History of the

Chateaugay Ore and Iron Company

Page 6

Blue Gray Line                             

                                                          TIME LINE
                                   NORTHERN NEW YORK STATE AREA
         1798
              The first Catalan forge in Plattsburg, N. Y. was built.
 
         1801
              Levi Highbey and George Throop erected an iron works at Wilisboro
         Falls, on Lake Champlain N.Y
              In the same year, Liberty Newman erected iron works at the upper falls
         in Ticonderoga, N. Y
 
              During this same period, we find records indicating the erection of a
         rolling mill on the Boquet River near Essex, N. Y.  These plates were shipped
         to a nail factory in Vermont.
 
         1802
              One of the oldest iron works in Essex County was established at New
         Russia, N. Y.  It was repeatedly rebuilt and operated until about 1866.  The
         ore used here was obtained from the New Russia mine, situated a half mile from
         the works.  A part of the ore was also obtained from the Fisher Hill Ore Bed.
 
         1803
              William Bailey erected a forge on the Chateaugay River about five miles
         below the outlet of Lower Chateaugay Lake, N. Y., which was operated for a
         few years.  He probably obtained his ore from an old opening known as the
         Prall Vein.  Its location and description are identical with 81 mine, Chateaugay
         Ore Bed.
 
         1806
              At Ferronia, N. Y., in the Town of Ausable, what is known as the
         Arnold Iron Mine was discovered by Samuel Baker.
 
         1809
              Archibald McIntire erected iron works within the limits of the present
         town of North Elba, Essex County, N.Y.  The ore used in the beginning was
         found nearby, but was soon abandoned in favor of ore from the Arnold bed in
         Clinton County.
 
              Subsequent to the year 1809 extensive iron works were established
         in Wilmington on the west branch of the Ausable River.  Ore, transported
         from the Palmer Hill mine, was used in the forges.

              We also find some small forges located at Lower Jay, N. Y.  The ore
         used here was also obtained from the Palmer Hill mine.
 
         1815
              A rolling mill was constructed and operations commenced in 1816 by
         the Keeseville Rolling and Slitting Mill Company of Keeseville, N. Y.  The
         principal product of the company was the manufacture of nail-plate which was
         subsequently cut into strips for the manufacture of horse shoe nails.
 
         1822
              Major James Dalliba, in connection with John D. Dickenson of Troy,
         erected the first furnace at Port Henry.  The ore used was obtained from a vein
         near the furnace.  The iron made was shipped to Troy, N. Y., until 1827
         when the production of pig iron was abandoned and the works turned to the
         manufacture of stoves and hollow-ware.
 
         1823
              The Chateaugay Ore Body, at what is now Lyon Mountain, N. Y.,
         was supposed to have been discovered by a trapper named Collins.
 
         1824
              The Peru Iron Company, located in the Ausable Valley of New York,
         was organized with a capital of $200,000.00, operating forges and rolling
         mills along the river.
 
              About this same time, Zephaniah Palmer, a surveyor from the vicinity
         of Ausable Forks, N. Y., discovered iron ore outcroppings.  Ore from this
         mine was sold mainly to the Peru Iron Company; however, being lower in
         metallic iron than the Arnold ore, it required concentration.  In 1837 a separa-
         tor was built on the Ausable River at Clintonville, N. Y.
 
         1826
              The first forge in the town of Saranac, N. Y., on the Saranac River, was
         built by Hull, Hopper and Baker.  The ore was obtained from the Arnold
         Ore Bed, located about fourteen miles away.
 
              In the subsequent years it was rebuilt, new machinery installed and it
         became one of the largest and most efficient forges in the Adirondacks.  The ore
         used was obtained from the Tremblay mine, near Redford, N. Y.
 
              Two blast furnaces were finished and put in operation at Clintonville,
         N. Y.  They were charged with wood and charcoal, and blown by cold blast.
         Ironware as well as pig iron was made here, the castings being poured direct
         from the furnace.  In January, 1828, a cable factory, manufacturing large ship
         anchors and iron cables, was erected.
                                                                              I
         1827
             Approximately three miles west of Essex Village, N. Y., Gould, Ross and
         Low erected and operated a rolling mill for the fabrication of bars and iron
         plates from blooms.
 
         1828
              A four-fire forge was built six miles west of the Lake on Putnam's
         Creek, near Crown Point, N. Y.  A good grade of iron was evidently manu-
         factured at this plant, for records indicate an order received from the government
         for a large quantity of this iron, which was to be fabricated into chain cables.

