History of Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, Part 5

Author: Bean, Theodore Weber, 1833-1891, [from old catalog] ed; Buck, William J. (William Joseph), 1825-1901
Publication date: 1884
Publisher: Philadelphia, Everts & Peck
Number of Pages: 1534

USA > Pennsylvania > Montgomery County > History of Montgomery County, Pennsylvania > Part 5

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

Magnetic ore is indispensable in puddling opera- tions to burn the carbon out of the pig-iron. The large blocks of crystallized magnetite are arranged by the puddlers, who term the process "building the fur- nace." The Lake Champlain ore is used by many puddling-furnaces in this county. It is more difficult to melt than the hematites, but is purer and richer in iron. The following analyses were made by Dr. Koenig, of the University of Pennsylvania, and show the composition of Lake Champlain magnetic ore :

New Bed Mine.

Magnetic oxide of iron.

98.20 contaios 71.11 per cent. of iron.

Phosphate of lime ..

.104 contains .0208 phosphorus.

Titanium oxide ..

.46

Silica, chlorite, etc.

1.04

99.804

Old Bed Mine, 1700 feet below New Bed Mine.

Magnetic oxide of iron

Phosphate of lime.

97.00 contains 70.24 per cent. of iron. .383 contains .076 phosphorus.

Titanium oxide.

.250

Silica, chlorite, etc.

2.45

100.083

The following analyses are of Boyertown magnetic ore, furnished by the Pottstown Iron Company, phos- phorus and sulphur not estimated :

(!)

(2)

Iron ...

46.36

40.159

Silica ...

11.90

9.09

Alumina.

5,22

15,173

Lime ....

8.37

7.529

Magnesia.

1.18

Trace.

BROWN HEMATITE, 2Fe2O3,3H2O. - This wide- spread ore of iron occurs massive, and often occurs in botryoidal, stalactitic, fibrons, and radiating masses. The color varies from dark-brown to ochre-yellow; very often specimens have a black, lustrous appear- ance on the surface and are perfectly smooth, and sometimes they show a silky lustre ; this is noticeable in the fibrous varieties, which are often called fibrous hematite. The massive varieties have an earthy or clayey lustre. This ore contains when pure 85.6 per cent. of Fe2O3 (oxide of iron) and 14.4 per cent. of water; this would be cquivalent to about 59.92 per cent. of metallic iron. Whenever brown hematite is heated in a glass tube it will give off water, which will form in drops on the side of the tube. This fact distinguishes it from magnetic iron ore aud red hematite, neither of which contain any water. Another peculiarity of this ore is it always contains phosphoric acid and manganese, besides the clay and sand which generally accompany it. It is much softer than the other iron ores; its hardness is 5 to 5.5, specific gravity 3.6 to 4. The stalactitic and botryoidal forms which it frequently assumes are characteristic, and serve to distinguish it from other ores of iron. It melts more readily in a blast-furnace than either of the preceding ores. Brown hematite is also known under the name of limonite. Brown ochre and yellow ochre are varieties of this ore; they are clayey and ochreons. Bog-iron ore occurs in swamps, bogs, and in low grounds. It is a porous, earthy ore, of a brownish-black color. It is supposed that this ore was deposited from water which was charged with iron in solution, and when exposed to oxidation by air and the reducing action of decomposing organic matter, it was thrown down in layers and formed bog-iron ore. When brown hematite occurs stalac- titic it forms what is commonly kuown as pipe-ore ; the ore looks like a collection of little pipes, which sometimes are hollow ; sometimes it forms hollow spherical masses, commonly known as pot or bomb- shell ore. These hollow bombs often contain water or masses of soft clay. The interior often presents a varnish-like appearance which is quite lustrous ; this is due to a fine coating of oxide of manganese which covers the ore. This ore generally occurs in pieces, which have to be separated from the clay and quartz by washing. Brown hematite is a common ore in Montgomery County, and many thousand tons of this ore have been taken ont. The ore occurs in the lime- stone belt from Edge Hill westward to the Chester County line. It is found in extensive deposits of clay. It is said the first ore ever dug in this valley east of the Schuylkill was near Spring Mill, on the farm of J. Kirkner ; this was in the year 1828.

