THE MINING AND QUARRY INDUSTRY 



105 



The deposit from which the ore is obtained is the lower or oolitic 

 bed, consisting of two layers, an upper of 2 feet and a lower of about 

 8 inches, separated by two feet of rock. It is overlain by 22 feet of 

 shales and thin limestones, above which is the bed of fossil ore from 

 18 to 24 inches thick. The oolitic ore carries from 40 to 50 per 

 cent iron with an average of about 45 per cent. 



Furnaceville mines. The Furnaceville Iron Co. has been engaged 

 for several years in mining ore near Ontario Center, Wayne co. 

 The deposit occurs in the Clinton formation and has a thickness of 

 22 inches. According to Professor Hall it represents the lower of 

 the two beds which occur in the eastern section of the Clinton, the 

 upper bed of fossil ore not having been found west of Sodus Point, 

 Wayne county. The ore outcrops in an east-west direction across 

 the middle line of Ontario township and has been worked almost 

 continuously for a distance of 5 or 6 miles. Owing to the flat sur- 

 face and the slight inclination of the strata, which dip southward 

 about one foot in a hundred, open cut methods can be employed 

 to good advantage. 



The property of the Furnaceville Iron Co. is situated in the 

 central part of Ontario township on the line of the Rome, Water- 

 town & Ogdensburg railroad. It has been under exploitation for 

 the last 12 years. During this time the workings have progressed 

 gradually southward, necessitating a constantly increasing amount 

 of excavation. At present about 22 feet of shale and earth has to 

 be removed to reach the ore. The method employed consists in 

 opening a long trench parallel to the outcrop and nearly down to 

 the ore. The overburden is first loosened by drilling holes into 

 which heavy charges of powder are placed. After a strip of ground 

 has been broken in this manner, a steam shovel excavates the mate- 

 rial and loads it into the bucket of a derrick placed alongside, which 

 transports it to the spoil bank. The last 15 inches of limestone and 

 the underlying ore are taken out by another steam shovel and der- 

 rick which loads the ore directly into cars. At present three 

 steam shovels are used in excavating and one in removing the ore. 



The ore is an oolitic hematite and resembles that mined at Clinton, 

 though the texture is somewhat coarser. It averages about 43 per 

 cent iron. The following analyses of the product of different mines 

 in this region are taken from the paper by Putnam in the reports of 

 the 10th census. 



1 



2 



3 



42.25 

 .481 



4 



Iron 



Phosphorus 



41.46 

 •578 



40.73 

 •531 



38.36 

 .471 



