manufacture are not known to exist
in Brazil, the Minas Geraes deposits have up to the present produced
little ore.
The principal iron-ore deposits of Minas Geraes are owned by the
Itabria Iron Ore Co., the St. John del Rey Gold Mining Co., Ltd., the
Brazilian Iron & Steel Co., and the Compania Metallurgica, the first
two being English, the third American, and the fourth Brazilian.
The Deutsch-Luxemburgisches Bergwerks und Hütten Aktiengesellschaft
(German), the Société Anonyme Franco-Bresiliene (French), Jules
Bernard, Mathiew Goudchaux et Cie (French), the Minas Geraes Iron
Syndicate (American), and others, own local deposits. The following
table shows approximately the tonnage of ore controlled by each
nationality:
TABLE 20.--BRAZILIAN IRON ORE CONTROLLED BY DIFFERENT NATIONALITIES
----------+---------------------
| Millions of tons
| (long tons)
+--------+------------
|Bessemer|Non-Bessemer
----------+--------+------------
English | 145 | 300
American | 160 | 420
French | 21 | 15
German | 40 | 10
Brazilian | 44 | 400
+--------+------------
Total | 410 | 1,145
----------+--------+------------
Iron ores similar to those of Minas Geraes, and magnetite deposits of
minor importance are reported in other parts of Brazil.
=Mexico.=--Mexico has important deposits of iron ore in the States of
Lower California, Coahuila, Durango, Guerrero, Michoacan, and Oaxaca.
The largest iron and steel making plant in Mexico is that of the
Compañia de Aciero y Fierro de Monterey, State of Nuevo Leon, operated
by Spanish capital. This plant produces between 50,000 and 100,000 tons
of pig iron yearly. Ore is obtained from Coahuila, and coke from nearby
coal fields. At Durango is a charcoal furnace, which has been idle for
many years. It is owned by the Durango Iron & Steel Co. (American).
Small iron-making operations exist in Hidalgo, Puebla, Vera Cruz and
Oaxaca. The best known of the Mexican iron-ore deposits is that of
Iron Mountain (Cerro de Mercado), near Durango City, a large body of
magnetite. In Lower California there are important deposits of iron ore
at several localities. They are owned by the International Development
Co., an American firm with headquarters at Los Angeles, California. The
deposits in Guerrero, Michoacan and Oaxaca are reported to be extensive.
=South Africa.=--Various deposits of low-grade iron ore are found in
South Africa. In Transvaal there is siliceous sedimentary hematite
and magnetite in ferruginous schists of different ages, titaniferous
magnetite associated with basic igneous rocks, and local clay-band
ore; and in both Cape Colony and Transvaal there are lateritic surface
ores. A 15-ton blast furnace has been built within the last year or two
near Pretoria by the Pretoria Iron Mines Co., Ltd., for the purpose of
manufacturing pig iron from local ores. This is the first attempt to
establish an iron industry in South Africa.
=Australia, Tasmania, and New Zealand.=--In Australia and New Zealand
are some important iron-ore deposits, but only a few are developed.
Most of the iron ore mined in Australia has been used for flux in
copper, lead, zinc, and other smelting plants; a small amount has been
used in the two local iron and steel works--that of the Broken Hill
Proprietary Co., at Newcastle, New South Wales, and that of the Eskbank
Iron Works at Lithgow, about 75 miles west of Sydney, New South Wales.
The former is the more important, having in operation at the present
time two blast furnaces as well as steel furnaces, rail mill, and plate
mill.
Among the important Australian iron-ore deposits are the hematite ores
of Coombing Park, near Carcoar, and of Cadia, near Millthorpe, both in
New South Wales, estimated to contain reserves of 42 million tons of
ore; the hematite deposits of the Murchison district, about 400 miles
northeast of Perth, western Australia, where one single deposit--that
of Wilgi Mia--has been estimated to contain more than 25 million tons;
the Iron Monarch manganiferous iron-ore deposit, estimated to contain
20 million tons of ore, and the neighboring Iron Knob hematite deposit
of one million tons, both about 40 miles from Port Augusta, at the
head of Spencer Bay, South Australia; and the hematite deposits of Mt.
Leviathan, estimated at 10 million tons, located about 250 miles from
Normanton, on the Gulf of Carpentaria, Queensland. Numerous smaller and
less important ore bodies are found in all the provinces.
