IRON ORES OF THE CLINTON FORMATION 59 



east of Clinton owned by C. A. Borst and the Franklin Iron i\Ianu- 

 facturing Co. who obtain the ore entirely by underground mining. 



The outcrop of the main ore bed in this region is shown on the 

 map [pi. 12], which reproduces portions of the Oriskany and Utica 

 topographic: sheets on the scale of i mile to the inch. 



The mining industry around Clinton dates back to the beginning 

 of the last century. The first lease for digging ore is said to have 

 been granted in 1797. The Norton mine at the foot of College hill 

 west of Clinton is the site of some of the earliest operations and 

 supplied ore to forges in the vicinity. Charcoal furnaces soon super- 

 seded the forges and were operated until the erection of the larger 

 furnaces using anthracite coal. The charcoal plants were located as 

 far away as Taberg and Constantia, while there were others nearer 

 by at Lenox, Walesville, and in the town of Frankfort, Herkimer co. 

 With the opening of the Chenango canal, shipments of ore began to 

 be made to Pennsylvania furnaces. From 1845 to 1850 the Scranton 

 Iron Co. engaged in this business on an extensive scale, shipping the 

 ore from New Hartford and Clinton by boat to Binghamton and then 

 on to Scranton. In 1852 the Franklin Iron Works erected a plant on 

 the site of the present furnace of the Franklin Iron Manufacturing 

 Co., and began operations with an output of 150 tons of pig iron a 

 week. The fuel used was anthracite coal. An additional furnace was • 

 built in 1869-70 giving a combined output of about 300 tons a week. 

 The Clinton Iron Co. was organized in 1872 to manufacture iron at 

 Kirkland, just north of Clinton. The furnace was placed in operation 

 in 1872, the ore supply being obtained from Westmoreland. This 

 furnace has been closed down for the last 20 years, while the Frank- 

 lin furnace has been operated intermittently, depending upon the 

 iron market. Besides the ore used by these furnaces considerable 

 quantities were shipped at one time to Geddes (near Syracuse), 

 Albany and Poughkeepsie. The mining of the Clinton ore for paint 

 manufacture has been carried on by C. A. Borst since 1890. From 

 5,000 to 10,000 tons are produced each year for that purpose. 



Davis opening. This is the most easterly working in Oneidii 

 county, being within about a mile of the Herkimer county line. It is 

 also known as the East Hill opening and was once a part of the 

 property owned by the Scranton Iron Co. It was worked for some 

 years by J. G. Egert and afterwards by C. A. Borst. The open-cut 

 excavation extends over several acres beginning a little over a mile 

 east of Washington Mills and extending eastward along the outcrop. 

 The ore is covered by from 6 to 10 feet of soil, with a little shale, 



