USA > New York > Essex County > The military and civil history of the county of Essex, New York : and a general survey of its physical geography, its mines and minerals, and industrial pursuits, embracing an account of the northern wilderness > Part 36
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The public owe the discovery of the mine in Crown Point to the discriminating observation and sagacious enterprise of C. F. Hammond, Esq. His attention was originally attracted to the locality by an appearance of iron ore, and the presence upon and near the surface of large numbers of quartz crystals. These indications, and the peculiar and unusual formation and texture of the rocks, suggested a minute examination of the place, which re- vealed a substance, the name and character of which Mr. Hammond was ignorant. In the year 1838, he directed the attention of a naturalist to it, who decided, upon a casual inspection, that it was a new and rare mineral, and designated its name, but pronounced it of no value except for cabinet specimens.1 The zeal of Mr. Ham-
1 C. F. Hammond.
427
NATURAL HISTORY.
mond was unabated, and in a subsequent examina- tion urged by him and made in 1850, the mineral was ascertained to be a great desideratum in agriculture - a natural phosphate of lime. In the autumn of the same year ground was broken at the mine, and excavation com- menced. The opening is directly upon a public highway, and one mile and a half from the shore of Lake Champlain. A shaft eight to ten feet wide has been sunk one hundred and fifteen feet. Lateral galleries have been projected north and west from the bottom of the shaft. The copper ore already noticed, was discovered in one gallery, and the phosphate was raised from the other. About one hundred and seventy tons of the first quality of the phosphate was exported to New York several years ago, and a large ac- cumulation of an inferior quality remained at the mouth of the shaft. No recent progress has been made in the development of this mine. Phosphates have been disclosed incorporated with the ores of Moriah and other places, taken from near the surface in inconvenient profusion.
Marl. Specimens of marl from the farm of Mr. Tafft, of Crown Point, and the estate of the late Col. Watson, of Port Kent, have been examined and analyzed by Professor Salisbury, with the following results :
No. 3. Marl Marine Shells.
No. 4. Marl Fresh Water Shells.
Silicic acid,.
59.20
22.60
Phosphoric acid,
1.15
2.35
Carbonic acid,
9.92
28.15
Sulphuric acid,
0.15
0.09
Lime,
12.78
36 26
Iron, .
3.40
1.15
Magnesia, ..
0.55
0.35
Potassa,
0.45
0.36
Soda, ..
0.40
0.07
Chlorine,
0.11
0.12
Organic matter,
11.61
8.44
99.72
99.94
428
HISTORY OF ESSEX COUNTY.
" The marine marl (No. 3, from Port Kent), is a deposit of great value as a manure; aside from its being rich in phosphoric acid and lime, it contains most of the other inorganic matter which enters into the food of plants. No. 4 will also prove valuable to those in its vicinity."
Limestone. The limestones in every variety so extensively diffused in the county, incorporated as they are almost universally with other fertilizing elements, will prove, I think, of the highest value in the agricultural economy of the county. I procured a specimen of rock in Schroon which has been practically tested as a fertilizer, with a highly favorable result.1 A careful experiment, comparing it with other agents, exhibits very satisfactory effects. The Nova Scotia plaster proved the most efficacious. In the effect of the Schroon rock and the western plaster, no perceptible difference was manifest. The influence of each was marked and decisive, indicated by the superiority of the crop to which they were applied, over that part which had received no application of either of these materials. A similar stone is found in Elizabethtown.
Muck and Peat. These materials exist in boundless quantities in every section of the county. I caused analy- ses to be carefully made of specimens taken from different localities, which were pronounced peculiarly rich and of great value. The material prevails in sufficient quantities to fertilize every acre of arable land in the district.
QUARRIES.
I have adverted elsewhere to the hyperstene rock of the Adirondacs, as peculiarly adapted, by its durability and exceeding beauty, for building purposes and ornamental work. If art can succeed in subduing the hard and in- tractable properties of this stone, and we have seen that experiments have been highly successful in approaching that result, few materials exist more beautiful than por- tions of the hyperstene, by its rich and glowing texture,
1 Letter of Abijah Smith, Esq.
429
NATURAL HISTORY.
and by the exquisite coloring, so deeply variegated and singularly blended in its appearance and formation. The hyperstene, after appearing in a wide range, through various sections of the county, abruptly terminates on the lower Au Sable, in contact with the Potsdam sandstone. The latter, for several miles, formed the walled banks of the Au Sable, and expands widely through the valley.