From Hitner's mine, near Marble Hall, immense

HISTORY OF MONTGOMERY COUNTY.

quantities of ore have been taken. In the year 1853 about twelve thousand tons were taken from this mine.

It is estimated that from the time iron ore was first mined in the county up to the year 1858, over sixty thousand tons of brown hematite ore were taken from the ore-pits which are situated in the limestone helt on the east side of the Schuylkill. The iron-ore belt begins in the neighborhood of Edge Hill and Oreland. In this vicinity there are quite a number of iron-ore pits, which furnish large quantities of ore; many of the pits have been exhausted, but new ones are constantly started. The ore from this locality is a highly sili- cions brown hematite; the silica varies from 10 to 30 per cent., and the average percentage of silica in these ores is about 24 per cent., which is high. These ores contain phosphorus; the percentage of this injurious impurity varies in different ores, but the average Edge Hill ore contains from .18 to .3 per cent. phos- phorus. The percentage of metallic iron in the ores of Edge Hill and vicinity varies from 35 to 50 per cent. The following analysis will give an idea of the composition of the Edge Hill ores. This brown hematite is known as the Harvey ore, taken from Oreland :

Silica ............... 27.16 Iron ..... 43.91

Alumina.

Phosphorus

.25

Lime and magnesia .. Traces.

The extensive blast-furnace at Edge Hill uses this ore; they enrich on magnetic ore from Spain, which contains only .025 per cent. of phosphorus, and they also use a foreign hematite of great purity. This Edge Hill ore contains so minch silica that a lime- stone must be used to flux the ore, which is as free as possible from silica. The next important deposits of hematite are in the vicinity of Marble Hall, and are owned by Daniel O. Hitner. The pits in this neighborhood have been worked for a great many years, and have furnished thousands of tons of ore. The mines at the present time are furnishing an excellent quality of ore, which is screened before using at Mr. Fulton's blast-furnace, in Conshohocken. This ore does not seem to contain as much phos- phorus as the ore from the extreme eastern part of the iron-ore belt. It is highly silicious, like the Edge Hill ores, and contains a high percentage of iron. The following analysis is of ore from Hitner's pit, above Marble Hall :

Silica ... 20,00

Iron.

45.00

Phosphorus ...

.10

Lime and magnesia. Traces.

The next neighborhood in the limestone valley where brown hematite is dug is at Tracey's iron-ore pit. This locality is about one mile east of Consho- hocken. The are was first dug there in 1860, and from that time until the present a great deal of ore has been taken out. There is one large open pit where the ore was formerly dug, which shows the rude way

in which the ore was mined in former times. Shafts are now sunk vertically, and when a deposit of ore is found the opening is made in the direction in which the ore extends. The shaft is five feet square gener- ally, and sometimes extends down in a vertical direc- tion for one hundred feet, and then levels are driveu in the direction of the ore. The ore, clay, etc., are drawn from the bottom of the shaft in buckets, which are attached to a windlass. There are two or three shafts at this deposit, one of which is ninety feet deep. They strike water at a depth of about one hundred feet. This deposit yields about two thousand five hundred tons of ore per year. Hallman's mine ad- joins Tracey's and has not been worked quite as ex- tensively. It also is worked by shafts, one of which is over eighty-seven feet deep. They strike water sooner at this mine. As high as sixteen hundred tons of ore per year have been taken from this mine. Neither of these two deposits are being worked exten- sively at present. The ores are brown liematites of good quality, which are screened before nsing.

