THE MINING AND QUARRY INDUSTRY I906 4I 



ern section, in that it is made up partly of fossil fragments and partly 

 of oolites. Its stratigraphic position in relation to the beds of the 

 eastern section is not definitely known though it appears to be most 

 closely related to the lower or oolitic beds. 



The dip of the Clinton formation varies from 50 to 100 feet per 

 mile and throughout its extent from Herkimer county to Monroe 

 county contains one or more beds of ore. If only a single bed with 

 an average thickness of 20 inches is used as a basis for calculation, 

 the quantity of ore available in each mile of outcrop and an equal 

 distance on the dip amounts in round figures to 5,000,000 long tons. 



Fumaceville Iron Co. This company is engaged in mining 

 ore near Ontario Center, Wayne co. The open cut method for 

 mining the ore is here used to good advantage. The overlying soil 

 and rock, 18 to 20 feet thick, are first loosened by blasting and then 

 removed with steam shovels and revolving derricks. To loosen the 

 soil and rock, holes extending downward through the capping and 

 3 inches into the ore are made with churn drills. The holes are 

 16 feet apart, the first row being drilled 6 feet from the edge of the 

 trench. The loosened material is removed by steam shovels which 

 drop the material into the buckets of the derricks which convey it 

 to the spoil banks, opposite the long face of the trench and just 

 beyond the edge of the ore which is being cleared of its overburden. 

 Two sets of steam shovels and derricks, working in parallel and 

 along the strike of the bed clear the ore for a width of 60 feet. A 

 layer of limestone, 15 to 18 inches thick, remains on the ore which 

 is not readily removed b}^ the steam shovels. This is blasted away 

 or removed by hand. The ore which is 22 inches thick is loosened 

 by blasting. Steam drills are used and the holes are about 3 feet 

 apart and 3 feet back from the edge of the ore. The drill holes 

 extend about 3 inches into the underlying argillaceous limestone. 

 A small amount of the latter comes off with the ore but it is readily 

 removed. The ore is broken with hammers into convenient size for 

 handling. The ore is then loaded into buckets holding about 2^ 

 tons. A derrick carries the buckets directly to the cars which stand 

 on a branch track of the Rome, Watertown & Ogdensburg Railroad. 

 The track is located on the edge of the trench on the side opposite 

 the spoil bank, and is moved back whenever a new working face is 

 established along the strike. About 16 buckets of ore are needed 

 for a car of 80.000 pounds. The ore is shipped to Emporium, Pa. 



Wolcott. The Clinton ore was formerly mined near Wolcott, 



