106 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



is all shipped in the form of concentrates which carry minute quan- 

 tities of sulfur and phosphorus, much below the limits admissible 

 for Bessemer ores. It is used in the manufacture of special grades 

 of iron. Owing to the scarcity of such ores in this country, a steady 

 market has always been obtained for the output. 



The first mining of importance within the district was under- 

 taken about 1871 at a locality said to be near the site of the present 

 shaft 4, on the southwestern section of the main ore body. There 

 is evidence, however, that the deposits had been known to the early 

 settlers in the region and some ore was taken out many years before 

 that date. Operations during the early period were carried on by 

 contractors working under leases. The ore was sorted by hand, or 

 crushed and separated in crude mills that had been built in the 

 vicinity, and hauled by wagon to Catalan forges located at Belmont, 

 Russia, Clayburg and Altona where it was made into bloom iron. 



In 1879 the Plattsburg & Dannemora Railroad was extended 

 to Lyon Mountain, affording facilities for shipment of the ore to 

 more distant points. Soon afterward the Chateaugay Ore & Iron 

 Company, which consolidated the different mining interests, insti- 

 tuted a more systematic plan of operations that resulted in a largely 

 increased output. In place of open-cast methods, which were first 

 employed, slopes were sunk in the deposits at frequent intervals 

 and the ore mined underground. The number of slopes was in- 

 creased until, over 20 had been located on an outcrop of 3600 feet. 

 The ore was mined on both sides of the slopes with occasional 

 pillars left for support. But after the workings had obtained some 

 depth it became necessary to adopt a different plan; levels were 

 run at intervals of 50 feet vertically while only 6 or 8 of the slopes 

 were used for hoisting purposes. In connection with the mines the 

 company operated shaft furnaces at Plattsburg and Standish for 

 making charcoal pig. The latter furnace has recently been con- 

 verted so as to employ coke as fuel and is in operation at the 

 present time. 



Since 1903 the mines have been under the ownership and man- 

 agement of the Chateaugay Ore & Iron Department, a subsidiary 

 of the Delaware & Hudson Railroad. They have recently been 

 greatly improved upon the basis of a comprehensive scheme which 

 if fully carried out will materially enlarge their production. The 

 recent betterments to the plant include a mill of 1200 tons nominal 

 capacity, doubling the former milling facilities, and the installa- 

 tion of a large central electric station for supplying power to the 

 mines and mills. The accompanying map shows the general fea- 



