MiNEiJAL RfiSOtJRCfiS OP THE StAtfi OF PnTEW YORK t^^g 



Old Sterling mine. In tracing the hematite belt southwest of the 

 Caledonia mine, the next outcrops and pits are found at Keene's 

 station where there are several showings that have been exploited 

 more or less. The Keene mine is the principal one; lying i mile in 

 a direct line from the Caledonia shaft. The workings are inacces- 

 sible but are said to be extensive, reaching a depth of 400 feet. 

 Vycite is found in close association with the hematite. The Morgan 

 or Pardee mine is next in order, i \ mile farther southwest and about 

 I mile from the Old Sterling. It consists of a large open pit, on the 

 western edge of the gneiss belt, partially sunk through Potsdam 

 sandstone. Pyrite shows in the hanging side. 



The Old Sterling mine consists of an open pit, 500 by 200 feet 

 across, said to be 115 feet deep, with underground workings to the 

 south and southwest of it for a distance of 900 feet and reaching a 

 depth of about 200 feet from which the ore was obtained in later 

 years. The ore is a soft earthy hematite, with som_e of the hard 

 compact specular variety, and is more or less intermixed with sec- 

 ondary silicates of chloritic character (locally called serpentine) that 

 had to be sorted out. Some of the soft ore was used for paint. 

 Potsdam sandstone overlies the ore on the west side of the pit and 

 its contact is scarcely distinguishable owing to the alteration that 

 has taken place in the lower beds. The ore is somewhat silicious 

 and carries from 40 to 55 per cent iron, with about .1 per cent phos- 

 phorus. The output is estimated at over 750,000 tons. The last 

 operations were in the period 1904-10, 



Dickson mine. The southwestern end of the Keene-Antwerp ore 

 belt includes the Dickson property which was worked first in 1858 

 and for the few years following 1905. The occurrence is very similar 

 to that at Old Sterling i mile northeast, the ore being earthy hema- 

 tite as replacement of a graphitic gneiss or schist, following one or 

 more seams of the latter. The mine was opened by an incline which 

 in 1906 had reached a depth of 160 feet on the dip which was steep 

 to the northwest. The thickness varied from 10 to 40 feet. 



Shirtliff mine. One of the principal producers of ore in the past 

 has been this property in the town of Philadelphia, Jefferson county. 

 It lies to the west of the axis of the Keene-Antwerp belt. It was 

 worked up to 1880 or a little later, but is stated by Smock to have 

 been exhausted by 1888, when his report was written. The ore 

 was exploited by an open cut 1300 feet long and for a farther 

 distance of 500 feet underground, while the workings reached a 

 depth of 200 feet or more. 



