New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1853-08-06
THE IRON MINES OF MORRIS COUNTY, NJ.

Msrris County, n J. This natural Eeash hs' r'ady
been e.tepsi,el, Developed, employing large amounts
Of capital giving labor 10 msOy families, aud pr"V0iHg
markets for the farmers Of the vicinity aod IN en-
desvoripg to give faithful vieE Of the industrial en-
terprise Of the country and Of the condition o' i' Id
boring population knOs Of DO region when can DC
more iD,tructively explored and s'od'ed' tnan '"''
We have accordingly taken pans fully 70 MORN our
selv., respecting IT, and propose TO Sy oe"fe 'ue
public the result Of observations 10 80 cong II
will be proper to begin with al account oil the mines
Themselves subsequent article VIII be d"'"'~1 more
particuIsr!y 20 the manufacture OF the ore ai'er
converted into metal and 70 the state Of the working
population.
If ". begin at Mine Hill a. the great mining proper
II Of Mr. Msblon Dckerson, which is about ten miles
porb.yest Of MostOwn and 90 in north easterg difec
ton We shall pass be great iron tract OF NeS Jer
,ey fgercude Of some three miles IN width aud
txelye in length We cover an ncacuabe amount Of toe
hest quality Of magnetic This distric, has been
explored at different points and valuable mines have
been opened The Oldest mine and one Of the mos. val
liable ia that Of TX Governor Mahlon Dickers0n Iks
was known the Indians, who named the region from
the terms which black stone aud which has been
changed into the singular name OF oucsassunna Inc
Indians knew nothing Of the processes Of making iron
% that this noble vein eBilr-y useless ~ them Ia
I1(T this FIRST purchased Oi tue prppfr-
tors Of Eat jersey by Joseph Krbrde anf rem1inef
in bs family for many years but the restrictions laid by
the EbRIb Government the manufacture 81 irOD and
the consequent bitterness Of the business made the prop
ery Of little productive value From the kIr0rlde family
il passed INTO the joint po.,esson Of Gov. Disersgns
father and MDsrd la Fever but ~as not regarded as
an affair Of much consequence until, IN 5J1 the pres
ebt owner came into possession
In very early times small forge was erected about
three miles from MOrrstOwD 10 which the ore was car
ried in leather bags horseback. and the iron was
taken 20 market in the came primitive style. Al that
time the ore protruded tself out oil the ground anl
even a. late ~ the revolutionary war gag could be
driven I'D bds aud loaded without any preliminary
boi.tpR The appearance Of the vein is very singular
1t LOOKS as if powerful force from beneath had split
the solid rock leaving chasn OF from SIX TO t%enty
FIVE feet and that the ore III fused sta'e had ocen Orc
ed into il as into mould But at The place where the
ore vas fist seen there sort of basin with diameter
perhaps Of thirty feet This ~as fall al ore which looks
as the melted bad guhed over the ved aud oE
cd into this basin sometimes see the melted iron
run over from a mould Shch is full For many years
Am told the owners OF this body Of made no ac
count Of il allowing any who chose To take II with
out charge. Since Gov DckersOn began 10 work the
mine has been eXcaVaed two hundred feet IN depth,
and many rods in length. The veln IN some places At
tanned The astonishing thickness Of thirty feet Of solid
ore the best quality. 1t is sad by those acquainted
with it, average, far as explored fifteen feet Ia
thickness the depth Of it Of course not being knogn
Previous to 1907, the hostDg Of the ore and water
was done entirely by the wndlass but nov horses do
the hosting At present the mine must be abanionel
At the original opening until steam epgDe Is erected,
when the amounts Of itch within the reach OF IN
duitry will be almost beyond computation. Several
other openings have been on this rver, and ore Is
now being raised The hill which contains this mine is
crossed by several other rich veins but - Tar as now
Known they not 80 large productive rs this With
force Of about thirty men they have put 10 market
from Elk to eight thousand uns year worth oman aver
three dOllar per tun. This nine alone has gwen
employ to labor per year % the amount OF %1OD
fln amor lar ne nlIlIt
realized by labor this mine would be more than -
OCO year IL is said that slOO0o0 were offered for
tbis small tract Of 800 acres and that, when the iron
business ahs very much depressed
The next property To this is the mine OF Mr.. Jphn
Byan IL said that this gentleman tried his fortune
in Indiana but had capital enough 10 make tight with
chls and fever, and accordingly he made ecIptIte
retreat back tu his Latiye mountains As his good for
tune would have IT, he made purchase Of a suial lot
probably contHniI more than % acres. the prn-
pal ornament Of which was venerable orchard lie
may have paid 500 acre but his digging Tor ore has
been successful and he would probably consider S3JDJj
no great price for his lot That is pretty rise 10 prop
erty from $50 TO 500 per acre Mr.. b. has raised u
large amount OF for which he has realized fine IN
come but he has leased the mine TO Pennsy
COMPANY who work at their own expense aud pay hun
80 GEMS ON every tun o ore raised At the present time
about y men are empOye this mine and this lie ouy
athird OF the force which will soon be required The
pumping and hosting are done by steam short dis
taDce from this another opening has been made, IRON
during the year they expect tO get goo tuns The
mses this property will soon furnish employment to
some 70men besides paying teams shlngs per tun Tor
earinQ the ore to the canal II probably not too large
calculation 10 say the Company will raise within year
~ coo ,uns of ole, the premium on which 70 Mr. Byran
will be $4,000 The expense Of mining aud carriage will
be over 10000, which amount is put IN circulation
amoDg the labOrers. 49,
Only short distance from this is the Mellon Nine
which has been SUNK about 100 feet The average
n ekn.ss of tie vein is five feet aud it comes within
fifteen leet of the surface of the ground 1t has already
b,en e,cayated the distance OF from 10 to l5O feet and
will produce about 1900 the present year. IL re-
oures IL hands 10 work beside those engaged in caftins
The ore to the Canal The pumping at this mine is done
by watershed 900 yards distant connected 10y rods
with the pump The amount of wages dsbursed IN get
inc the ore to the Canal is far from 5000 year
Ills is under the control of MesSTs. Green and Den
nison.
Following the general direction of the vein less than
mile We come to several mines which annually furnish
several thousand tuns The precise statistics We have
nj AT hand but it will be safe to say they furnish
much labor as the mine just described The statistics of
some FIVE OF sN mines this place We will emiea'"r
10 state in future article and for the present may con-
slider them as producing at least as much as B!rams
Mine although my impression Is that this calculation Is
far below the truth
Standing on Mine HILL the rich minerals of which we
have lust described, you look across beautiful valley
and distinctly northeast oi YOU The buildings Vi tue
Teabo mine making fine landmark by which to observe
the general direction OF the iron belt Dd' between
Nine Hill aud the Teabo several important mines
which We must notice The belonging to Mr. Joseph
Uoa is not worked very extensively ana probably could
be made very productive with proper machinery. 10
fact We aro sure there large body of good on Nj
Hods Hill Near this is the old Mount Pleasant mine