22 [Assembly 
bed from which they were obtained, is described as being about 
four feet in thickness, and the first twenty tons taken from it are 
said to have been of good quality — two tons of ore producing one 
ton of iron. Encouraged by these results, the proprietor w^as in- 
duced to enlarge his works, and eighty tons were raised during the 
year. It was found, however, that the ore gradually changed its 
character, and at length became unfit for the bloomery forge. 
This ore has a granular structure, the grains being of various 
sizes and colors, and evidently consisting of different minerals. 
It is easily reduced to powder, and the grains are sometimes held 
. together by so feeble a cohesion, that they may be separated by a 
slight blow of a hammer. The whitish, or transparent particles, 
are usually about the size of a pin's head, are scratched by fluor, 
and effervesce with the acids. Small scales, of a steel grey color, 
which soil the fingers and give a blackish trace upon paper, are 
also disseminated through the mass. 
From this description it is evident that the results of the analy- 
sis of this ore must be more or less discordant. The following is 
the mean of several trials: 
pflnalysis of Mo-gnetic Oxide of Iron^from WaiTensburgh^ Warren 
County. 
Magnetic oxide of iron, 70.80 
Carbonate of lime, 25.00 
plumbago, 3.00 
Silica, ....... 1.20 
100.00 
The occurrence of the large proportion of carbonate of lime 
and plumbago is fatal to the employment of this ore in the bloom- 
ery forge. Perhaps, however, by washing, or by the use of the 
magnetic separating machine, it might be sufficiently freed from 
these foreign matters. It is undoubtedly a valuable ore for the 
furnace. 
The next important locality of the magnetic iron is in the town 
of Moriah, in Essex county. Within the circumference of six or 
seven miles from Port Henry as a centre, several valuable beds 
have been opened. One of these is situated on the bank of the 
lake, about half a mile north of the furnace erected by the late 
