1846.] Mineral Resources of JVew York. 35 



mines, fuel and power for moving machinery become accessible, 

 and at the same time the movement is towards the market. There 

 is still an immense water power at Adirondack. The distance 

 from Lake Henderson to Lake Sandford is about one mile, and 

 the fall in this part of the river is about one hundred feet. The 

 great reservoir of water in Lake Henderson makes it a valuable 

 location for the establishment of works at this place, which is the 

 highest point on this branch of the Hudson at which w^orks can 

 be located; but proceeding downw^ard, the number may be mul- 

 tiplied to any extent which may be desirable, and to which the 

 ore may be transported. 



It will be impossible for us to go over the whole mining region 

 of New York and state particularly the value of the ores as they 

 exist in the mine, and which will constitute hereafter a source of 

 w^ealth and prosperity, and which at the present time is greatly 

 undervalued; w^e can only speak of the mines in mass. We 

 therefore ask our readers to regard them rather as sources of 

 wealth to the next generation, when iron will be required in much 

 greater quantities than it is at present. In order to form a true 

 estimate of the value of the northern mines it is necessary that we 

 should consider that they are adapted to the manufacture of re- 

 fined iron, and that this must be the province in which New York 

 can compete with the iron of Pennsylvania and other coal pro- 

 ducing States. By refined iron we mean that which is produced 

 by charcoal, and which only can be employed for the manufac- 

 ture of steel. Most if not all the failures in making steel of the 

 northern magnetic ores have arisen from the imperfect manner in 

 which the iron had been previously reduced. It can not be ex- 

 pected that iron made by the Catalan forge, unless uncommon 

 pains is taken, will be perfect and free from particles of ore which 

 have escaped reduction. There are so many inducements to has- 

 ten the process of reduction and to cheapen the iron by this cheap 

 mode, that it is feared that it will still be followed by the manu- 

 facturer at the risk of entailing a bad character on his productions. 

 The Catalan forge will produce iron cheaper and faster than by 

 any other mode; and where the ore is in one state of oxidation, 



