﻿592 
  Forty- 
  seveisth 
  Report 
  on 
  the 
  State 
  Museum, 
  

  

  The 
  rock 
  or 
  gangue 
  was 
  exceedingly 
  hard 
  and 
  tough. 
  This, 
  

   combined 
  with 
  the 
  leanness 
  of 
  the 
  ore 
  and 
  conbequent 
  necessity 
  

   for 
  concentration, 
  and 
  the 
  pumping 
  of 
  large 
  volumes 
  of 
  

   water, 
  rendered 
  the 
  working 
  unprofitable 
  and 
  it 
  has 
  been 
  

   abandoned 
  for 
  a 
  good 
  many 
  years. 
  

  

  Ikon. 
  

  

  Iron 
  ores 
  have 
  been 
  mined 
  to 
  some 
  extent 
  in 
  the 
  valley 
  of 
  

   Eondout 
  creek 
  near 
  Napanoch. 
  The 
  ores 
  were 
  brown 
  hematite 
  

   or 
  limonite. 
  No 
  work 
  has 
  been 
  done 
  there 
  for 
  forty 
  years. 
  At 
  

   that 
  period 
  there 
  was 
  a 
  small 
  forge 
  which 
  made 
  blooms. 
  The 
  

   principal 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  ore 
  used 
  was 
  magnetite 
  brought 
  from 
  the 
  

   mines 
  of 
  New 
  Jersey 
  and 
  southeastern 
  New 
  York. 
  The 
  brown 
  

   hematites 
  were 
  used 
  as 
  mixtures. 
  

  

  There 
  is 
  little 
  prospect 
  of 
  limonite 
  being 
  found 
  in 
  quantities 
  

   sufficient 
  to 
  pay 
  for 
  working. 
  Magnetite 
  ores 
  are 
  not 
  to 
  be 
  

   expected, 
  as 
  there 
  are 
  no 
  rocks 
  in 
  which 
  such 
  ores 
  occur. 
  

  

  The 
  So-called 
  " 
  Coal 
  and 
  Lead 
  Regions." 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  western 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  county, 
  two 
  areas 
  with 
  rather 
  

   indefinite 
  boundaries 
  are 
  known, 
  the 
  one 
  as 
  the 
  " 
  coal 
  region," 
  the 
  

   other 
  as 
  the 
  "lead 
  region." 
  For 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  these 
  terms 
  there 
  is 
  

   slight 
  reason. 
  In 
  the 
  western 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  county 
  the 
  Catskill 
  

   group 
  of 
  rocks 
  is 
  dominant. 
  In 
  these 
  rocks 
  are 
  often 
  found 
  

   fragments 
  of 
  fossil 
  coal 
  plants 
  and 
  sometimes 
  traces 
  of 
  anthra- 
  

   cite 
  coal. 
  This 
  has 
  led 
  to 
  the 
  belief 
  that 
  ooal 
  existed 
  in 
  this 
  

   section, 
  hence 
  the 
  name. 
  Of 
  course 
  no 
  abundance, 
  of 
  coal 
  

   appeared 
  on 
  the 
  surface, 
  but 
  was 
  supposed 
  to 
  exist 
  abundantly 
  

   "deeper 
  down." 
  The 
  fact 
  that 
  these 
  rocks 
  are 
  all 
  below 
  the 
  

   horizon 
  of 
  the 
  coal-producing 
  strata 
  should 
  be 
  a 
  sufficient 
  answer 
  

   to 
  this 
  supposition. 
  In 
  the 
  numerous 
  cracks 
  and 
  checks 
  in 
  the 
  

   silicious 
  rocks 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  region 
  are 
  oftentimes 
  found 
  traces 
  of 
  

   galena 
  and 
  zinc 
  blendes. 
  The 
  opening 
  of 
  lead 
  mines 
  at 
  Ellenville 
  

   and 
  Wurtsboro 
  lent 
  an 
  exaggerated 
  significance 
  to 
  these 
  finds. 
  

   "With 
  the 
  failure 
  of 
  the 
  above-named 
  mines, 
  the 
  excitement 
  has 
  

   died 
  away, 
  but 
  the 
  name 
  "lead 
  region" 
  remains. 
  

  

  Respectfully 
  yours. 
  

  

  F. 
  L. 
  NASON. 
  

  

  