The Coombing Park ores have been used at the Eskbank Iron Works, 90,200
tons being produced in 1916. The ore averages about 55 per cent.
iron. The Iron Monarch deposit is being developed by the Broken Hills
Proprietary Co., and the ore is to be used in the furnaces at Newcastle.
An important iron-ore deposit, estimated to contain 23 million tons of
minable ore, is reported to occur on Blythe River, in the northwestern
part of Tasmania, about 6¹⁄₂ miles from the coast. There have been
rumors recently of a possible exploitation of this deposit.
In New Zealand large deposits of limonite occur in the Nelson district,
in the northern part of South Island. The principal group of deposits,
known as Parapara, is estimated to contain about 64 million tons.
Titaniferous magnetite sands, measurable in millions of tons, are
reported to occur in the southwestern part of North Island near New
Plymouth.
POSITION OF LEADING COMMERCIAL NATIONS
=General Statement.=--The world’s chief iron- and steel-producing
countries are, in the order of their importance: United States,
Germany, Great Britain, France, Russia, Austria-Hungary, and Belgium.
The annual pig-iron production of these countries ranged in 1913 from
2,300,000 tons in Belgium to 30,900,000 tons in the United States. The
normal consumption of iron ore by these countries in the last years
preceding the war and their recent maximum annual production are given
below:
TABLE 21.--MAXIMUM ANNUAL OUTPUT AND NORMAL CONSUMPTION OF IRON ORE BY
CHIEF IRON- AND STEEL-MAKING COUNTRIES
---------------+-----------+--------------
|Consumption| Production
Countries |(long tons)| (long tons)
---------------+-----------+--------------
United States | 62,000,000| 75,288,851
Germany | 40,600,000|[48]33,987,112
Great Britain | 19,000,000| 15,997,328
France | 12,300,000| 21,572,835
Russia | 8,900,000| 9,362,746
Belgium | 6,800,000| 164,734
Austria-Hungary| 5,200,000| 5,233,055
---------------+-----------+--------------
[48] Includes production of Luxemburg.
The consumption figures represent metallic iron consumed in terms of
iron ore and are obtained on the basis of production and imports of
iron ore, and imports of pig iron and crude iron and steel products.
Exports of iron ore, pig iron, and crude iron and steel products are
not considered as forming part of the countries’ consumption.
A comparison of the consumption and production indicates that the
United States, France, Russia and Austria-Hungary were self-supporting
as far as raw materials for their iron and steel industry were
concerned. Great Britain and Germany are dependent for a small
percentage of their requirements upon foreign countries. Belgium
produces a very small percentage of her consumption of iron ore, being
almost entirely dependent upon foreign sources, mainly France and
Germany, for her iron-ore requirements.
In several countries that produce much iron ore the iron and steel
industry is still in its infancy. The iron ore from these countries is
nearly all exported to the large iron and steel making countries. The
following table shows the recent maximum annual production and normal
annual consumption in some of these:
TABLE 22.--MAXIMUM ANNUAL OUTPUT AND NORMAL CONSUMPTION OF IRON ORE IN
SEVERAL COUNTRIES
------------+-----------+-----------
|Consumption|Production
Countries |(long tons)|(long tons)
------------+-----------+-----------
Spain | 1,000,000 |9,705,963
Sweden | 700,000 |6,878,318
Cuba | ... |1,585,431
Newfoundland| ... |1,433,858
North Africa| ... |1,349,000
------------+-----------+-----------
Thus, considerable quantities of iron ore are available from these
countries for consumption in countries that have to import iron ore and
iron products.
There is shown below the pig-iron and steel production in 1913 of the
world’s principal iron and steel manufacturing countries.
TABLE 23.--PIG-IRON AND STEEL OUTPUT OF THE CHIEF PRODUCING COUNTRIES,
1913
---------------+-----------+-----------
| Pig iron | Steel
Countries |(long tons)|(long tons)
---------------+-----------+-----------
United States | 30,966,152| 31,300,874
Germany | 19,004,022| 18,659,000
Great Britain | 10,481,917| 7,664,000
France | 5,227,378| 4,349,000
Russia | 4,474,757| 4,750,000
Austria-Hungary| 2,335,170| 2,641,000
Belgium | 2,318,767| 2,475,000
Canada | 1,015,118| 1,044,000
Sweden | 728,103| 574,000
Spain | 418,061| 359,000
Italy | 420,011| 897,000
Japan | 236,491| 251,000
---------------+-----------+-----------
=United States.=--The United States has for many years had in the Lake
Superior district the chief iron-ore producing fields in the world.