Keeseville Quarries. The Postdam sandstone is largely quarried in the vicinity of Keeseville, and is exported to a considerable amount. Lying in a perfect lamination, it may be excavated in large slabs or blocks. Those sixty feet square are easily obtained. The strata are so clearly defined and separated, that the only power requisite in raising the stone, is the wedge and lever. Mr. S. E. Keeler, the occupant of one of the most extensive deposits, informs me, that in the experience of many years, he has never had occasion to use a blast, in excavations on his quarry. The stone presents, on the horizontal side, a smooth and plane surface. The stone at Keeseville has usually a yellow-gray coloring, and is found admirably adapted to flagging and building purposes. It may be pro- cured in slabs or blocks, from an inch to nearly a foot in thickness. It is asserted that this sandstone is impressed in different sites by very dissimilar qualities, and I am as- sured, that in some instances, where the Potsdam sandstone has been procured in other localities, and has proved defective, the deficiency has been supplied by stone taken from the Keeseville quarries. In a recent official paper addressed to the commissioners of the new Capitol, it is stated that "the Potsdam sandstone, in many parts of Clinton county, is too friable for any economical use, beyond furnishing sand for glass making." I am not. prepared to dissent from these strictures in reference to the stone taken from some quarries, but they are not just, if intended to apply to the Keeseville stone. When first. raised, it is slightly soft, not friable, but after exposure to the atmosphere becomes exceedingly hard. Edifices are: now standing, which furnish proof of the firmness and
430
HISTORY OF ESSEX COUNTY.
durability of this stone, after an exposure of more than half a century, to storms and the action of the elements. The material which forms these buildings, does not exhibit the most remote appearance of decay or disintegration. In another passage of the same report, which may be con- structed as a general application to the Potsdam sand- stone, it is remarked : "Its commonly striped or variegated color offers an objectionable feature for a general use in building." A solitary specimen of the Keeseville stone occasionally shows a stain from iron, but it is never striped or variegated. It forms, when care and judgment are exercised in a selection, a soft, warm and beautiful building material in its coloring, that is at once orna- mental and enduring.
A quarry of marble is situated upon the premises of Mr. J. N. Macomber in Chesterfield, near Keeseville, and apparently of large extent. Its coloring is light brown, variegated by white, with a shelly combination, and re- ceives a brilliant polish. The uncommon appearance and coloring of this marble will probably render it a valuable deposit.
Clark's Quarry, in Willsboro', is on the margin of Wills- boro' bay and is worked by S. W. Clark & Co. The rock is the Trenton limestone, and embraces two varieties, the Black river and the Birdseye. The dip of the strata is so slight, that the stone is raised with great facility.1 A commodious wharf has been erected on the premises, which enables the stone to be shipped at the quarry. The operations of this concern are very extensive, and usually give employment to from forty to sixty laborers. The stones frequently excavated at this quarry are of enormous size. They are exported to various points for material in the construction of public edifices, and for ornamental works, including door steps, columns, sills and monuments. In the spring of 1869, the proprietors of this quarry effected a heavy contract with the commissioners for sup-
1 Rev. A. D. Barber.
431.
NATURAL HISTORY.
plying stone to the new Capitol. They now (autumn, 1869) employ nearly three hundred laborers, and load a canal boat daily from their wharf. A massive rock from this quarry forms the first foundation stone of the new edifice. Near the scene of these operations, another quarry, of similar stone is worked by the Messrs. Frisbie, for the manufacture of lime. A large amount of this material is annually burnt at these kilns and exported. In the town of Essex, another primitive limestone kiln is owned and worked by Messrs. William Hoskin & Co. Another large and productive quarry of limestone has for many years been worked in Westport. A quarry of black clouded marble of rare beauty and softness occurs upon the old garrison grounds at Crown Point. Although nearly a century and a half ago the entrenchments of Fort St. Frederic penetrated a section of this quarry, it has excited no interest, until the attention of the Messrs. Hammond a few years since, was directed to it. The texture of the stone is firm and consolidated, but so soft and free from grit, that it may be easily carved by a pocket knife. It opens in large slabs and blocks, receives a high polish, and is adapted for the most delicate fabrics. This quarry has not been worked. Another deposit of dark stone, near the river, in Ticonderoga, is extensive and probably valuable. Harder and less delicate than the marble at Crown Point, it is darker, and appears to be susceptible of a very high finish. Near the marble deposit in Crown Point, an excellent quarry of limestone is successfully worked.