              The first forge at Morrisonville, N.Y. was built by Heman Smith and
         Josiah Wilcox.  However, the freshet of 1830 destroyed it, ending the iron
         business at Morrisonville.

              Burt and Vanderwarker erected a four-fire forge at Ausable Forks,
         N. Y.  They procured their ore from the Palmer Hill mine, located two miles
         north of the village.
 
         1831
              J. & J. Rogers began making iron at Black Brook, N.Y., hauling the ore
         for their forges from Arnold Hill.
 
         1832
              A mining company of ten men was formed and purchased what is
         known as the Averill ore beds, located in the vicinity of Dannemora, N. Y.;
         but the Company did nothing to develop them at this time.
 
         1833
              Heman and Cyrus Cady built a forge at Cadyville, N. Y. located a few
         miles above Morrisonville on the Saranac River.
 
         1836
              Sailly & Averill erected a forge on the Saranac River between the villages
         of Morrisonville and Cadyville, N. Y.  In 1837 Sailly & Averill's forge was
         destroyed by fire.  In its stead they erected a forge consisting of two fires and a
         hammer in one end, run by Mr. Sailly, and two fires and a hammer in the other
         end, run by Mr. Averill.  In connection with this four-fire forge, they had a
         large rolling mill for making wagon axles, etc.
 
         1837
              The Rogers began making iron at Ausable Forks, N. Y.  During this
         same period, iron manufacture flourished throughout this valley at Wilmington,
         New Sweden and Clintonville.  Near the Arnold ore bed was the two-fire Batty
         forge, and above that the Etna blast furnace, operated under the name of the
         Peru Smelting Company.

              During this period, Goulding and Peabody erected a foundry, employing
         about sixty men, casting the principal machinery for all the forges, saw mills,
         grist mills, in the valleys of Ausable and Saranac, at Keeseville, N. Y.  They
         used the Port Henry, N. Y. pig iron.
 
              In subsequent years the iron-workers in this valley manufactured such
         things as wire and horseshoe nails.  One Daniel Dodge invented, received
         a patent for, and manufactured the first machine for turning out, mechanically,
         forged horseshoe nails.
 
              The Merriams, father and son, erected and operated the Stower forge at
         Lewis, N. Y., located about five miles from Elizabethtown, N. Y.  The forge
         contained three fires, and used ore procured from Moriah.
 
         1841
              The Caldwell mine, the first mine opened in the Saranac Valley, was
         operated by Cashman,  During the period between 1841 and 1844 the owners
         of the property erected a separator and a four-fire forge.  This mine is located
         at Clayburg, N. Y., and is now owned by the Chateaugay Ore and Iron
         Company.
 
              Peter Tremblay discovered and opened the Tremblay mine. This mine,
         which produced a good grade of ore, was located one mile south of Redford, on
         the south side of the Saranac River, and is now owned by the Chateaugay Ore
         and Iron Company.
 
         1842
              Charles K. Averill and F. L. C. Sailly bought up the interests of the
         Averill ore beds at Dannemora, N. Y.  They opened the mine, built a separa-
         tor, and did a lively business for a number of years.  The business was subse-
         quently conducted by Burton, Chittenden & Company and finally abandoned.
 
              The first iron ore separator using water jigs in the town of Moriah,
         near Mineville, N. Y., was built by Eliphalet Hall.
 
         1844
                   The first forge at Russia, N. Y. was established by Spaulding & Parsons.
 
         1845
              Hammond & Bogue erected a furnace at Crown Point, N. Y.  The ore
         was obtained from the bed owned by the firm, located about a mile from
         the works.  The product was shipped to the Bessemer Steel Works at Troy,
         N.Y.

              On the north side of the Saranac River, at Plattsburg, N. Y., Hobart &
         Hedges built a six-fire Catalan forge, which in 1873 was replaced by a six-fire
         Catalan forge, erected by Mr. Christopher Norton.
 
                                A forge was built at Russia, N. Y., by Jackson & Stearns.  The owner
                            ship of this forge subsequently changed hands many times.   Among the owners
                            we find in 1856, the Company of Lee, Sherman & Witherbee of Port Henry,
                            N. Y.  In 1864, it came under control of Parsons & Company of Saranac,
                            N. Y.  In 1872, it was obtained by Andrew Williams and C. F. Norton; and
                            in 1878 it became the possession of the firm of Williams & Moffitt.
 
                            1846
                                 A six-fire forge was erected at Valley Forge, N. Y., a half mile south of
                            Elizabethtown and about eight and one-half miles from Westport, N. Y.  This
                            forge obtained its ore from the Burt mine, a distance of about ten miles.