In recent years the Lake Superior district has furnished more than
two-fifths of the world’s output of iron ore. In 1917, 75,288,851 gross
tons of iron ore, 38,647,397 gross tons of pig iron, and 45,060,607
gross tons of steel were produced in the United States, as compared
with 61,980,437 tons of iron ore, 30,966,152 tons of pig iron, and
31,300,874 tons of steel in 1913. The imports of iron ore in 1917
amounted to 971,663 tons and of crude forms of iron and steel to
306,189 tons, as compared with 2,594,770 tons of iron ore and 250,592
tons of crude iron and steel products imported in 1913. The exports of
iron ore from the United States in 1917 amounted to 1,132,313 tons and
of crude forms of iron and steel to 4,744,527 tons, as compared with
1,042,151 tons of iron ore and 1,278,131 tons of crude forms of iron
and steel exported in 1913.
These figures indicate that in normal times the United States consumes
about 85 per cent. of the domestic output of iron ore, in the
manufacture of finished iron and steel products. Fifteen per cent. is
exported either as iron ore, or as crude iron and steel products which
are manufactured into finished products in other countries. Of the
finished iron and steel products made in this country the United States
itself consumes the larger part. However, large quantities of iron and
steel articles and machinery are exported to other countries as well.
The iron ore exported from this country is mainly Lake ore, which goes
to Canadian furnaces. The iron ore imported is largely Cuban ore,
which is used at the Sparrow’s Point plant of the Bethlehem Steel
Corporation. This plant has facilities for using only ore arriving by
boat and has been running almost entirely on foreign ores. The Cuban
iron mines are largely under the control of this company, and an
increased production is expected from them in the future.
The Bethlehem Steel Corporation has also developed an extensive
iron-ore deposit in Chile, from which some shipments were made during
the first years of the World War. It has been allowed to remain idle
recently on account of lack of shipping facilities. Large shipments are
expected from Chile in the future.
A considerable amount of Swedish ore has been imported in recent years
by the Bethlehem Steel Corporation, to supplement its shipments of
Cuban ore. During the war, however, the Trafikaktiebolaget Grängesberg
Oxelosund decreased its ore shipments and finally refused altogether to
export ore to the United States. These shipments recommenced soon after
the cessation of hostilities in Europe.
Certain high-grade low-phosphorus iron ores which are not present in
the United States in sufficient quantity to supply domestic needs have
been imported in past years from Spain, North Africa, and to a small
extent from Sweden. During the war, when the shortage of shipping
facilities necessitated combing this country for supplies of high-grade
low-phosphorus ores, it was shown that the United States is more or
less dependent upon foreign sources for such ores.
There are a number of mines in the United States, such as the Lyon
Mountain mine in New York, and the Cranberry mine in North Carolina,
which produce limited amounts of high-grade low-phosphorus ore.
Several mines on the Menominee Range, Michigan, produce a very
siliceous low-phosphorus ore that can be used to supplement in part
the high-grade ores. A considerable quantity of low-phosphorus pyrite
residue from sulphuric acid and fertilizer plants is also used for
making low-phosphorus iron. Much of the pyrite yielding this residue is
imported from Spain, some of it is of domestic origin, and some of it
comes from Canada. Altogether, the United States supplies about 60 per
cent. of the material required for the manufacture of its normal output
of low-phosphorus pig iron.
Certain developments in progress make it probable that a greater
percentage of ore used for this purpose can be supplied from domestic
mines. The principal enterprise is one that plans to concentrate the
siliceous magnetite ore of the eastern Mesabi Range. Experiments have
yielded a high-grade product and work on a commercial scale is planned.
The reserves of the ordinary grades of iron ore in the United States
are large, and no shortage of such ore is anticipated for many years.
They are easily capable of taking care of a considerably increased
consumption. The largest reserves are in the Lake Superior district and
in the southeastern states, but large untouched reserves occur in the
western states as well. The iron ores in the Pacific Coast region have
remained undeveloped from the lack of sufficient demand for pig iron
and crude forms of iron and steel on the Pacific Coast. Undoubtedly
this demand will increase in the future, and iron and steel industries
will be established there.
