﻿106 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  STATE 
  MUSEUM 
  

  

  is 
  all 
  shipped 
  in 
  the 
  form 
  of 
  concentrates 
  which 
  carry 
  minute 
  quan- 
  

   tities 
  of 
  sulfur 
  and 
  phosphorus, 
  much 
  below 
  the 
  limits 
  admissible 
  

   for 
  Bessemer 
  ores. 
  It 
  is 
  used 
  in 
  the 
  manufacture 
  of 
  special 
  grades 
  

   of 
  iron. 
  Owing 
  to 
  the 
  scarcity 
  of 
  such 
  ores 
  in 
  this 
  country, 
  a 
  steady 
  

   market 
  has 
  always 
  been 
  obtained 
  for 
  the 
  output. 
  

  

  The 
  first 
  mining 
  of 
  importance 
  within 
  the 
  district 
  was 
  under- 
  

   taken 
  about 
  1 
  87 
  1 
  at 
  a 
  locality 
  said 
  to 
  be 
  near 
  the 
  site 
  of 
  the 
  present 
  

   shaft 
  4, 
  on 
  the 
  southwestern 
  section 
  of 
  the 
  main 
  ore 
  body. 
  There 
  

   is 
  evidence, 
  however, 
  that 
  the 
  deposits 
  had 
  been 
  known 
  to 
  the 
  early 
  

   settlers 
  in 
  the 
  region 
  and 
  some 
  ore 
  was 
  taken 
  out 
  many 
  years 
  before 
  

   that 
  date. 
  Operations 
  during 
  the 
  early 
  period 
  were 
  carried 
  on 
  by 
  

   contractors 
  working 
  under 
  leases. 
  The 
  ore 
  was 
  sorted 
  by 
  hand, 
  or 
  

   crushed 
  and 
  separated 
  in 
  crude 
  mills 
  that 
  had 
  been 
  built 
  in 
  the 
  

   vicinity, 
  and 
  hauled 
  by 
  wagon 
  to 
  Catalan 
  forges 
  located 
  at 
  Belmont, 
  

   Russia, 
  Clayburg 
  and 
  Altona 
  where 
  it 
  was 
  made 
  into 
  bloom 
  iron. 
  

  

  In 
  1879 
  the 
  Plattsburg 
  & 
  Dannemora 
  Railroad 
  was 
  extended 
  

   to 
  Lyon 
  Mountain, 
  affording 
  facilities 
  for 
  shipment 
  of 
  the 
  ore 
  to 
  

   more 
  distant 
  points. 
  Soon 
  afterward 
  the 
  Chateaugay 
  Ore 
  & 
  Iron 
  

   Company, 
  which 
  consolidated 
  the 
  different 
  mining 
  interests, 
  insti- 
  

   tuted 
  a 
  more 
  systematic 
  plan 
  of 
  operations 
  that 
  resulted 
  in 
  a 
  largely 
  

   increased 
  output. 
  In 
  place 
  of 
  open-cast 
  methods, 
  which 
  were 
  first 
  

   employed, 
  slopes 
  were 
  sunk 
  in 
  the 
  deposits 
  at 
  frequent 
  intervals 
  

   and 
  the 
  ore 
  mined 
  underground. 
  The 
  number 
  of 
  slopes 
  was 
  in- 
  

   creased 
  until 
  over 
  20 
  had 
  been 
  located 
  on 
  an 
  outcrop 
  of 
  3600 
  feet. 
  

   The 
  ore 
  was 
  mined 
  on 
  both 
  sides 
  of 
  the 
  slopes 
  with 
  occasional 
  

   pillars 
  left 
  for 
  support. 
  But 
  after 
  the 
  workings 
  had 
  obtained 
  some 
  

   depth 
  it 
  became 
  necessary 
  to 
  adopt 
  a 
  different 
  plan; 
  levels 
  were 
  

   run 
  at 
  intervals 
  of 
  50 
  feet 
  vertically 
  while 
  only 
  6 
  or 
  8 
  of 
  the 
  slopes 
  

   were 
  used 
  for 
  hoisting 
  purposes. 
  In 
  connection 
  with 
  the 
  mines 
  the 
  

   company 
  operated 
  shaft 
  furnaces 
  at 
  Plattsburg 
  and 
  Standish 
  for 
  

   making 
  charcoal 
  pig. 
  The 
  latter 
  furnace 
  has 
  recently 
  been 
  con- 
  

   verted 
  so 
  as 
  to 
  employ 
  coke 
  as 
  fuel 
  and 
  is 
  in 
  operation 
  at 
  the 
  

   present 
  time. 
  

  

  Since 
  1903 
  the 
  mines 
  have 
  been 
  under 
  the 
  ownership 
  and 
  man- 
  

   agement 
  of 
  the 
  Chateaugay 
  Ore 
  & 
  Iron 
  Department, 
  a 
  subsidiary 
  

   of 
  the 
  Delaware 
  & 
  Hudson 
  Railroad. 
  They 
  have 
  recently 
  been 
  

   greatly 
  improved 
  upon 
  the 
  basis 
  of 
  a 
  comprehensive 
  scheme 
  which 
  

   if 
  fully 
  carried 
  out 
  will 
  materially 
  enlarge 
  their 
  production. 
  The 
  

   recent 
  betterments 
  to 
  the 
  plant 
  include 
  a 
  mill 
  of 
  1200 
  tons 
  nominal 
  

   capacity, 
  doubling 
  the 
  former 
  milling 
  facilities, 
  and 
  the 
  installa- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  a 
  large 
  central 
  electric 
  station 
  for 
  supplying 
  power 
  to 
  the 
  

   mines 
  and 
  mills. 
  The 
  accompanying 
  map 
  shows 
  the 
  general 
  fea- 
  

  

  