206 



Notice of Peter Hasenclever. 



name was iu use one hundred years since, it has been cor- 

 rupted into Baron Hass. 



Steel of the finest quality imported into this country from 

 Germany, till a comparatively recent period, was known 

 as the Hasenclever steel. We hope to ascertain whether 

 it was a steel manufactured by our Hasenclever's methods. 



It may stimulate a worthy spirit of enterprise that I 

 should copy in conclusion an extract from Hasenclever's 

 Case on a silver mine in this state : "I lost also on a 

 share in a silver mine of which Col. Fred. Philips (on 

 whose laud it lies, twenty-eight miles above New York) 

 had given me one-sixth, and I went there with some miners 

 to examine it ; this mine proves now to be very valuable, 

 and may become in time an immense concern." 1 



Much of the information in this article has been derived 

 from a pamphlet of which I have never heard of any copy 

 than the one copy, which is in the State Library. It contains 

 97 pages, and is entitled The Case of Peter Hasenclever, 

 and was written by himself. It contains many additional 

 statistics as to the cost of production of the articles men- 

 tioned in this paper, aud the obstacles to success, especially 

 as regards iron : with numerous details regarding his finan- 

 cial difficulties. 



It has seemed most proper to make a record of an at- 

 tempt to develop the iron mining industry in this country 

 at such an early date, and at such prodigal expenditure, 

 which whatever may have been the loss to its originators, has 

 of course enured to the advantage of others. The town 

 and county histories of the places where he lavished his 

 capital, contain no account of the visionary but most sin- 

 cere Peter Hasenclever. 



1 An early member of the Institute, Winslow C. Watson, Esq., lias kindly 

 suggested to me that this mine is the one which was rediscovered about 

 forty years since at Sing Sing, and as he is disposed to believe near the site 

 of the State Prison. The implements which had been used in ante-revolu- 

 tionary times were found in the abandoned mine. 