The reserves of ore in the Lake Superior district are large. The grade
of ore mined, however, has been gradually getting lower, and it is
possible that before many years Lake iron ores averaging considerably
below 50 per cent. will have to be utilized. At present the average
grade of the ores mined in the Lake Superior district is about 51 per
cent.
It is clear that there is not likely to be a shortage of the ordinary
grades of iron ore in the United States. Reserves of high-grade ores,
however, are being gradually depleted, and high-grade ores from foreign
countries will find an increasingly ready market. American capital
controls a large reserve of high-grade iron ore in Brazil. Much of the
Brazilian ore averages about 68 per cent. in metallic iron and is very
low in phosphorus, making it an exceedingly desirable raw material
for the manufacture of special iron and for mixing with lower-grade
domestic ores. Doubtless much of the Brazilian ore will go to Europe,
as British and other foreign holdings of this ore are extensive.
However, it is highly desirable that a certain proportion of the ore
should be diverted to American furnaces.
=Germany.=--The annual consumption of iron ore in Germany just before
the war was about 40 million tons, and the maximum annual output at
this time, including more than 7 million tons from Luxemburg, was only
about 34 million long tons. In order to supply German furnaces it was
necessary, therefore, to import more than 6 million tons of iron ore
from foreign countries. More than 58 per cent. of the iron ore mined in
Germany has come from the Lorraine district. The production from German
iron mines outside of the Lorraine district amounted to 6,906,809 tons
in 1913. The production of pig iron during that year was 19,004,022
tons.
The pre-war imports of iron ore into Germany were large, amounting to
nearly 14 million tons in 1913; against these the exports were somewhat
more than 2 million tons.
The iron ore imported from Sweden is mainly high-phosphorus ore from
the mines of Swedish Lapland and central Sweden. This is especially
adapted to the manufacture of pig iron for the Thomas process, much
used in Germany. Most of the ores from the Lorraine district are
slightly too low in phosphorus to be suitable for the Thomas process;
and Swedish high-phosphorus ores, phosphate rock, and phosphatic slags
are in places mixed with Lorraine ore to raise the phosphorus content.
A considerable amount of low-phosphorus iron ore used in the
manufacture of low-phosphorus pig iron is also imported from Sweden,
and a larger amount of this ore is imported from Spain. This material
is used in Germany for the manufacture of pig iron to be used in making
acid open-hearth steel.
Since Germany has lost the Lorraine iron fields, the remaining domestic
iron mines will be able to supply less than 20 per cent. of the
requirements of iron ore for the German furnaces. However, it is likely
that Germany will continue to receive most of her supplies from the
Lorraine fields, in which German holdings at present predominate over
French holdings and will probably continue to predominate.
=Great Britain.=--The United Kingdom has produced from 10 to 14 per
cent. of the iron and steel of the world annually for the past 10
years or more, and apparently has consumed in normal times about
50 per cent. of the product and exported 50 per cent., mainly to
British possessions. During the war about 75 per cent. of the British
production was consumed at home and 25 per cent. was exported, largely
to France. Fifty per cent. of the iron and steel products manufactured
has been obtained from ores mined in Great Britain, and 50 per cent.
from imported ores. Thus, normally, the domestic yield of iron ore
just about equals the domestic demand for iron, whereas during the war
the domestic demand for iron was greater than the domestic supply of
ore. Great Britain depends upon outside sources for one-third of her
iron-ore supply and this constitutes the source of about one-half of
the iron products.
The iron industry in Great Britain before the war was loosely
controlled by merchants who acted as intermediaries between producer
and consumer, an arrangement that did not work to the advantage of
the consumer.[49] British manufacturers had little interest abroad
and were themselves insufficiently organized to operate successfully.
If the sources of foreign iron ore were cut off, the situation might
become critical and exceedingly embarrassing until the domestic mining
industry could be expanded. To meet this condition the British Board
of Trade Committee advised a consolidation of iron interests by the
formation of a syndicate for the purchase and distribution of iron
ores and particularly for the acquiring of interests abroad. This
syndicate would establish sales agencies and arrange for transportation
and trade, similar to the organization of W. H. Müller & Co., of The
Hague. The committee recommended that these operations be backed by the
government and that all the resources of the British Empire be under
the control of the government, especially in regard to the granting of
concessions to aliens and the imposing of restrictions to favor home
producers. It has recently been reported that the iron interests have
organized along the lines indicated.
