﻿Report 
  of 
  the 
  State 
  Geologist, 
  591 
  

  

  be 
  well 
  to 
  call 
  attention 
  to 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  many 
  of 
  the 
  streams 
  

   are 
  so 
  situated 
  as 
  to 
  render 
  it 
  possible 
  to 
  build 
  large 
  storage 
  

   reservoirs 
  upon 
  which 
  to 
  draw 
  during 
  seasons 
  of 
  drouth. 
  

  

  Metallic 
  Ores. 
  

  

  At 
  the 
  present 
  date 
  there 
  is 
  not 
  a 
  pound 
  of 
  metalliferous 
  ore 
  

   mined 
  in 
  this 
  county. 
  In 
  the 
  past, 
  however, 
  there 
  has 
  been 
  great 
  

   excitement 
  over 
  the 
  lead 
  mines 
  at 
  Ellenville. 
  The 
  mine, 
  

   which 
  is 
  situated 
  just 
  east 
  of 
  the 
  railroad 
  station 
  and 
  at 
  the 
  foot 
  

   of 
  the 
  mountain, 
  has 
  produced 
  both 
  galenite, 
  chalcopyrite 
  and 
  

   rutile. 
  Quartz 
  crystals, 
  many 
  of 
  them 
  of 
  great 
  size 
  and 
  beauty, 
  

   were 
  also 
  found. 
  In 
  fact, 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  beautiful 
  clusters 
  of 
  

   crystals 
  in 
  the 
  mineral 
  cabinets 
  of 
  the 
  world 
  are 
  from 
  this 
  

   locality. 
  

  

  None 
  of 
  the 
  minerals 
  produced 
  at 
  the 
  mine 
  were, 
  however, 
  of 
  

   any 
  economic 
  value 
  save 
  the 
  galenite 
  and 
  chalcopyrite. 
  

  

  The 
  mine 
  was 
  first 
  opened 
  in 
  1851 
  and 
  was 
  worked 
  inter- 
  

   mittently 
  until 
  about 
  1861. 
  Since 
  this 
  date 
  the 
  water 
  has 
  been 
  

   frequently 
  pumped 
  from 
  the 
  mine 
  and 
  some 
  exploring 
  work 
  

   done. 
  The 
  prospects 
  have 
  not 
  been 
  promisir 
  g 
  and 
  the 
  mine 
  has 
  

   probably 
  now 
  been 
  permanently 
  abandoned. 
  

  

  The 
  locus 
  of 
  the 
  mine 
  mineral 
  vein 
  is 
  a 
  fault 
  fissure 
  which 
  

   crosses 
  the 
  Shawangunk 
  mountains 
  in 
  a 
  mostly 
  east 
  and 
  west 
  

   line. 
  The 
  fissure 
  is 
  from 
  five 
  to 
  eight 
  feet 
  in 
  width. 
  It 
  is 
  not 
  

   wholly 
  an 
  open 
  fissure 
  for 
  this 
  distance, 
  but 
  is 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  com- 
  

   pletely 
  filled 
  with 
  angular 
  fragments 
  and 
  with 
  slabs 
  of 
  the 
  

   hard 
  gravel 
  or 
  gritstone. 
  The 
  interstitial 
  spaces 
  are 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  

   completely 
  filled 
  with 
  interlocking 
  quartz 
  crystals, 
  and 
  in 
  these 
  

   spaces 
  also 
  are 
  the 
  crystals 
  and 
  grains 
  of 
  lead 
  and 
  copper 
  ore. 
  

   In 
  the 
  mining 
  operations 
  large 
  cavities, 
  of 
  brilliant 
  beauty, 
  were 
  

   often 
  found. 
  The 
  walls 
  of 
  the 
  cavern 
  were 
  too 
  far 
  apart 
  to 
  

   entirely 
  fill 
  with 
  interlocking 
  crystals, 
  but 
  either 
  wall 
  would 
  be 
  

   thickly 
  studded 
  by 
  clusters 
  of 
  crystals 
  of 
  various 
  size 
  and 
  

   sparkling 
  brilliancy. 
  Scattered 
  over 
  these 
  were 
  large 
  crystals 
  of 
  

   galena, 
  chalcopyrite, 
  rutile 
  and 
  brookite. 
  

  

  The 
  vein 
  is 
  nearly 
  vertical. 
  The 
  deepest 
  working 
  is 
  about 
  

   seventy-five 
  feet, 
  and 
  it 
  has 
  been 
  explored 
  underground 
  about 
  

   150 
  feet 
  along 
  its 
  strike. 
  

  

  