Many quarries of various kinds of rock not embraced in the above description are worked in the county for local convenience, and the production of lime and others are known to exist, but at present are undeveloped.
PART IV.
INDUSTRIAL PROGRESS AND RESOURCES.
The earliest business associations of northern New York were connected with the markets of the St. Law- rence. The illimitable forests of Essex county presented the first field to the settler for the efforts of industry, and has continued to their successors an inexhaustible source of enterprise and wealth. The lumber trade with Canada commenced soon after the permanent occupation of the country subsequent to the revolution. It enlisted for many years almost the whole energies of the population.
The public lands yielded a rich and free harvest to those who entered upon them, while the rights of private owners of wild lands were regarded with exceeding laxity. Nor- way pine and oak were at that time principally esteemed for the Canadian trade. White pine had little comparative value. The oak sticks, prepared for the northern market, were hewn. The pines were designed for the navy of England, and were transported to Quebec, round, and of any length exceeding twenty feet. Spars of vast dimen- sions were exported from the shores of Lake Champlain, and sold to the agents of the British government, probably to form
The mast of some tall admiral.
The winter season was chiefly devoted to preparing and collecting these materials, and the whole force of the teams and labor of the country was put in requisition for the object. The timber was gathered in coves or low marshes, protected from the winds and floods of early spring, and there formed into immense rafts. Deals or thick planks of pine, and oak staves were ultimately manufactured, and
433
INDUSTRIAL PROGRESS AND RESOURCES.
exported to the same market. These articles were arranged in cribs, and transported with the rafts or piled upon its surface. The rafts were often of great size. They were propelled through the lake by sails and oars, and were borne by the current and tide down the Sorel and St. Law- rence river. Iu passing the rapids of the former, the rafts were partially taken asunder. The strong currents of the St. Lawrence impelled them rapidly down that stream, but the turbulent tides near Quebec often swept them beyond the haveus of that city, with great danger, and at times a total loss. These catastrophes were not unfrequent. The average price at Quebec, of oak timber, was forty cents per cubic foot, and that of pine, about twenty cents. The timber cost, delivered upon the shores of Lake Cham- plain, from six to eight cents, and the transportation from thence to Quebec, was about two and a half cents in addition, per cubic foot. The profit of this traffic seems to have been exorbitant, yet singularly, it proved to most who engaged in it, unfortunate and disastrous. The mag- nitude and activity of this business rapidly exhausted the masses of timber contiguous to the lake, and spars and timber were eventually transported from forests fifteen miles in the interior, to the place of rafting. Small rafts of spars and dock stick, formed of the scattered relics of the original forests, are still annually collected and carried to the southern market.
No decked vessel, it is stated, navigated Lake Cham- plain seventy years ago. The insignificant commerce which at that period existed upon its waters, was conducted in cutters, piraguas, and bateaux. Few wharves had then been constructed.
The emigrants desiring to land their stock, were often compelled to approach some favorable position, and throw- ing the animals overboard, swim them to the shore. In the more sparsely settled districts, vessels freighted with salt would anchor in same adjacent cove, and announce its presence to the inhabitants, who were often compelled to
28
434
HISTORY OF ESSEX COUNTY.
haul their grain on sleds through the woods, to barter for the salt. In this interchange, a bushel of wheat usually purchased a bushel of salt.1 The merchant visiting the southern market for goods, before the introduction of steamers upon the lake, which occurred in 1809, consumed generally a month on the journey. The return of the merchandise was still more protracted. This journey was often performed on horseback, and occasionally by a chance vessel. The goods were transported in winter by sleighs, and at other seasons by water, from Whitehall. The vil- lage of Essex, for a series of years, was the important busi- ness mart of this entire region.