[49] British Board of Trade, “Reports on Iron and Steel,” London.
=France.=--The annual consumption of iron ore in France for the
manufacture of pig iron and crude iron and steel products amounts to
about 12 million tons under normal conditions. The productive capacity
of the iron mines of France is more than 21 million, leaving a surplus
of 9 million tons of ore annually available for export. More than 90
per cent. of the iron ore produced in France is obtained from the
Lorraine iron mines.
Most of the ore exported from France in the past has gone to German
blast furnaces. Much has gone to Belgium. Imports of iron ore are
small, being mostly high-grade ore from Sweden, in which class of ore
France is deficient. French possessions in North Africa have large
reserves of high-grade ore, but the bulk of the ore mined there has
gone to England and Germany.
As a result of the war, that part of the Lorraine iron fields within
the boundaries of the disputed provinces of Alsace and Lorraine has
been given to France, who thus has control of the entire output of the
great Lorraine iron fields with the exception of the part included in
Luxemburg. The production of the Lorraine iron fields, including the
part that formerly belonged to Germany, has been nearly 48 million tons
annually, of which about 7 million tons is mined in Luxemburg. Outside
of the Lorraine district France produces about 1,500,000 tons of ore.
Thus, unless iron and steel making expand greatly in France, much iron
ore will be mined for export.
=Russia.=--In 1913 Russia ranked sixth in the output of iron ore and
fifth in the output of pig iron, producing about 4¹⁄₂ per cent. of the
world’s production of iron ore and 6 per cent. of the pig iron.
Russia’s iron-ore reserves are estimated at about 1,600 million tons,
a part of which, especially in central Russia, is not economically
minable. The district of southern Russia is important on account
of its large reserves, large output, and its location. This is
particularly true at this time on account of Germany’s need of iron ore
for future use.
The Russian output of iron ore grew from about 2 million tons annually
in 1891-93 to 7 or 8 million tons annually in 1913-1917. Southern
Russia (almost exclusively the Krivoi-Rog district) produced nearly
7 million tons in 1913, but by 1916 the production from this region
had been cut down to half, its difference being made up from other
regions.[50] Between 1913 and 1917, Russia produced about 4 million
tons of pig iron annually, of which 3 million tons came from South
Russia, and most of the remainder from the Ural region.
[50] Advisory Council, Dept. of Sci. and Indust. Research, “Report on
the Sources and Production of Iron and Other Metalliferous Ores Used
in the Iron and Steel Industry,” 1918. Also British Board of Trade,
“Reports on Iron and Steel,” London; and Ironmonger Metal Market Year
Book, 1918.
In 1916 the Central War Industry Committee estimated the monthly
requirements of the whole country at 300,000 tons of pig iron for
war purposes, and at 80,000 tons for the requirements of the civil
population, making a total annual consumption of about 4,500,000 tons,
or only about one-half of the normal consumption. In 1917, the total
production in the country was estimated to amount to only 30 per cent.
of these minimum requirements.
The situation in Russia is so unsettled that a statement of present
conditions in the steel industry is valueless. It is reasonable to
assume, however, that the iron and steel situation will not materially
change as to operations and control. Moreover, it will be safe to
predict that Poland will develop more rapidly as an iron-ore producer
in the future, as she was handicapped in the past by restrictions on
exportation of ore.
=Belgium.=--Belgium has been negligible as a producer of iron ore but
has been a comparatively large importer of iron ore and manufacturer of
pig iron. The country ranked sixth as a producer of pig iron in 1913,
in which year it produced 147,048 tons of ore and imported 4,400,000
tons.[51]
[51] Board of Trade, “Reports on Iron and Steel,” London.
Belgian iron works were greatly damaged by the Germans during the war,
and probably some time will elapse before the industry again reaches
the position it occupied before the war. The country offers a good
market, however, for the iron ores of France and should in future years
be a larger producer of iron and steel wares.
Belgium is practically dependent upon outside sources for ore supply,
but is conveniently situated as a market for ores from many countries.