Red hematite is found here also, but not in such large quantities. In an adjoining field a new bed of ore has been opened, and is worked by Mr. Hitner. The next deposit of iron ore is between Potts' Land- ing and Harmanville. On Mr. Freedley's property, near Potts' Landing, a new mine was opened in Au- gust, 1883. The ore is found a few feet from the sur- face in the clay ; about two hundred and fifty tons of ore have been dng from this deposit during August and September. The ore is brown hematite, and is shipped to the Pottstown blast-furnaces. It is mixed with clay to a considerable extent, and has to be screened before using. An iron-ore mine was opened on the property of William Wills, situated near Ridge Road Station, on the Plymouth Railroad. Ore was dug here in 1872, and the mines were bought by the Phoenix Iron Company, who went to consider- able expense in erecting machinery and engines. It seems that the project was not a paying one, and finally the machinery and engines were abandoned. Iu 1880 the mines were again worked. This ends the principal localities where ore is dug east of the Schuylkill River. West of the Schuylkill River, in Upper Merion township, are extensive deposits of brown hematite, which were worked years ago. Be- tween Henderson Station and Gulf Mills there are many abandoned ore-pits, which show the direction of the iron-ore belt. A short distance from Henderson's marble-quarries ore was mined quite extensively. Engines, washers, and screens were used, as the ore was mixed with a large amount of clay. It was screened and washed before it was sent to the blast- furnaces. Many of these pits are neglected, and some are exhausted. The amount of hematite ore dug in Upper Merion township at the present time is very small when compared with what was dug in former years. Throughout the Montgomery County limestone valley we find extensive deposits of clay, and it is in

ORES, MINERALS, AND GEOLOGY.

these deposits of clay that the brown hematite ore ocenrs. In fact, nearly all the beds which have been worked thus far occur in this clay. The deposits in the neighborhood of Marble Hall, Potts' Landing, and Gulf Mills are found in clay. Another noticeable fact is that both the clays and iron ores are generally found in the vicinity of the quartzose mica-schists or the slates. These rocks contain quartz, mica, and oxide of iron. They are especially rich in oxide of iron (hematite), often containing as high as nine per cent.

Specular iron is a variety of red hematite which has a highly brilliant lustre, showing the spiegel or mir- ror; color, dark steel-gray or iron-black; composi- !! tion, FezO3; lustre, metallic. Notwithstanding the steel-gray color of this ore, when it is reduced to a powder the color of it is red. When specular iron has a foliated structure it is called micaceous iron. The finest specimens of crystallized specular ore It is supposed that the iron-ore deposits and clay-beds | come from the island of Elba. Red ochre and red have resulted from the decomposition of these mica- schists and mica-slates. This is extremely probable, because these hydro-mica schists and slates contain not only oxide of iron, but also hydro-mica, which contains the very elements clay is composed of, namely, silica, alumina, and potash. These schists and slates are generally of a grayish tint, and of a some- what silky lustre ; sometimes they are colored red by ferric oxide. They have an unctuous, soapy feel ; on exposure to weather they soon decompose, and are converted into a soft, unctuous clay.

6.5, and its specific gravity is from 4.5 to 5.3. There are several varieties of red hematite.

chalk containing clay are varieties of red hematite. The fossil ores are the most interesting of red hema- tites. There are extensive deposits of fossil ore in Tioga, Bradford, Blair, Huntingdon, Juniata, and other counties in Pennsylvania. This ore is red, and is made of masses of little shells or bivalves, which are plainly visible, and the middle bed of this ore contains remains of fishes, which are visible in the ore. This bed is known as the fish-bed, and the ore is ground and used for paint.