The construction of the Champlain canal gave a different direction, and imparted a new character to the lumbering operations of northern New York. Norway pine became subordinate in value to the white pine. The Quebec trade yielded to the new avenues opened to our own marts. Finer articles of lumber were prepared for the southern markets. The lumber business in its changed aspect again became the paramount occupation of the country. Innu- merable saw-mills were erected, and the forests of white pine were demolished with as much rapidity as the Nor- way pine had been at an earlier day, to supply the Quebec market.
The amount and value of the various fabrics, the pro- duce of the forest, which have been transported by the Champlain canal from Essex county, are almost inappre- ciable.
The exhaustion of the forests accessible from Lake Champlain, has constrained the lumber manufacturer to seek his resources in the wilds of the interior. Logs are now floated from the most remote districts of Franklin county down the Saranac river and through a portion of Essex county, to supply the mills on that stream. State bounty has been extended with muniticence to aid in opening that wilderness to this policy, by important im-
1 Norman Page, Esq.
435
INDUSTRIAL PROGRESS AND RESOURCES.
provements in the navigation of the Saranac, Raquette, and other rivers, which penetrate that territory.
A large and valuable tract of timber land lying in the confines of Wilmington and North Elba, spreads along the acclivities and for many miles around the base of the White- face mountain. This is the only district of extent or value occupied by the primitive forest of pine, spruce, and hem- lock, now remaining of Essex county and accessible. Environed by lofty mountain barriers, it is impracticable to export manufactured lumber from this region. It is estimated that this tract may yield one million of saw logs.
The numerous and widely diffused branches of the Hudson have annually appropriated for the transit of a very large amount of logs. Insignificant mountain rivulets swollen by the spring freshets, are converted into valuable mediums for this purpose, by the adroit management of the experienced lumberman.
WHISKEY.
In the early part of the century numerous distilleries existed in the county, but the business was the most active in the town of Wilmington. The tillage of the town was almost wholly devoted to the production of rye, to supply these works. During the war of 1812, the manufacture of whiskey was an extensive and highly lucrative occupa- tion. I am not aware that a single distillery now exists in the county of Essex.
POTASHES.
While the county was passing through its transition from a primitive state to cultivation, the forest yielded a highly lucrative and available resource, in the manufacture of potash. Prohibited exportation by the non-intercourse policy of our own government, this traffic was illicit; but, stimulated by the exorbitant prices which the exigencies of the British affairs attached to the article in the Canadian market, an immense quantity found its way from northern New York into Montreal. This manufacture occupied a
436
HISTORY OF ESSEX COUNTY.
large portion of the population in its various connections, while the excitement existed, which was alone terminated by the final declaration of war in 1812. As a distinet business it is now nearly abandoned.
A conflagration of the woods presents a scene in the highest degree imposing and terrific, and often inflicts destructive ravages upon the pursuits of the manufacturer, as well as the products of agriculture. In certain periods of the year, the dried leaves and other combustible mate- rials of the forest form an inflammable mass, which spreads a flame with inconceivable celerity. Impelled by the wind, which constantly accumulates in vehemence, its pro- gress is so rapid that neither man nor beast is secure of . safety in flight. It spreads widely its column of flame as it advances. It seizes upon tops of the loftiest trees, and leaping from object to object, it laps up every combustible substance, far in advance of the body of the conflagration. Sparks borne by the whirlwind for furlongs, start new fires. Immense amounts of property, comprising timber, lumber, wood, dwellings, fences, crops of grain and grass are often in a few hours consumed by these inflictions. The intense heat of these fires, by consuming all the organic elements of the soil, frequently destroys for many years the fertility of the earth.
IRON MANUFACTORIES.
The progress of the iron manufacturing interests of Essex has not been commensurate with the resources indi- cated by its immense mineral wealth. In the comparative infancy of a country, this advance could not be expected. Specific causes, however, have exerted an influence which has largely tended to arrest the general manufacturing prosperity of northern New York. The great absence formerly of capital, which is the essential basis of extended manufacturing operations, the remoteness of the district from the centre of business, and the want of all artificial channels of intercourse, were very obvious reasons for this depression. Lake Champlain has furnished the only
437
INDUSTRIAL PROGRESS AND RESOURCES.
medium for transportation to markets, and the closing of that navigation for nearly six months of the year suspended all transit, and left the productions of the manufactories for that long term upon the hands of the producers. In all these aspects the changes are most auspicious. Capital is more abundant, and the rail roads now in progress of rapid construction will soon open this sequestered region to a certain and ready intercourse with the world, and animate its slumbering resources.
