﻿IRON 
  ORES 
  OF 
  THE 
  CLINTON 
  FORMATION 
  2() 
  

  

  EXPLORATION 
  OF 
  THE 
  CLINTON 
  FORMATION 
  

  

  Little 
  or 
  no 
  effort 
  has 
  been 
  made, 
  hitherto, 
  toward 
  the 
  explora- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  the 
  Clinton 
  ores 
  outside 
  the 
  limited 
  sections 
  where 
  they 
  are 
  

   mined. 
  In 
  the 
  stretch 
  from 
  the 
  Oneida-Herkimer 
  county 
  line 
  to 
  the 
  

   western 
  border 
  of 
  Wayne 
  county, 
  a 
  distance 
  of 
  120 
  miles 
  measured 
  

   along 
  the 
  outcrop, 
  only 
  a 
  small 
  portion 
  is 
  revealed 
  sufficiently 
  by 
  

   exposure 
  or 
  mining 
  excavations 
  to 
  permit 
  of 
  investigations 
  from 
  the 
  

   surface. 
  Previous 
  knowledge 
  of 
  this 
  area 
  has 
  been 
  based 
  largely 
  

   on 
  data 
  secured 
  from 
  the 
  eastern 
  and 
  western 
  extremities 
  ; 
  the 
  in- 
  

   cluded 
  interval 
  of 
  nearly 
  100 
  miles 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  beds 
  are, 
  for 
  the 
  

   most 
  part, 
  mantled 
  by 
  glacial 
  drift, 
  has 
  attracted 
  little 
  attention 
  

   from 
  mining 
  enterprises 
  and 
  its 
  possibilities 
  for 
  ore 
  production 
  re- 
  

   mained 
  practically 
  unknown. 
  The 
  mine 
  developments 
  so 
  far 
  made, 
  

   moreover, 
  are 
  superficial, 
  giving 
  no 
  safe 
  basis 
  for 
  inference 
  as 
  to 
  

   the 
  changes 
  that 
  may 
  take 
  place 
  in 
  depth. 
  

  

  A 
  recommendation 
  for 
  an 
  appropriation 
  to 
  be 
  used 
  in 
  conducting 
  

   exploratory 
  operations 
  within 
  the 
  Clinton 
  belt 
  was 
  submitted 
  to 
  the 
  

   State 
  Legislature 
  last 
  year 
  through 
  the 
  Education 
  Department. 
  The 
  

   sum 
  of 
  $5000 
  (one 
  half 
  the 
  amount 
  requested) 
  was 
  allotted 
  for 
  the 
  

   purpose. 
  With 
  this 
  assistance, 
  it 
  has 
  been 
  possible 
  to 
  put 
  down 
  a 
  

   number 
  of 
  test 
  holes 
  along 
  the 
  concealed 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  outcrop 
  and 
  

   for 
  the 
  first 
  time 
  to 
  establish 
  the 
  position, 
  extent 
  and 
  character 
  of 
  

   the 
  ore 
  in 
  a 
  general 
  way 
  over 
  many 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  area. 
  While 
  the 
  

   original 
  plans 
  called 
  for 
  the 
  drilling 
  qf 
  holes 
  at 
  intervals 
  of 
  4 
  or 
  5 
  

   miles, 
  east 
  and 
  west, 
  with 
  occasional 
  deeper 
  borings 
  as 
  might 
  be 
  

   required 
  to 
  explore 
  the 
  continuations 
  of 
  the 
  beds 
  on 
  the 
  dip, 
  they 
  

   1 
  ad 
  to 
  be 
  modified 
  materially 
  to 
  meet 
  the 
  limitation 
  in 
  the 
  allowed 
  

   appropriation. 
  Instead 
  of 
  attempting 
  to 
  carry 
  out 
  the 
  work 
  on 
  a 
  

   detailed 
  comprehensive 
  scale, 
  which 
  could 
  only 
  have 
  been 
  brought 
  

   to 
  partial 
  completion 
  under 
  the 
  circumstances, 
  it 
  was 
  considered 
  

   advisable 
  to 
  cover 
  as 
  much 
  of 
  the 
  territory 
  as 
  possible 
  by 
  placing 
  

   the 
  holes 
  far 
  apart 
  and 
  restricting 
  them 
  to 
  a 
  single 
  series 
  near 
  the 
  

   outcrop. 
  

  

  The 
  conditions 
  throughout 
  the 
  Clinton 
  belt, 
  fortunately, 
  are 
  such 
  

   that 
  they 
  both 
  facilitate 
  exploratory 
  operations 
  with 
  the 
  drill 
  and 
  

   permit 
  reliable 
  deductions 
  from 
  the 
  obtained 
  data. 
  The 
  ore 
  seams 
  

   maintain 
  a 
  fairly 
  constant 
  horizon 
  in 
  the 
  series 
  so 
  that 
  there 
  need 
  be 
  

   little 
  error 
  in 
  estimating 
  the 
  depth 
  at 
  which 
  they 
  will 
  be 
  encountered 
  

   in 
  most 
  places. 
  This 
  regularity 
  of 
  position 
  is 
  attended 
  by 
  an 
  equal 
  

   uniformity 
  in 
  their 
  areal 
  development, 
  as 
  might 
  be 
  expected 
  from 
  

   bedded 
  deposits. 
  The 
  character 
  or 
  thickness 
  of 
  any 
  seam 
  is 
  subject 
  

   to 
  local 
  variations, 
  of 
  course, 
  but 
  permanent 
  changes 
  take 
  place 
  

  

  