36 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



main difficulty was reported to have been met in the mill treatment. 

 On the recent resumption of mining it was thought that the old 

 plant after alterations and additions of equipment could be util- 

 ized, but its operation involved heavy charges for handling the ore 

 and disposal of the tailings, as well as other disadvantages incident 

 to its situation. A number of novel features, as far as Adirondack 

 practice is concerned, had been adopted so that the recent work was 

 something of an experiment. The use of churn drills and steam 

 shovels for breaking down and handling the ore is said to have 

 proved satisfactory. Giant Edison rolls were employed for the first 

 reduction in place of the usual jaw or gyratory crushers. Owing 

 to the necessity of fine crushing in order to effect a good recovery 

 of the magnetite, a considerable part of the concentrates was below 

 the limit of size desirable for blast furnace use and had to be ag- 

 glomerated before shipment. The fines were separated by an air 

 blast and nodulized in rotary kilns heated by producer gas, a form 

 of apparatus first adopted for the nodulizing of pyrites cinder. 

 This process also effected a reduction of the sulfur content and was 

 so successful that it will probably be used on all of the concentrates 

 in case a new mill is erected. 



Mineville. This is the most important iron mining center in the 

 State, and for several years the ore shipments from Mineville have 

 exceeded that of any other locality in the East. The mines are 

 operated by Witherbee, Sherman & Co. and the Port Henry Iron 

 Ore Co. 



The combined output of the two companies last year was the 

 largest on record. A total of 953,553 tons was hoisted from the 

 mines and the product of lump ore and concentrates for shipment 

 amounted to 842,279 tons as compared with 705,000 tons in 1909. 

 The best previous year was 1907 when the shipments amounted to 

 751,155 tons. 



The new Clonan shaft, put down by tlie Port Henry Co., was com- 

 pleted early in the year. The shaft has greatly facilitated mining 

 in the lower or southern workings of the " 21 " ore body which were 

 formerly reached only by a long incline. The shaft has three 

 compartments, with a steel head frame equipped with grizzlies, 

 crushers and storage bins. An independent steam-generating plant 

 near the shaft furnishes the power for hoisting and underground 

 work. The Welch mine north of "21 " has continued to yield a 

 fair output. 



Another important addition to the surface equipment at Mine- 

 ville completed during the year, is the Harmony mill of Witherbee, 



