﻿134 
  NEW 
  Y0RK 
  STATE 
  MUSEUM 
  

  

  belt 
  of 
  ore 
  to 
  the 
  north 
  of 
  Benson 
  Mines 
  that 
  has 
  never 
  been 
  

   explored 
  or 
  developed. 
  The 
  belt 
  lies 
  to 
  the 
  east 
  of 
  the 
  first 
  and 
  

   higher 
  up 
  in 
  the 
  gneiss. 
  It 
  begins 
  on 
  the 
  south, 
  according 
  to 
  mag- 
  

   netic 
  readings, 
  nearly 
  opposite 
  the 
  north 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  pits 
  and 
  on 
  line 
  

   with 
  the 
  railroad. 
  It 
  extends 
  in 
  a 
  northerly 
  course 
  toward 
  Newton 
  

   Falls 
  in 
  which 
  direction 
  it 
  has 
  been 
  traced 
  for 
  nearly 
  2 
  miles. 
  There 
  

   is 
  little 
  evidence 
  to 
  be 
  obtained 
  from 
  outcrops, 
  the 
  drift 
  being 
  

   heavy, 
  so 
  that 
  the 
  size 
  and 
  character 
  of 
  the 
  deposit 
  are 
  practically 
  

   unknown. 
  The 
  magnetic 
  attractions 
  are 
  reported 
  to 
  be 
  fully 
  as 
  

   strong 
  and 
  continuous 
  as 
  those 
  recorded 
  over 
  the 
  belt 
  that 
  has 
  

   been 
  mined. 
  The 
  cross-section, 
  herewith, 
  is 
  intended 
  to 
  show 
  the 
  

   relation 
  of 
  the 
  deposits 
  [fig. 
  22]. 
  

  

  Description 
  of 
  workings. 
  In 
  the 
  open 
  pit, 
  which 
  represents 
  

   the 
  result 
  of 
  the 
  former 
  productive 
  operations, 
  the 
  deposit 
  has 
  

   been 
  quarried 
  from 
  the 
  south 
  or 
  hanging 
  side 
  back 
  into 
  the 
  ridge 
  

   for 
  a 
  horizontal 
  distance 
  of 
  150 
  feet. 
  The 
  working 
  face, 
  at 
  first 
  

   but 
  a 
  few 
  feet 
  above 
  the 
  floor, 
  increases 
  across 
  the 
  dip 
  and 
  is 
  now 
  

   50 
  feet 
  high 
  on 
  the 
  average. 
  The 
  bounds 
  of 
  the 
  deposit 
  have 
  not 
  

   been 
  reached 
  either 
  on 
  the 
  hanging 
  or 
  foot-wall 
  side. 
  An 
  addi- 
  

   tional 
  width 
  of 
  fully 
  50 
  feet 
  can 
  be 
  gained 
  on 
  the 
  foot-wall, 
  where 
  

   the 
  ore 
  has 
  been 
  uncovered 
  by 
  stripping 
  of 
  the 
  soil 
  and 
  glacial 
  

   materials 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  not 
  improbable 
  that 
  the 
  workings 
  may 
  be 
  carried 
  

   still 
  farther 
  west 
  before 
  reaching 
  the 
  limit 
  of 
  pay 
  ore. 
  The 
  width 
  

   of 
  the 
  ore, 
  it 
  may 
  be 
  noted, 
  is 
  determined 
  only 
  by 
  arbitrary 
  stand- 
  

   ards 
  of 
  what 
  can 
  be 
  mined 
  and 
  treated 
  at 
  a 
  profit. 
  There 
  is 
  every 
  

   gradation 
  between 
  the 
  country 
  rock 
  and 
  the 
  ore, 
  so 
  far 
  as 
  relates 
  

   to 
  the 
  proportion 
  of 
  magnetite 
  present. 
  Along 
  its 
  course 
  the 
  

   deposit 
  has 
  been 
  worked 
  for 
  a 
  distance 
  of 
  nearly 
  1200 
  feet, 
  the 
  

   length 
  of 
  the 
  pit 
  from 
  east 
  to 
  west. 
  At 
  the 
  west 
  end 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  face 
  

   from 
  15 
  to 
  40 
  feet 
  high 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  ore 
  appears 
  to 
  be 
  of 
  average 
  

   grade. 
  Its 
  continuation 
  in 
  this 
  direction 
  is 
  assured 
  for 
  several 
  

   hundred 
  feet 
  by 
  the 
  outcrops 
  and 
  the 
  test 
  pits 
  excavated 
  through 
  

   the 
  light 
  overburden 
  of 
  glacial 
  material. 
  At 
  a 
  point 
  1000 
  feet 
  west 
  

   of 
  the 
  workings, 
  a 
  ledge 
  is 
  exposed 
  for 
  100 
  feet 
  which 
  is 
  reported 
  

   to 
  average 
  about 
  40 
  per 
  cent 
  iron. 
  On 
  the 
  east 
  end 
  the 
  deposit 
  

   runs 
  out 
  into 
  the 
  valley 
  and 
  has 
  not 
  been 
  uncovered. 
  

  

  The 
  exploration 
  of 
  the 
  deposit 
  in 
  depth, 
  below 
  the 
  level 
  of 
  the 
  

   open 
  pit, 
  has 
  been 
  limited 
  to 
  a 
  few 
  borings 
  that 
  were 
  made 
  several 
  

   years 
  ago. 
  Four 
  of 
  these 
  borings 
  are 
  on 
  record, 
  of 
  which 
  the 
  deepest 
  

   is 
  180 
  feet 
  vertically 
  from 
  the 
  outcrop. 
  It 
  encountered 
  ore 
  all 
  the 
  

   way 
  with 
  a 
  range 
  of 
  from 
  32 
  to 
  44 
  per 
  cent 
  iron, 
  as 
  shown 
  by 
  assay 
  

   of 
  10 
  samples 
  taken 
  at 
  succeeding 
  intervals. 
  The 
  holes 
  are 
  said 
  to 
  

  

  