﻿44 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  STATE 
  MUSEUM 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  same 
  vicinity 
  are 
  the 
  Skiff, 
  Long 
  Pond 
  and 
  Schofield 
  

   mines, 
  situated 
  on 
  Skiff 
  mountain, 
  and 
  the 
  Harris 
  mine 
  near 
  

   Paradox; 
  they 
  have 
  subordinate 
  rank 
  as 
  producers 
  to 
  the 
  Ham- 
  

   mond 
  ville 
  group. 
  

  

  The 
  exploitation 
  of 
  iron 
  ores 
  in 
  the 
  district 
  dates 
  back 
  to 
  1824 
  

   in 
  which 
  year 
  the 
  Penfleld 
  mine 
  was 
  opened. 
  1 
  A 
  forge 
  was 
  built 
  

   in 
  1828 
  at 
  Ironville, 
  between 
  Hammondville 
  and 
  Crown 
  Point, 
  for 
  

   converting 
  the 
  ore 
  into 
  blooms 
  and 
  in 
  1845 
  a 
  charcoal 
  furnace 
  

   was 
  erected 
  just 
  north 
  of 
  Hammondville 
  to 
  smelt 
  the 
  product 
  of 
  

   the 
  Hammond 
  mine. 
  The 
  most 
  active 
  development, 
  however, 
  took 
  

   place 
  during 
  the 
  period 
  from 
  1873 
  to 
  1890 
  under 
  the 
  Crown 
  Point 
  

   Iron 
  Co. 
  The 
  mines 
  were 
  connected 
  by 
  a 
  narrow 
  gauge 
  railroad 
  

   with 
  the 
  lake 
  at 
  Crown 
  Point, 
  where 
  a 
  blast 
  furnace 
  was 
  main- 
  

   tained 
  in 
  operation, 
  while 
  ore 
  shipments 
  were 
  also 
  made 
  to 
  the 
  

   furnaces 
  at 
  Bethlehem 
  and 
  Scranton, 
  Pa., 
  and 
  at 
  Troy. 
  

  

  The 
  mines 
  were 
  closed 
  down 
  in 
  July 
  1893. 
  In 
  1897, 
  the 
  property 
  

   was 
  purchased 
  by 
  the 
  American 
  Steel 
  & 
  Wire 
  Co., 
  and 
  soon 
  after- 
  

   ward 
  the 
  mining 
  plant, 
  buildings, 
  railroad, 
  etc., 
  were 
  dismantled. 
  

   Recently 
  the 
  mines 
  have 
  been 
  under 
  exploration 
  by 
  the 
  Oliver 
  

   Iron 
  Mining 
  Co. 
  

  

  Geological 
  sketch 
  of 
  the 
  district 
  

  

  The 
  country 
  is 
  broken 
  by 
  ridges 
  and 
  narrow 
  stream 
  valleys 
  and 
  

   has 
  rugged 
  contours. 
  It 
  is 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  foothill 
  region 
  of 
  the 
  Adiron- 
  

   dacks, 
  but 
  lies 
  close 
  to 
  the 
  central 
  uplift 
  of 
  anorthosites. 
  As 
  may 
  

   be 
  observed 
  from 
  the 
  topographic 
  map, 
  which 
  has 
  been 
  issued 
  by 
  

   the 
  United 
  States 
  Geological 
  Survey, 
  the 
  contours 
  are 
  very 
  irregu- 
  

   lar 
  and 
  show 
  little 
  tendency 
  to 
  the 
  usual 
  alinement 
  along 
  a 
  north- 
  

   east-southwest 
  axis 
  so 
  pronounced 
  in 
  most 
  sections 
  of 
  the 
  eastern 
  

   Adirondack 
  region. 
  The 
  ridges 
  range 
  from 
  1500 
  to 
  2000 
  feet 
  reach- 
  

   ing 
  an 
  extreme 
  in 
  Knob 
  mountain 
  slightly 
  above 
  the 
  latter 
  limit. 
  

   Hammondville 
  itself 
  together 
  with 
  the 
  mines 
  is 
  situated 
  on 
  the 
  

   gently 
  sloping 
  surface 
  of 
  a 
  ridge 
  at 
  about 
  1300 
  feet 
  elevation. 
  

  

  The 
  geology 
  of 
  the 
  district, 
  so 
  far 
  as 
  concerns 
  its 
  broader 
  fea- 
  

   tures, 
  has 
  been 
  mapped 
  and 
  described 
  by 
  Dr 
  I. 
  H. 
  Ogilvie, 
  in 
  con- 
  

   nection 
  with 
  the 
  report 
  on 
  "Geology 
  of 
  the 
  Paradox 
  Lake 
  Quad- 
  

   rangle, 
  New 
  York." 
  2 
  Since 
  the 
  publication 
  of 
  this 
  report 
  a 
  more 
  

   detailed 
  investigation 
  of 
  the 
  region 
  surrounding 
  the 
  mines 
  was 
  

  

  1 
  W. 
  C. 
  Watson. 
  The 
  Military 
  and 
  Civil 
  History 
  of 
  the 
  County 
  of 
  Essex, 
  

   New 
  York. 
  Albany 
  1869. 
  

  

  2 
  N. 
  Y. 
  State 
  Mus. 
  Bui. 
  96. 
  1905. 
  

  

  