MINERAL RESOURCES OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK I3I 



21 inches thick respectively, are present. In the town of Ontario, 

 Wayne county, is the fourth area, with a bed of fossil ore i8 to 36 

 inches thick. This part has been worked by surface stripping for 

 a distance of 5 or 6 miles along the outcrop and explored for several 

 miles additional. 



In their entirety the Clinton ores constitute" the most considerable 

 ore reserve that is known to exist in the State. It is estimated on 

 a conservative basis that approximately 600,000,000 tons of the ore 

 exist in the three principal areas already opened in ore seams at 

 least 18 inches thick and under less than 500 feet of cover. 



The Clinton hematites average about 40 per cent iron, taking the 

 heavier seams only into account. The oolitic member in Oneida 

 county gave an average return in one of the mines of 40.27 per cent; 

 while separate analyses showed from 30 to 56 per cent. The fossil 

 ore of the western section contains from 35 to 45 per cent iron as 

 an average. Phosphorus is relatively high in most of the seams, 

 ranging from .25 to i per cent, or from i to 2 per cent reckoned on 

 the basis of metallic iron. It is thus mainly serviceable for foundry 

 iron, which was formerly made in local furnaces at Kirkland, Franklin 

 Iron Works and other places along the belt. 



Borst mines. The principal mine operations in the eastern section 

 in recent years have been carried on at Clinton by C. A. Borst. 

 The output has been used in part for grinding into paint, for which 

 the Clinton ore is excellently adapted, but the greater share has 

 been sold to iron furnaces in Pennsylvania. The mines are worked 

 underground by the long-wall method, the entry being from the 

 v/est and the face of ore being worked along the dip so as to provide 

 natural drainage and also a favorable grade for tramming. The 

 ore is inclosed by shale of which about 2 feet is blasted down from 

 the roof to give working room. The mine equipment is complete 

 and modern in type. The seam worked is about 30 inches thick 

 and returns 40 to 45 per cent iron. 



The mines formerly operated by the Franklin Iron Manufacturing 

 Co. are also at Clinton. They were mainly worked in the period 

 after 1880 and up to 1907. The mine lay-out and ore conditions 

 are similar to those at the Borst mines. 



East and west of Clinton are a number of old open-cut mines 

 once used to supply ore for the Kirkland, Franklin Iron Works and 

 Taberg furnaces. 



Fair Haven mines. At Sterling Station, Cayuga county, the Fair 

 Haven Iron Co. conducted operations a few years ago by steam 

 shovel methods, stripping 10 to 25 feet of soil and shale which overlies 



