﻿IRON 
  ORES 
  OF 
  THE 
  CLINTON 
  FORMATION 
  55 
  

  

  set 
  in 
  the 
  trench. 
  The 
  overburden 
  consists 
  of 
  10 
  feet 
  or 
  slightly 
  

   more 
  of 
  limestone, 
  somewhat 
  shaly 
  toward 
  the 
  top, 
  and 
  about 
  

   the 
  same 
  thickness 
  of 
  soil 
  and 
  glacial 
  material. 
  It 
  is 
  loosened 
  

   for 
  the 
  shovels 
  by 
  drilling 
  and 
  blasting. 
  The 
  6-inch 
  holes 
  made 
  

   by 
  churn 
  drills, 
  extend 
  into 
  the 
  ore 
  for 
  about 
  3 
  inches 
  and 
  are 
  

   16 
  feet 
  apart, 
  the 
  first 
  row 
  being 
  6 
  feet 
  from 
  the 
  edge 
  of 
  the 
  

   trench. 
  A 
  layer 
  of 
  limestone, 
  15 
  to 
  18 
  inches 
  thick, 
  that 
  remains 
  

   on 
  the 
  ore 
  has 
  to 
  be 
  removed 
  by 
  hand. 
  The 
  ore 
  is 
  then 
  

   loosened 
  by 
  blasting, 
  after 
  holes 
  3 
  feet 
  apart 
  and 
  extending 
  a 
  

   few 
  inches 
  into 
  the 
  underlying 
  green 
  argillaceous 
  limestone, 
  have 
  

   been 
  made 
  by 
  steam 
  drills. 
  A 
  small 
  amount 
  of 
  the 
  limestone 
  

   sometimes 
  adheres 
  to 
  the 
  ore 
  but 
  is 
  readily 
  removed. 
  The 
  ore 
  

   is 
  broken 
  by 
  sledges 
  into 
  convenient 
  size 
  for 
  handling, 
  after 
  

   which 
  it 
  is 
  loaded, 
  by 
  means 
  of 
  a 
  40-ton 
  steam 
  shovel, 
  into 
  the 
  

   buckets 
  of 
  a 
  derrick 
  and 
  hoisted 
  into 
  cars 
  for 
  shipment. 
  A 
  spur 
  

   from 
  the 
  Rome, 
  Watertown 
  & 
  Ogdensburg 
  Railroad 
  extends 
  

   along 
  the 
  trench 
  on 
  the 
  side 
  opposite 
  the 
  spoil 
  bank; 
  it 
  is 
  moved 
  

   back 
  from 
  time 
  to 
  time 
  with 
  the 
  advance 
  of 
  operations 
  toward 
  

   the 
  south. 
  

  

  The 
  Fair 
  Haven 
  Iron 
  Co. 
  has 
  pursued 
  a 
  similar 
  plan 
  in 
  opening 
  

   the 
  property 
  at 
  Sterling 
  Station. 
  The 
  rock 
  is 
  here 
  mostly 
  shale, 
  

   so 
  that 
  its 
  excavation 
  presents 
  less 
  difficulty 
  than 
  the 
  limestone 
  

   farther 
  west. 
  Instead 
  of 
  wasting 
  the 
  material 
  in 
  the 
  abandoned 
  part 
  

   of 
  the 
  workings, 
  the 
  shovel 
  loads 
  into 
  cars 
  which 
  run 
  out 
  on 
  a 
  

   track 
  at 
  one 
  end 
  and 
  are 
  dumped 
  to 
  the 
  north 
  of 
  the 
  pit. 
  The 
  shale 
  

   and 
  soil 
  covering 
  has 
  a 
  thickness 
  of 
  from 
  10 
  to 
  20 
  feet. 
  The 
  

   material 
  is 
  loosened 
  by 
  blasting 
  in 
  advance 
  of 
  the 
  shovel 
  in 
  the 
  

   manner 
  above 
  described. 
  

  

  The 
  mines 
  at 
  Clinton 
  furnish 
  the 
  only 
  examples 
  of 
  underground 
  

   exploitation 
  of 
  the 
  ores 
  in 
  the 
  State. 
  The 
  long-wall 
  method 
  is 
  

   employed, 
  the 
  same 
  as 
  used 
  in 
  many 
  coal 
  mines. 
  This 
  method 
  admits 
  

   of 
  complete 
  extraction 
  of 
  the 
  ore 
  in 
  one 
  operation. 
  It 
  is 
  particularly 
  

   adapted 
  to 
  comparatively 
  thin 
  deposits 
  that 
  have 
  a 
  flat 
  dip. 
  En- 
  

   trance 
  to 
  the 
  workings 
  may 
  be 
  had 
  either 
  through 
  a 
  shaft, 
  or, 
  if 
  

   the 
  seam 
  outcrops 
  anywhere, 
  through 
  an 
  adit 
  driven 
  on 
  the 
  level. 
  

   By 
  taking 
  advantage 
  of 
  the 
  surface 
  features, 
  it 
  has 
  been 
  possible 
  

   at 
  Clinton 
  to 
  follow 
  the 
  ore 
  from 
  its 
  outcrop 
  and 
  to 
  make 
  use 
  of 
  

   the 
  slight 
  inclination 
  of 
  the 
  beds 
  in 
  securing 
  natural 
  drainage. 
  The 
  

   main 
  entries 
  or 
  gangways 
  are 
  run 
  in 
  an 
  easterly 
  or 
  northeasterly 
  

   direction 
  across 
  the 
  dip. 
  From 
  these, 
  branches 
  turn 
  off 
  at 
  every 
  

   100 
  feet 
  to 
  the 
  working 
  face, 
  which 
  is 
  kept 
  a 
  short 
  distance 
  ahead 
  

  

  