134 Nl^^V YORK STATE MUSEUM 



in the forge at New Russia. About 10,000 tons were obtained 

 from the Gates mine. No work has been clone in there since 1882." 

 The mine was also visited by B. T. Putnam as agent for the 

 Tenth Census in 1880. His record on page 118, volume 15 of the 

 Tenth Census Reports, is also of interest, the more because the ob- 

 servations of those who saw the now abandoned pits in operation, 

 are better than anything attainable today when they are filled with 

 water. 



The Gates or Putnaiu mine is situated in Elizabethtown town- 

 ship, northwest of Lincoln pond and about i mile southeast of the 

 village of New Russia. It is on Gate's farm, but the mine itself has 

 recently been bought by Herbert A. Putnam, and is worked by him 

 for the supply of his forge at New Russia. The existence of a 

 vein of ore here has long been known, and about 12 years ago the 

 Bay State Iron Company opened a mine some 50 rods north of the 

 present workings. Their pit is reported to be between 200 and 

 300 feet deep (measured on the dip). It is now full of water. 

 Work on the Putnam mine was begun in January 1880. In May 

 1 881, the pit was about 100 feet deep, measured on the foot wall, 

 which dips 57° to the west, and at the bottom 60 feet long. The 

 ore varies in thickness from 18 inches along the sides of the pit 

 to 4 feet in the middle. It will average, perhaps 30 inches. The 

 direction of the outcrop is a few degrees west of north. 



A part of the ore is coarsely granular and contains granules of 

 apatite. Before it is used in the forge it is concentrated in the 

 usual manner. Sample no. 1197 represents the ore as it comes 

 from the mine, and sample no. 1198 the separated ore. The samples 

 contained 



No. 1197 Nc. iicS 



Metallic iron 43-21 64.14 



Phosphorus -• 0456 0136 



Titanic acid Present Present 



" Phosphorus in 100 parts iron 1055 0-212 



It takes about 2 tons of " primative " ore to make i ton of 

 separated ore. 



The Gates mine was also visited at different times both by the 

 writer and by D. H. Newland when assisting in the field. An open 

 cut about 20 feet wide and dipping 55° southwest was observed. 

 The hanging wall is a dark hornblendic or pyroxenic gneiss, and 

 the foot wall a light colored granitic rock. Very much the same 

 contrasts are thus shown as at Mineville. To the west of this and 

 the Nigger Hill pit much gabbro appears in a series of small 

 hillocks. 



Nigger Hill mine. To the south or southwest of the Gates pit 

 is another opening locally called the Nigger Hill, but also described 



