Lake Champlain Iron Region. [Volume: 8, Issue: 4, 1889, pp. 218-227]

No. 4.]

CHARCOAL IRON WORKERS.

223

The Port Henry mines produce two distinct varieties of ore, one
being a magnetite carrying apatite in such quantities as to raise the
phosphorus beyond the Bessemer limit, known as "Old Bed 21"
ore and the other being a magnetite carrying a siliceous gangue, but
very low in phosphorus, known as " New Bed " ore. These general
designations apply to ores obtained from various openings, the first
portion of the commercial name " Old Bed " being derived from the
original opening made in 1824, and now owned by Witherbees,
Sherman & Co., from which a large amount of ore has been won in
workings extending 1100 or 1200 feet on the slope to a vertical
depth of 300 feet. The No. 21 opening of the Port Henry Iron-Ore
Company, which supplies the second portion of the commercial name
for the ore, with its several shafts 200 feet south of the " Old Bed "
opening, which was started in 1829, is however, the largest producer,
and one of the most impressive mines to view in the world. The
massive pillars of ore supporting the roof (also of ore), capped with
rock to within 50 feet of the surface are exposed in the great open
pit to a height of 200 feet, while the chambering extends much
beyond the face and to a depth of about 350 feet vertically from the
surface, the distance along the slope being 700 feet.
Northwest of the Old Bed opening is the Miller pit of Witherbees, Sherman & Co. This.is on nearly the same level as the Old
Bed and No. 21 ore-bodies, and although the slope is approximately
the same, the ore strikes at different elevations, but in nearly parallel
directions, in each of the three veins, and a fourth ore-body apparently lies between the Old Bed and the Miller pit seams. An
opening of the Port Henry Iron-Ore Company, appears to be a continuation of the original Old Bed pit, while two openings of Messrs.
Witherbees, Sherman & Co. seem to be on the same ore-body as
No. 21.
All of the above openings produce what is known commercially
as " Old Bed 21" ore, but the percentages of phosphorus vary in
the different workings, none, however, being Bessemer ore. The
deepest workings are now 500 feet vertically below the surface.
The average shipping analyses of the ore vary from 62 to 68 per
cent. of iron, and from 0.5 to 2 per cent. of phosphorus.
One and a half miles northeast of the openings described are two
shafts producing similar ore. These are a slope about 1200 feet and