﻿124 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  STATE 
  MUSEUM 
  

  

  hole 
  referred 
  to 
  is 
  located 
  in 
  a 
  swampy 
  tract 
  200 
  feet 
  northwest 
  of 
  

   the 
  apparent 
  outcrop. 
  It 
  is 
  bottomed 
  at 
  469 
  feet. 
  Ore 
  was 
  cut 
  

   at 
  185 
  feet 
  from 
  the 
  surface 
  with 
  a 
  thickness 
  of 
  167 
  feet. 
  As 
  the 
  

   hole 
  is 
  vertical 
  allowance 
  must 
  be 
  made 
  for 
  the 
  dip 
  of 
  the 
  ore 
  

   body 
  which 
  is 
  not 
  accurately 
  known 
  though 
  it 
  is 
  supposed 
  to 
  be 
  

   about 
  40 
  n. 
  w. 
  

  

  Production 
  of 
  the 
  Lyon 
  Mountain 
  district. 
  The 
  output 
  of 
  the 
  

   district 
  since 
  the 
  beginning 
  of 
  active 
  work 
  in 
  187 
  1 
  may 
  be 
  placed 
  

   approximately 
  at 
  3,500,000 
  long 
  tons. 
  This 
  estimate 
  is 
  based 
  on 
  

   incomplete 
  records, 
  but 
  it 
  is 
  believed 
  to 
  be 
  not 
  far 
  from 
  the 
  actual 
  

   total. 
  In 
  the 
  period 
  from 
  1881 
  to 
  1889 
  inclusive 
  the 
  shipments 
  

   amounted 
  to 
  1,539,520 
  long 
  tons. 
  There 
  are 
  no 
  statistics 
  on 
  record 
  

   for 
  the 
  period 
  from 
  1890 
  to 
  1900, 
  but 
  in 
  the 
  six 
  years 
  following 
  

   1900 
  the 
  shipments 
  have 
  aggregated 
  606,573 
  tons. 
  During 
  the 
  

   early 
  years 
  the 
  output 
  included 
  a 
  proportion, 
  varying 
  from 
  year 
  

   to 
  year, 
  of 
  selected 
  ore 
  which 
  was 
  shipped 
  in 
  its 
  crude 
  state 
  and 
  

   which 
  carried 
  from 
  45 
  to 
  50 
  per 
  cent 
  iron. 
  This 
  practice 
  was 
  dis- 
  

   continued 
  later 
  on, 
  and 
  the 
  more 
  recent 
  shipments 
  have 
  consisted 
  

   solely 
  of 
  concentrates, 
  assaying 
  from 
  60 
  to 
  66 
  per 
  cent 
  iron. 
  

  

  MINES 
  IN 
  THE 
  SARANAC 
  VALLEY 
  

   In 
  the 
  towns 
  of 
  Saranac, 
  Black 
  Brook 
  and 
  Dannemora, 
  along 
  

   the 
  Saranac 
  valley, 
  there 
  are 
  old 
  mines 
  that 
  were 
  once 
  operated 
  

   in 
  connection 
  with 
  local 
  iron 
  works. 
  During 
  the 
  middle 
  of 
  the 
  

   last 
  century 
  when 
  the 
  bloomery 
  process 
  of 
  making 
  iron 
  was 
  gener- 
  

   ally 
  used 
  this 
  section 
  supported 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  largest 
  industries 
  of 
  

   this 
  kind 
  anywhere 
  in 
  the 
  State, 
  its 
  importance 
  having 
  been 
  due 
  

   to 
  the 
  great 
  timber 
  tracts 
  which 
  afforded 
  a 
  plentiful 
  supply 
  of 
  

   charcoal 
  for 
  fuel 
  and 
  to 
  the 
  abundant 
  water 
  power 
  on 
  the 
  Saranac 
  

   river, 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  principal 
  Adirondack 
  streams. 
  Forges 
  were 
  built 
  

   along 
  the 
  river 
  at 
  Clayburg, 
  Redford, 
  Russia 
  and 
  Saranac. 
  The 
  

   ore 
  was 
  drawn 
  not 
  only 
  from 
  the 
  local 
  deposits 
  but 
  from 
  Lyon 
  

   Mountain 
  and 
  other 
  points 
  many 
  miles 
  distant. 
  The 
  industry 
  

   was 
  discontinued 
  about 
  1880 
  and 
  brought 
  about 
  a 
  cessation 
  of 
  

   mining 
  in 
  the 
  region, 
  though 
  one 
  or 
  two 
  deposits 
  were 
  worked 
  

   some 
  time 
  after 
  that 
  date. 
  

  

  Geologic 
  features. 
  The 
  gneiss 
  series 
  is 
  most 
  extensive. 
  In 
  it 
  are 
  

   represented 
  varieties 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  distinct 
  in 
  their 
  mineralogy 
  and 
  

   appearance, 
  but 
  of 
  which 
  the 
  augite 
  gneiss 
  described 
  as 
  the 
  ore- 
  

   bearing 
  formation 
  at 
  Lyon 
  Mountain 
  and 
  the 
  granitic 
  gneisses 
  

   have 
  the 
  largest 
  areal 
  development. 
  They 
  are 
  characteristic 
  mem- 
  

   bers 
  of 
  Cushing's 
  Saranac 
  formation, 
  indeed 
  the 
  latter 
  takes 
  its 
  

  

  