Fletcher mills of St. Joseph Lead Co. 
The pellets will be shipped to Granite 
Circuits were being installed in other mills 
City Steel's plant in Granite City, Ill., 
under construction in the new lead belt 
about 85 miles from Pilot Knob Mo The 
to recover copper concentrate. Plans called 
pellets, averaging 64 percent iron, will 
for smelting the concentrates at facilities 
enable the company to increase its output 
outside Missouri 
of blast furnace pig iron to support the 
Exploration continued at a potentially 
expansion and modernization of steelmak 
exploitable copper-iron occurrence near 
ing, rolling, and finishing facilities in 
Boss, Dent County. This occurrence was 
progress in 1967. 
found as a result of a magnetic survey 
In addition to its production of iron ore 
made by the State of Missouri 
pellets Meramec Mining Co installed new 
 Iron Ore.—Although Missouri was not among the leading iron ore producing
States in 1967, its annual plant capacity totaled 3 million tons of high-grade
pellets and the potential for greater production is significant. Several
magnetic anomalies associated with iron ore were being explored. Estimates
of iron ore reserves of potential commercial value in the State are as much
as 1 billion tons. 
 
Table 14.—Iron ore (usable) 
equipment at its Pea Ridge mine Washington County, to produce from the ore
high—quality iron oxide for use in the ceramic—ferrite industry.
This involved equipment to reduce the silica to less than one—half
of one percent from the 1.5 percent found in the Pea Ridge ore. The material
is used in fractional horsepower electric motors television sets and other
applicances. The first commercial test shipment of Meramec iron oxide was
made late in 1967. 
 Installation of underground crushing 
(Thousand long tons and thousand dollars) 
facilities in the Pea Ridge mine continued and completion was anticipated
in the 
. 
first quarter of 1969. Mining methods were modified during the year to permit
greater extraction of ore at the western extremity of the ore body by removal
of supporting pillars. The procedure was successful and was reflected in
reduced mining costs during the year. 
 The company completed a research program relating to treatment of high-grade
' hematite ore found at the Pea Ridge mine. At yearend, Meramec Mining Co.
was reviewing the economic aspects of modifying its concentrating and pellet
plant to accommodate the ore. The present plant processes mainly magnetite
ore. 
 . 
Year Quantity Value 
 
 1963  345 $3 085 1964 ~ 1,116 14:907 
  ~ ~ 1967~~ 1:871 26,673 
 
 
 
   Total 
Year Ferrous Pig scrap 
 scrap iron and pig 
 
iron 
476 MINERALS YEARBOOK, 1967  Lead.—Lead has become the State'smost
valuable mineral asset. For most of 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 At Pilot Knob, Iron County, development work began in the new mine of Pilot
Knob Pellet Co. a joint venture of The Hanna Mining Co. and Granite City
Steel Co. A 20-foot-diameter, concrete-lined main shaft and a 15-foot-diameter
ventilation shaft were completed. A primary crusher was installed underground
to crush and screen the ore before it is moved to the surface. 
 Construction began on beneficiating facilities to provide the company with
an annual rated plant capacity of 1 million tons of high-grade iron ore pellets—250,000
tons more than originally planned. The increase was attributed to the continued
growth in the demand for flat-rolled steel products in Missouri and other
areas. The mine and pellet plant were scheduled to begin operating in 1968.
At the concentrating plant magnetic separators will recover the iron ore.
The resulting concentrate will be used to form pellets of % - to ½-inch
diameter. The pellets will be heathardened in a 200-foot traveling—grate
furnace. 
Table 15.—Ferrous scrap and pig iron consumption 
(Thousand short tons) 
 
1963                
908 
33 
941 
1964                
1965                
1966                
1967                
1,029 
1,096 
1,063 
1,051 
40 
42 
41 
31 
1,069 
1,138 
1,104 
1,082