Magnetite, or magnetic iron ore, which contains over 60 per cent, of iron, is found principally in Sweden and the Lake Superior district in the New World. The iron from the Swedish mines of Dannemora is said to be the purest in the world, yielding at least 66 per cent, of metal. The owners limit the output to about 50,000 tons per annum, and keep a special price.
Haematite iron, brown or red, including linionite, lake ore, etc., contains a slightly less percentage of true metal, and is found principally in the Spanish province of Biscay, Elba, Algeria, Mexico and Lake Superior, but there are immense deposits in Siberia, Russia China, Australia and Africa as yet untouched.

The story of iron and steel manufacture, and the methods of working the metal, belong rather to the romance of mining ; but one cannot conclude without calling attention to the important revolution in warfare produced by iron. As Rameses conquered the ancient world by his iron implements, so later civilisation con¬quered barbarism, and invention overcame indifferent-ism. Even the Turks, originally slaves working iron for their masters the khans, turned the tables on their rulers by using the weapons they forged for them. Later still, when sea power became all-important, iron decided the day.
Where the first iron ship was built is uncertain, but there is a record of one launched on the River Foss in Yorkshire for passenger service in 1777 ; and a few vears later iron was being used for shell plating of lighters in the canals, and the iron Vulcan was floated on the Monkland Canal, Glasgow. Many, however, were the prejudices against iron ships for quite half-a-century. “Don’t talk to me of iron ships,” said a famous naval constructor at the beginning of the nineteenth century. ” They are contrary to nature.” Another argument against them was that if they grounded, and were thus exposed to bumping on a shore, the bottom would be easily perforated. This was refuted by the grounding, in 1846, of the Great Britain, the first large screw steamer built of iron. Though she remained aground for eleven days, she was finally refloated, repaired and restored-to active service.