The total iron-ore reserves of the country have been estimated at
62,500,000 tons, not enough to last 10 years at the present rate of
consumption.
=Austria-Hungary.=--The former Austro-Hungarian Empire yielded in
recent years 2 to 3 per cent. of the annual iron-ore production of the
world, and about 2 per cent. of the pig-iron production; therefore it
has been of minor importance in the iron industry. The ore reserves
have been estimated at 284 million tons of available ore, and 807
million tons additional of probable ore.
The present unsettled conditions will probably result in considerable
change in the operation and control of the iron mines and works.
Eventually the upheaval may stimulate the iron industry, but the result
should not materially alter the international position.
=Japan.=--The iron and steel industry of Japan is of small magnitude
as compared with that of the United States, Germany, Great Britain,
and other leading iron and steel manufacturing countries. The total
reserves of iron ore are probably not much more than 60 million tons,
or less than has been mined annually in the Lake Superior district in
recent years. The steel-making industry is expanding rapidly, however,
and at present blast furnaces, steel-making furnaces, and steel mills
are being erected in Japan, Korea, Manchuria, and China by Japanese
interests.
The output of iron ore in Japan is utterly inadequate to supply this
expanding industry. The production of iron ore in Japan has averaged
about 150,000 tons annually in recent years, whereas the consumption
of crude, semi-crude and manufactured articles of iron and steel
is approximately 1,500,000 tons. In order to supply her needs,
therefore, from her own manufacturing plants, Japan would require in
the neighborhood of 3 million tons of iron ore annually. As compared
with this, Japan’s entire consumption of iron ore, both imported and
domestic, is less than 700,000 tons. The remainder of the iron and
steel required in Japan is being imported in the form of pig iron and
crude and manufactured products.
Japan is making a strong effort to develop iron-ore deposits in
neighboring countries, especially in China, Manchuria, and Korea; and
the production from these sources which goes to Japanese-controlled
furnaces is rapidly increasing. Among the more recent Japanese iron and
steel enterprises in these countries are the blast furnaces and steel
plant now being built at An-schan-chang, south of Mukden, in Manchuria;
the blast furnaces at Pen-hsi-hu, southeast of Mukden, in Manchuria;
and the blast furnaces at Ken-ji-pho, in Korea. The last two of these
plants are now producing pig iron, which is being sent to Japan. In
the future all three plants will probably build steel works. Iron-ore
deposits are being mined in connection with all of them. Besides being
used in the local blast furnaces, iron ore is being sent to Japan from
these mines. In China, the most important iron and steel enterprise
is that at Han-yang, in the Province of Hu-peh. This operation was
started by the Han-Yeh-Ping Iron & Steel Co., as a Chinese enterprise
in connection with the Tayeh mines in the same province. This
company, however, became involved in financial difficulties, and
Japanese capital was called upon in order that work might continue.
Considerable expansion of the plant is at present taking place under
Japanese supervision. Iron ore from the Tayeh mines and pig iron from
the Han-yang plant are sent to Japan for use in Japanese iron and steel
works.
It is doubtful whether, with the rapid expansion of the Japanese
iron and steel industry, mines in China, Manchuria and Korea can be
developed fast enough to supply the raw materials necessary. There are
rumors that several deposits of iron ore in eastern China are now being
developed, including that of Chin-ling-chen, and these may afford some
additional supply. The iron mines of India also may be called upon to
furnish more iron ore to Japan than they have done in the past. The
only other important iron-ore deposits known elsewhere in the Orient
are in the Philippine Islands. These deposits are reported to be fairly
important and they are favorably situated for supplying Japanese
plants. They are controlled by Americans.
The present expansion of the Japanese iron and steel industry is such
that it is a question whether the consumption of iron products in
Japan will be sufficient to take care of the entire output. It seems
very probable that Japan is looking for a large export trade in iron
and steel products. The Japanese may be ambitious not only to displace
European and American goods in the Orient, but may even attempt to
secure a market on the Pacific Coast of the United States and Canada.
It is quite probable that Japanese manufactured articles will be able
to compete in the western United States with articles manufactured in
the eastern states and subject to heavy transportation rates. On the
other hand, there is an active movement to start an iron industry on
the Pacific Coast, and it is hoped that plants established there will
be able to manufacture iron and steel products at a low enough cost to
enable them to compete with Japanese products in the Orient.