found to be more lean and to furnish a larger percentage of hard fossil ore.
Dr. Smith has a new drift close to the Beaver line upon one of the Bloomsburg Iron Company leases, which crosscuts the overlying shales for 137 yards and which would furnish about 30 yards of breast, the bed dipping about 30°, N. W. here. The upper 12 yards however, at the outcrop, had been formerly pretty thoroughly removed. It was expected that this drift would furnish about 400 tons per month, although the ore to be taken from it will not find as ready a sale as that from the basin further south.
There are several additional openings along this range between Smith’s and the tramroad leading south from Adamsburg. The bed will furnish from 25″ to 30″ or 35 per cent. ore.
The regular north outcrop of the Sand Vein facing the valley has been formerly worked in a number of places in this township between the Beaver and the West Beaver township line.
J. F. Middlesworth’s property was actively worked up to June, 1875, opened by Dr. J. B. Conrad east of Dr. Smith’s mine on the same outcrop and close to, if not in, Beaver township.
The bed was opened by a cross-cut through the overlying Clinton shales, 60′ long, on a dip of 30° N. W. The ore was largely a medium soft fossil, 26″ thick, carrying a central band of Jack 6″ thick, yielding from 16 to 20 per cent. of metallic iron. The bottom bench of this ore, 10″ thick, was of excellent quality, yielding, by analysis, over 50 per cent. of iron, .337 of phosphorus and only a little over 8 per cent. of insoluble residue; but the upper bench was much leaner and it is doubtful whether the average of the ore regularly mined furnished more than 40 per cent. of metallic iron.
Messrs. Swengle & Dunning worked the same bed in 1875 on property of Robert & Michael Dreese about ½ a mile south of Adamsburg, taking out the outcrop for about 150 yards. A slope was afterwards driven at right angles to the dip of the bed through the overlying shales, cutting