These shells are supposed to have lived in a mud " which contained an abundance of iron in some form, and when they died the organic matter decomposed and set up a galvanic action, which precipitated the iron on the shells. The organic matter may have re- duced and precipitated the iron from solution. This

All of these slates contain free silica or sand, hence when these mica-slates decompose they yield clay, brown hematite, or oxide of iron, and free silica, or sand. Another fact which goes far to prove that this is the true origin of the ores and clays, is that 1 near many of the clay deposits we find a pure white , ore occurs in layers, and is mined like a coal-bed. sand, composed of very fine grains, although some- times the sand has a faint brown or red tint. This sand bears no resemblance whatever to the new red sandstone, as it is often perfectly white, and is made up of exceedingly fine particles of silica, containing no admixture of feldspar. This is exactly the same kind of sand or free silica which these mica-slates contain, and it is extremely probable that these de- posits of fine white sand found near the clay have re- sulted from the rotting and decomposing of the slates. This fine sand cannot be melted, and it is mined and shipped to the iron-works, where it is used when a substance that will stand a high heat without melting is required; its principal use is to line puddling-for- naces and heating-furnaces. I noticed a deposit of the sand back of Potts' marble-quarries; it is near the mica-slates, and is shipped to the furnaces at Con- shohocken. A deposit is also found at Lynch's clay- beds on the Ridge road. I have been informed that, on Mr. Freedley's property, near Potts' Landing, in the vicinity of the mica-slates, a bed of this sand was worked. It will be noticed that these deposits are in the vicinity of mica-slates. The deposits are generally thin, varying from a few inches to three feet or more in thickness, and run in a zigzag style for over one hundred miles. These ores contain sulphur and rather a high percentage of phos- phorns. Red hematite ocenrs both in the crystalline and stratified rocks, and is of all ages. The most ex- tensive beds, however, occur in the oldest rocks, while the clayey varieties occur in stratified rocks. It is found in the new red and also the old red sandstone, and is found also in the limestone belt near Consho- hocken. In Montgomery County red hematite has been found in several localities in the iron-ore belt. At Edge Hill, where the iron-ore belt begins in Montgomery County, a variety containing titanium oxide has been found. It has also been found at the Perkiomen copper-mine, near Shannonville, Mont- gomery Co .; the variety found here is micaceous. On the road from Jarrettown to Camp Hill, in Upper Dub- lin township, I found several large blocks of an impure micaceons hematite mixed with an iron-black strati- fied rock. The ore has never been found here in large quantities, but these surface indications warrant further investigation. At Tracey's mine, near Con- RED HEMATITE, Fe2O3 .- This important ore of iron is named from its red color. When pure it is ferric oxide, Fe2O3, and contains seventy per cent. of iron and thirty per cent. of oxygen. It crystallizes in the hexagonal system, and the crystals are often thin and tabular. It also occurs massive, granular, foliated, micaceous, and sometimes botryoidal and stalactitic. It is of about the same hardness as magnetite, 5.5 to shohocken, which is described under brown hematite, I noticed considerable red hematite interspersed with brown hematite, which had been thrown out. Mr. Hallman, whose mine adjoins this one, informed me that quite a considerable quantity had been taken from his mine. The samples secured were massive and compact, and of a bright red color all over. The red sandstone which covers the northern and central

HISTORY OF MONTGOMERY COUNTY.

portions of Montgomery County owes its color to the presence of red hematite. The red soils which are prevalent in many localities in the county contain a small amount of red hematite, which gives them their color, although in many cases, where the soil is de- rived from red shale, the percentage of hematite is considerable. The red shales of the county contain quite a high percentage of red hematite. Along the Stony Creek Railroad from Norristown to Lansdale are found beds of red shale, alternating with sand- stone. At Belfry and Acorn Stations particularly the district is very shaly. I secured a sample of shale on this road near Norristown, and found on analysis that it yielded ten per cent. of red hematite. In case of any scarcity of ore perhaps these shales could be utilized. Red ochre has been found in the iron-ore pits which are south of Henderson's marble-quarry, in Upper Merion township, and red hematite associated with brown hematite is also noticed there.

