New-York tribune., 1908-11-15
NEW Y0RK'S IRON
TO THE RESCUE
PLIES VANISH.
State Geological Experts Report
That 600, 900 900 Tons Are StozCed
Apay Beneath Soil.


lands and the steel kings srs reduced TO 81
trerty and the country Is threatened with an iron
famine compared to which calamity the exhaus.
ton Of all gold and silver deposits would be q
trife. the State OF New York win come to tha
rescue with 800 100000 tons Of iron ore that - nov
snugiy slowed beneath her soil
Such is the cheering announcement OF the stats
geological experts who have been boring hoss
through strata that have names like Western pro-
family and sound worse the deeper they get Ths
geologists have to work under the Department OF
Education. which may explain the classic richness
Of their vocabulary. lay reader OF museum buI-
lstin IL. just issued. might conclude that oolitea
were a sort Of frsky animal. and that II q
good thing the hematites were kept below the sur
face. where they could do no harm
However. Il Is agreed that the legisIativs appro-
prIation OF 5000 made last year 70 explore ths
rural iron beds has been well spent wealth OF
oolites has been found in the BEDS and this I'M
plies no discomfort 10 regular or transient lOdgsrs
Okiahoma.s bedsheet law has 10 connection with
the subject There has been discovered streak
OF metal rs miles long running right through the
State OF New York from Cherry VALLEY, Otsego
County westward 90 the Niagara River. The
streak is from few rods up to dve miles IN width
and lies variously near the surface or Ave hundred
feet below. The thickness OF the ore varies from
& few inches to few feet Only the deposits OF
commercial value were considered In making thu
estimate OF the available supply.
stampede 20 the ore fields Is not expected IN
the immediate future. and II has not yet been r.-
ported that farmers who own land over the streak
are reiinquishing homemade cider for Champagne
Much capital and machinery viii b required %
coin the iron gold. and probably these deposits
will not o. seriously attacked Until the easily
gathered surface ores OF the West are used up.
As far back as 1871 mining lease granted
IN New York State. and some ore was shipped
from Wayne County during tho Var OF lsl2 Ths
so-caned Clinton strata were tapped n Wayne.
Madison and Oneida counties and the ere reduced
In primitive charcoal furnaces The mining IN HIu-
tied areas and always in the surface portion ot
tho beds has been continued, with average
nuaI production o. 1890 tons. Not more than
square mile OF deposit, with a Yield ot about
450O TONS less than per cent OF the available
supply. has been cleared out IN centGTy's r1in-
ing A great deal OF the iron ore obtained to-day
from New York mines Is ground Up FOR uss IN
mineral paint
The newly discovered iron bearing Clinton
strata have two ore beds. one ooItc and TIE other
plain. separated by q limestone blanket Ths
strata are shy about coming 70 the surface except
at the gorges OF the Geneses and Niagara rivers.
where they expose themselves so that any high
school pupil can study their Photographed Hnea-
r1ents. Il well notice the 6ruLnlins wandering
over the topography around sOdu.. n 2 few
dips encountered here and tAeTs- and tie strata
climb TO an elevation OF LOO feet when they stTt1s
ths Appalachian upuft n eastern Wayns County
the ore bed recine5 about The level of Lake On
tario- Some few SnOplotheca heU1isphsr.ca VII %
met IN the green shaIe. together with a bunch ot
EraptoIItes. which should rot surprise The sEId-
Kraphist
The exploratory work OF the stats geoIogists
done with a diamond drill. which gave cores ons
inch IN diameter. representing sections OF ths rocks
and penetrated Eight holes about ten u-iies
apart on the average, were put down N the terri
tory between Wayne and Onssda counties Most
OF the sites were selected with view 70 striking
the ore at depths between I00 and 20 feet Tho
records OF wells previously sunk gave the scientists
data for the estimation o< territory they dc not
explore themselves.
A good bed OF sixteen inch ore wss found
Brewerton. OnondaSa County. 1Ss feet down C1in-
ton Oneida County. rejoIceS in fossil hemstts SIX
feet thick but unfortunately e Is lean % 6s
workable. and the humble u reliable colt. must
be depended This ooIite from twenty 70
tdirty-S!x inches thick and averages 70 Per cent n
Iron IN northern Cayugs County the existencs %
q main bed thirty inches thick has been proved By
the diamond dru All ore less than eighteen inches
thick below 500 feet deep and Inferior TO the aver
age IN iron content has been omitted il the cal
culation OF New Yorks buried treasure. The cost
OF working this treasure large scale Is esti-
mated ~ 81 a ton. which WfT Be within the range
OF economic mining IN ths near future n Is stated
Oclite ore ressmoes IN It's photographs AZ Least
some varieties OF breakfast food and consists oc
BranuIeS formed BY the deposition of IN solc-
ton on kernels OF quartz This happened . long
time ago when there vas tnlan6 sea on the site
OF upstate farms Fosslliferous ore has numerous
points OF d1nerence from the ool tic. which any
scientist can tell The ores throughout the stats
viii probably average 70 per iron while ths
mines at Clinton N &. have long yielded a per
cent metal II Is only recently that up-to-dzts
methods OF mining with portable steam shovsls and
conveyOrs have BEEN employed IN these mines A:
one place trench sixty feet IN width Is being ulads
by one hundred ton steam shovel The ore seam
is exposed al depth OF twenty feet Drilling ard
blasting loosen the overourden for the steam
shovel. and final layer OF umestors. about Sigh
teen inches thick, has to Be removed by hand.
The ore Is then loossned By blasting. broken 81
sledges and hoisted by mechanical means into cars
FOR shipment The only underground digging OF
ore Is IN the Clinton mines where the methods rs
semole thoss OF coal mining