In pursuing my contemplated plan, I propose, in the succeeding pages to present a brief outline of the origin, progress and existing condition of the iron manufactories of Essex county with an incidental view of all its industrial interests. While the magnitude and prominence of the iron interest will demand particular consideration, I design in noticing the more prominent localities, to embrace an account of other important manufactories connected with them, either in business or by territorial affinities. The numerous affluents of the Au Sable, descending impetuously from high and often mountainous sources, form in their course an infinitude of water privileges. The river itself, for a considerable extent, is the boundary line between the counties of Clinton and Essex. In treating of the valuable manufacturing works situated in the Au Sable valley, I find it impracticable to separate those essentially located on the north side of the river, from those standing specifically on the soil of Essex county. The dams usu- ally rest upon the territory of each county; the interests of these establishments directly affect, and are intimately associated with both counties, and their immense business movements extend their operations widely through all the adjacent territory on either side of the stream. In de- scribing, therefore, the manufacturing interests of Essex county, I am compelled, in this view, to include all that belongs to the Au Sable valley.
Early in the century, the fires of small forges illumi- nated numerous sequestered spots in almost every section of the county. These works exerted a beneficent local
-
438
HISTORY OF ESSEX COUNTY.
influence. They stimulated the industry of remote dis- tricts; they created a market for all the products of husbandry ; by a demand for wood and coal, they imparted a value to unprofitable forests, and thus enhanced the price of lands, and promoted the cultivation of the earth. Little hamlets clustered around these sites, and some exhibited the impress of civilization by their varied arts, their schools, and religious movements. While some of these enterprises remain and are prosperous, many have disappeared in the mutation of affairs. With some, the supply of wood has failed; the proprietors of others did not possess the requisite strength to resist the adverse waves that so often roll across the manufacturing inter- ests, and others have been overshadowed or absorbed by more powerful institutions. When we view, amid the ruins of these scenes, the water rushing over decaying dams; the earth strewn with the vestiges of former in- dustry, and the humble dwellings shattered and falling, the heart will be saddened, and we almost accept the spectacle as an evidence of a fallen business and impove- rished land. But in reality, new changes have generally proved more favorable to the general interests and expan- sion of a large district.
William Gilliland appears to have contemplated in 1783 the idea of erecting iron works upon the shores of Lake Champlain, and engaged in an actual negotiation in refer- ence to that design.1 The iron manufacturing business of Essex county, destined to become an interest of national consideration, was initiated in a feeble establishment at Wills- boro' Falls. These works were erected in 1801, by Levi Highbey and George Throop, sustained by the capital of Charles Kane of Schenectady, and primarily designed for the fabrication of anchors. The partners held an unlimited contract for the sale of all that article they might make for a term of ten years. The anchors varying from three hun- dred to fifteen hundred pounds were to be delivered at
1 Champlain Valley, 190.
439
INDUSTRIAL PROGRESS AND RESOURCES.
Troy. They were transported by water to Whitehall, thence carted to Fort Edward, and there shipped on bateaux. One or two unfavorable experiments were made in export- ing them to Quebec. It is a remarkable circumstance that the ore used in these works for ten years, was principally obtained in Vermont, with a few loads from Canada. "A bed at Basin Harbor, owned by Platt Rogers, was the only deposit of iron ore, which at that period had been developed in the whole region. Soon after the close of the ten years contract, the Arnold ore bed in Clinton county was dis- covered.1 The foundery, at Willsboro', in addition to anchors, cast mill cranks, grist mill machinery, and ulti- mately steam boat irons. This property fell into other hands, and was finally converted into a forge. The same year in which this enterprise was commenced at Willsboro', Liberty Newman of Shoreham, Vermont, erected iron works at the upper falls in Ticonderoga.2 I have not been able to trace the history or results of this movement. At an early period in the century, William D. Ross of Essex, erected a rolling mill on the Boquet, for making nail plates. These plates were manufactured in large quantities, and sold at $8 per cwt., to the nail factory in New Haven, Vermont.
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