Impurities .- The impurities in iron ores are those substances which tend to deteriorate or render unfit for use the iron made from the ore. The impurities often found in iron ores are phosphorus, sulphur, tita- nium oxide, copper, and zinc, all of which are injuri- ous constituents. Phosphorus is the worst impurity we have to deal with and the most difficult to elimi- nate. A high percentage of phosphorus in iron produces cold-shortness, and makes both iron and steel exceedingly brittle. A pencil of cold-short iron containing one per cent. of phosphorus is so brittle that it will readily snap in pieces when dropped on a piece of metal. In the manufacture of steel, ores free from phosphorus must be used, as .030 of one per cent. phosphorus is the maximum amount allowed in a good steel. It is on this account that such large quantities of ore are shipped to this country from Spain, Africa, and Sweden,-these foreign ores con- taining but little phosphorus. Sulphur produces red- shortness in iron when heated to a red heat, and the iron has a tendency to crumble when passed through the rollers. Much of the sulphur in ores can be gotten rid of by roasting, and much is eliminated in the blast-furnace by the use of a basic slag like lime. Titanium oxide generally goes into the slag ; five or six per cent. of this impurity makes a very tough blue slag. It is apparently of no value to iron ores, notwithstanding the fact that for a while there was great excitement about titanium steel made from ores containing titanium oxide. The titanium oxide does not alloy with the iron but goes into the slag, as the oxide is not reduced to titanium very readily. There seems to be a difference of opinion about copper as an impurity. The Bessemer Steel-Works at Bethlehem prefer a magnetic ore from Lebanon which contains a considerable percentage of copper; but the Midvale Steel-Works at Nicetown prefer foreign ores free from copper. It is known that arsenic, antimony, and tin make iron cold-short and brittle; they act like phosphorus and are very injurious impurities.

Sometimes iron ores contain vanadium and tungsten. These elements go into the slag and color it ; they are not injurious, but make slags of a high fusing-point. Clay and sand are not regarded as impurities, as they go into the slag. The following analyses of Mont- gomery County ores, kindly furnished by the Potts- town Iron Company, and the analysis of African ore made by myself, are given for comparison :

African Ore.

Wilson Ore,

Edge Hill.

Sweeney and

Jacoby Ore,

Harvey Ore,

Edge Hill.

McGuire Ore,

Edge Hill.

Iron

58.24 6.55

44 62

Silica.

26.45

40.582 21.35 4.326 .277

50.11 10.85

41.319 20.40

Alumina ..

1,30

5,371

Lime ...

Trace. Trace.

Trace.

Trace. .405 Trace.

0.10

Magnesia.

.027

Phosphorus.

.028

.263

.137

.029

Sulphur.

0.265

Manganese.

1.09

0.946

Trace.

Graphite .- Graphite, or plumbago, is one of the numerous forms of carbon. It is sometimes called black-lead, but this name is apt to mislead, as no lead enters into its composition. It is sometimes found crystallized in flat hexagonal tables, but usually oc- curs in black scales or flakes. Sometimes it occurs as a fine powder, which in the earth looks very much like black mud. It is very soft, and the scales can be readily cut with a knife. It has a soft, soapy feel, very much like soapstone; color, iron-black to dark steel-gray ; lustre, metallic. Fire has very little effect on it, as it is infusible. It is rarely found pure, and when found thus consists entirely of pure car- bon. When mined it generally occurs mechanically mixed with mica-schist, quartz, clay, oxide of iron, and other earthy impurities. These impurities can be separated from graphite by washing. As graphite is very light and the earthy impurities heavy, the graphite floats away in the water, leaving the im- purities behind. No mention is made in the most recent geological survey of Montgomery County of the occurrence of this valuable mineral in the county. I have found several localities in the county where there are indications of this mineral; I have also found two extensive deposits of it. In an abandoned iron-ore pit near Henderson's Station, near the Chester Valley Railroad, there occurs a deposit of graphite.

