No. 50.] 
261 
SECTION L 
1 . General considerations. 
The iron ores of Clinton county being the first in the order to be no- 
ticed, belong mostly to granite which varies somewhat in its character, 
if the whole district in which these ores occur, is considered. 
The ore is the magnetic oxide, generally black in the mass and streak. 
The exceptions to these characters will be noticed when I come to 
speak of individual deposits. The ore occurs in veins which traverse 
the rock in directions varying but little from north and south. The 
general direction of the strike of the rock, is northeast and southwesti 
The veins as would be expected, cut the strata at a small angle both in 
the prolongation north or south, and also in their direction downwards. 
If the relations of the oie to the rock are, as they are now stated, there 
is no difficulty in conceiving it to occur in veins. More conclusive evi- 
dence, however, will be furnished on this point, when we speak of the 
individual veins, where alone all the parts may be so stated, as to save 
repetition. It is perhaps needless to say, that they have been consider- 
ed as beds, a decision which was probably made by considering that 
there was a parallelism between the prolongation of the ore and the 
layers composing the rock. There is, it is true, but little difference in 
the bearing of the rocks and of the veins ; but yet, careful inspection, 
and especially measurement, show that parallelism does not exist, un- 
less in very limited distances. 
Arnold Veins. 
No vein of iron ore has acquired so much celebrity as this. It fur- 
nishes an ore easy to reduce ; forms a soft, tough iron, and which is 
rapidly produced in the common forge. Bloomers are always satisfied 
if they Can be furnished with this ore, for the above reasons ; to which 
may be added, that in consequence of its purity, it does not require 
washing or separation. For these reasons too, it has been explored 
deeper and more extensively than any other mine in the northern coun- 
ties. 
It acquired a high reputation soon after it was discovered, and was 
leased to tlie Peru Iron Company for ten years, at a rent of $6,000 per 
annum. 
There are 3 parallel veins, which are known as the Arnold ore. The 
1st is the old blue vein ; 2d> the gray ; and 3d, the black. The first is 
