328 



IRON ORES OF NEW-YORK* 



In the northern part of the State of New-York r 

 iron ore is abundantly distributed in the form of the 

 magnetic and specular oxide, and bog iron ore ; 

 and in Jefferson county, not even a mile can be 

 travelled over without observing frequent indica- 

 tions of this metal. The magnetic oxide occurs in 

 beds, of from one to 500 feet in width, in granite and 

 gneiss ; the be4s being parallel to the direction of 

 the mountain ranges, and in gneiss parallel to its 

 apparent stratification. They dip, like the rock 

 strata, at an angle of 70 or 80 degrees. Some idea 

 may be formed of the immense quantity of iron in 

 this region, when we state that at Newcomb, a 

 few miles from the Hudson River, a bed has been 

 traced more than a mile in length and 300 feet in 

 width ; and about a mile north is another bed 500 

 feet wide, which extends nearly a mile, and of an 

 unknown depth. There is also a great abundance of 

 timber and " water-power," and other facilities for 

 the extensive manufacture of this metal; nothing 

 being wanted but a railroad of 40 miles to trans- 

 port it to the navigable waters of the Hudson. The 

 whole of Franklin and St. Lawrence counties may 

 be said to be iron districts, destined at no distant 

 period to abound in extensive iron manufacturing 

 establishments. There is already manufactured in 

 Essex county 1500 tons ; in Clinton county, 3000 

 tons (all of which latter is made directly into mal- 

 leable iron, and converted into hooks, bolts, nails, 

 anchors, chain cables, &c.) ; in Franklin county, 

 600 tons ; in St. Lawrence county, 2000 tons ; and 

 in Jefferson county, 450 tons of iron* annually. 

 The value of the iron annually manufactured in the 

 above-named counties is more than half a million 

 of dollars annually.f When we consider the im- 



* Mr. Emmons's Report to the Legislature of New-York, 

 1837. 



f In England, in the year 1828, there was manufactured 

 732,000 tons of iron. . 