In that locality the graphite is found as an impal- pable powder, which in rainy weather comes oozing out from the sides of the pit, resembling very much a deposit of black mud. One side of the pit for a distance of seventy-five feet is stained black by the graphite. Wishing to know whether the deposit ex- tended beyond the pit or whether it was simply a pocket, I determined to dig about twenty feet distant from the pit where there was no exposure. On clear- ing away the soil to a depth of about two feet the graphite was exposed, thus showing that the deposit

Flourtown.

near

ORES, MINERALS, AND GEOLOGY.

extended for some distance, and was very near the sur- face. I made an analysis of a surface sample which was mostly made up of earthy impurities ; it is prob- able if a sample were secured at a much greater depth that it would contain more graphite. The analysis gave the following result : Carbon, 7.50 per cent., the residue consisted of mica, oxide of iron, silica, and clay. Graphite in this form can be readily washed. Workmen from the neighboring quarries have used this material as a mineral paint in their houses, not knowing the nature of it. Another de- posit occurs in a field near Henderson Station, at about the junction of the small strip of Potsdam sandstone marked on the map and the limestone. This deposit is not visible, as it is covered with from four to six feet of soil; it seems to cover almost the entire field.

On digging in different parts of the field, graphite would always be found at a depth of a few feet. This deposit seems to be of the nature of a bed, and is mixed with sand, oxide of iron, and mica ; it occurs as a fine powder, and has a very soapy feel. The surface deposit of this bed is not pure. It is not known to what depth the bed extends; it does not seem to extend beyond this field. At Henderson's marble-quarry, about two and a half miles from Bridgeport, there is a beautiful vein of highly crystalline black marble, susceptible of a high polish. This vein is on the south side of the quarry, and is said to be very pure, analyzing ninety-eight per cent. of carbonate of lime. It is very interesting to observe that this marble is colored black by graphite. I found, on dissolving the marble in hydrochloric acid, that very small specks of graphite were left as a residue. All the black marble in this vicinity owes its color to graphite. I found traces of graphite between Bridgeport and King of Prussia, in the small belt of Potsdam sand- stone marked on the geological map. On James Coulston's farm, near Chestnut Hill, in an iron-ore pit, graphite occurs. Several tons of it were thrown out. It is an impure variety, occurring in small scales and mixed with earthy impurities.

The purest graphite is used in the manufacture of graphite pencils, commonly called lead-pencils. When it is in the form of a very fine powder, free from grit, it is mixed with oil, and makes a most excellent lubri- cator. Being very soft, its hardness only 2, there is no friction worth mentioning with the machinery. Hessian crucibles were formerly used in melting steel, but would soon melt away ; now graphite crucibles are made from clay and graphite. They will stand several heats or fusions and very high temperatures without melting. Graphite is also used in the manu- facture of stove-polish and shoe-blacking. Rich de- posits of this mineral are valuable.

Coal .- In the triassic formation, commonly known as the new red sandstone, small veins of coal from one to two inches in thickness have been found in several localities in Montgomery County. No large 2

workable veins have been discovered ; only these ex- ceedingly small deposits are found in the new red sandstone, although in Virginia, near Richmond, and in the Deep River Region in North Carolina, in the same formation of new red sandstone that we find in Montgomery County, there are thick beds of good mineral coal. The triassic coals are exceedingly in- teresting from a geological stand-point, because they occur in more recent formations than the coals of the carboniferous period, and are of an earlier age. In Norristown, on Elm Street, near the Stony Creek Rail- road, a vein of coal was found about one inch thick in the new red sandstone; the vein extended only a few feet, and was not very wide. It was found during the grading of the street, about twelve feet below the surface. I secured samples of this coal for Professor Genth, of the University of Pennsylvania, and found in the sandstone the stem of a fossil plant. This coal was of a deep black color, with a somewhat pitchy ap- pearance, was very brittle, with conchoidal fracture, and seemed to burn very well.

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History of Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, Part 5

Author: Bean, Theodore Weber, 1833-1891, [from old catalog] ed; Buck, William J. (William Joseph), 1825-1901 Publication date: 1884 Publisher: Philadelphia, Everts & Peck Number of Pages: 1534

Author: Bean, Theodore Weber, 1833-1891, [from old catalog] ed; Buck, William J. (William Joseph), 1825-1901
Publication date: 1884
Publisher: Philadelphia, Everts & Peck
Number of Pages: 1534