136 



NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



The strata have a dip of 60° to 70° to the east and trend a little | 



east of north. The ore probably makes under the schist to the : 



east but has not been followed far in that direction on account of ! 

 the heavy overburden. The pit in places is 300 feet across. 



LimcstoiNG 



ScKist Probably ScKi^V 



Li mG5l"0Tic 



Cross-section of the Amenia limonite mine (after Putnam) 



The ore is in part of soft ochreous character and partly consists 

 of hard lumps and hollow spherical masses (" bombs "). Bodies 

 of carbonate (locally called " white horse ") have been left in the 

 workings, apparently on account of its lower iron content. Some 

 of the carbonate was mined and used in the furnace at Wassaic. 

 The washed limonite is reported to have carried 44 to 51 per cent 

 iron and phosphorus up to .4 or .5 per cent. 



The Palmer and Weed pits at the north are called the Amenia 

 mine which has been worked more extensively than the Gridley 

 mine and has shipped some ore in recent years. Smock credits the 

 Amenia mine with an output of 200,000 tons in the period of 20 

 years preceding 1S89. There is a washing and pumping plant on 

 the property. 



Manhattan mine. The Manhattan mine is situated at Sharon 

 station, just west of the tracks of the Harlem Railroad. The output 

 at one time was shipped to the furnaces of the Manhattan Iron 

 Works in New York City, long since dismantled. In the early 

 eighties it was worked by the Sharon Bessemer Ore and Iron Co. 

 who ceased operations in 1888; since then the property has been 

 idle. The pit is now filled with water, forming a pond 500 feet in 

 diameter. The ore is covered by a variable amount of drift which 

 thickens to the south and lies upon limestone. At the south end 

 of the pit as much as 160 feet of stripping has been removed, but 

 to the south and near the highway the ore comes to within 40 feet 

 of the surface. The cover increases also to the east where the ore 

 extends on the dip of the limestone and under the schist which has 



