234 GEOLOGY OF THE SECOND DISTRICT. 



attracted by the magnet, to which it adlieres ; it is then removed by brushes, and falls into 

 a trough below. This mode is more expensive than washing, which consists simply in 

 causing a stream of water to flow through the pounded ore, which washes away the light 

 earthy matter, as quartz, hornblende, etc., while the heavy oxide remains. 



I may mention another vein before leaving the neighborhood of the ore in Pcnficld : it is a 

 mile northwest of the latter, and is a large vein, and furnishes an excellent ore. Still farther 

 trial will be required before the question of its value can be satisfactorily settled. Its qualities 

 do not apparently differ from those of the Penfield ore. 



Leaving this district, and proceeding a few miles west, we find another tract in Schroon, 

 which furnishes several veins of sufficient importance to require a brief notice. 



The first and most important in this direction is a vein on the land of Mr. Harris : it is 

 on the west side of Paradox lake. The vein is seven feet wide, and may be traced several 

 rods upon the surface. The grain of this ore is coarse, and it is mixed with quartz, or flint, 

 as it is usually called, and it is one of the purest ores in this neighborhood. As yet it has not 

 been much emjoloyed at the forges, and its qualities are not well established, but apparently 

 it is an excellent and valuable ore. 



Another vein of solid ore exists on the opposite side of the lake. It is, however, only 

 eighteen inches wide ; and as it dips into the mountain, it becomes too expensive to raise for 

 smelting. It is a very remarkable vein, being entirely a mass of magnetic oxide, without 

 intermixture with earthy substances : it resembles a trap dyke. 



Disregarding county lines, we find another tract which furnishes some ore, in Hague, and 

 the Brant lake region in the county of Warren. The first is upon the Ellis tract : it is a vein 

 only two feet wide ; its direction is north and south, and it dips to the east ; it is highly mag- 

 netic, has a fine grain, and is free from rocky matter ; it is in hornblende, and is stained 

 considerably upon the exposed surfaces with the peroxide of iron. This bed has not been 

 tried ; the kind or quality of iron which it will furnish is therefore undetermined, but there is 

 no apparent reason why it should not be good. 



Three miles north of Brant lake, in a region termed Desolate, is another vein ten feet 

 thick, which may be traced upon the surface eight or ten rods : it is fine grained, and appears 

 like good ore. The surface is stained brown with pyrites, but the quantity intermixed with 

 the ore is only trifling. It would answer well for castings, and form a good furnace ore. 



The ores of the west part of Schroon, of Brant lake, and of the Ellis tract, are not acces- 

 sible to market. They are situated, however, where there is an abundance of wood and 

 water. In these respects, they are located remarkably well. Their geological relations are 

 much the same, being embraced in gneiss and hornblende rocks, and conforming nearly in 

 their strike with that of the rocks to which tlicy are subordinate. 



Returning now to that portion of the county which is situated more immediately upon Lake 

 Champlain, we find, in a circle of six or eight miles, with Port Henry as the centre, nine or 

 ten veins, most of which are quite important, and all are capable of furnishing a large amount 

 of ore, though they diflTer much in the quality of the iron whicli they produce. 