                                 The Westport forge, located about four miles from Westport on the
                            Boquet river, contained three fires and one hammer.  It worked Moriah ore,
                            transported by land from Westport.  It was owned by W. P. and P. D.
                            Merriam.
 
                            1847
                                 The original Port Henry furnace was demolished and a larger one built.
                            The ore was obtained from the Cheever bed, located nearby.
 
         1848
              Francis H. Jackson erected, at a cost exceeding $100,000.00, the West-
         port Furnace.  It was located in the North West bay, about one mile from
         Westport village. Its product was pig iron and was made from ore from the
         Cheever bed.
 
                                 Messrs. McIntyre, Robertson and Henderson built a blast furnace at
                            Tahawus, Essex County, N. Y., for smelting titaniferous iron ore from the
                            immense deposits located there.  The old furnace still stands (in 1934)
 
                            1851
                                    A forge was built at Elsinore, N. Y., by Moore and Gillman.
 
                            1852
 
                                 Witherbee, Sherman & Company, of Mineville, N. Y., began experi-
                            ments with magnetic separation in this year, but it was not until the '80s that
                            magnetic separation became commercial.
 
                            1853
                                 It is interesting to note that, at Port Henry, the old charcoal furnaces
                            were repaired and anthracite was substituted for charcoal as fuel.  The ores
                            used were obtained from both the Cheever and Barton beds.
 
                            1854
                                 One of the blast furnaces completed in this year at Port Henry, N. Y.,
                            is said to have been the first furnace ever made completely incased in an iron shell.
                            It was 46 feet high with a 15 foot bosh.
1861
              The Fairbanks Mine, on top of the mountain back of Dannemora,
         N. Y., was opened by Jason Fairbanks.  It was worked some by him, and
         subsequently by Andrew Williams and by the State; but it proved too lean and
         inaccessible, finally being abandoned.
 
         1862
              A new forge was built at Plattsburg, N. Y., to replace the Sailly &
         Averill plant.  They manufactured slabs for boiler plates, blooms, and refined
         billets.
 
         1863
              The Ausable Horse-Nail Company was formed, with a capital of $40.000.00, at Ausable Forks, N. Y.  They began operations with ten machines and sold during the first year one hundred tons of nails.
 
         1864
              At Irondale, about one mile above the Forks of the Saranac River, Peter
         Tremblay built a forge and separator.  He used ore from the mine bearing his
         name.

              The Ticonderoga Iron Company, under the direction of W. E. Calkins,
         erected a six-fire forge at the Lower Falls, about two miles from the steamboat
         landing at Ticonderoga, N. Y.  The ore used was shipped from Port Henry,
         N.Y.
 
         1865
              The Fletcherville furnace was blown in.  It was located about eight
         miles northwest of Port Henry.  It was owned by S. H. and J. G. Witherbee
         and F. P. Fletcher.  The ore was obtained from the company's mines located
         nearby.  A large proportion of the iron produced here was used in the Bessemer
         works at Troy, N.Y.
 
         1867
              Thomas F. Witherbee was one of the first furnace managers in the
         United States to use the chemical laboratory in connection with the regular oper-
         ation of the furnace.  He started this practice when operating the Fletcherville
         charcoal blast furnace, about this year, near Mineville, N. Y.
 
         1868
              At Irona, in the town of Altona, N. Y., Asa Reynolds built a four-fire
         forge.  The ore used at first was transported from the Port Henry and Arnold
         Hill mines, but later brought from the vicinity of Lower Chateaugay Lake.

              Foot, Mead, Waldo and Weed made a contract with Edmund Rogers,
         son of Lloyd N. Rogers, for the working of the Chateaugay ore beds, and began
         the development of the properties.

                         1869
                              Frank Palmer erected a five-fire forge at Altona, N. Y.  Like the Reyn-
                         olds forge, Palmer at first obtained his ore from Port Henry and Arnold Hill,
                         subsequently changing to that of the Chateaugay Ore Bed.
 
                         1870
                              The top of the Fletcherville blast furnace near Mineville, N. Y., was
                         closed with a four-foot bell and hopper.  This was one of the first furnaces in
                         the United States to adopt a closed top.  Anthracite was tried because of a
                         shortage of charcoal.  The furnace was raised to a height of 60 feet and the
                         tunnel head increased to eight feet diameter.
 
                         1871
                              Bowen and Signor obtained ownership of the Hull, Hopper and Baker
                         forge in Saranac Lake, N. Y. on the Saranac River  The forge was improved
                         and enlarged, making it one of the most up-to-date in the Valley.
 
                         1874
                              A new rolling mill, nail factory and foundry were built at Ausable
                         Forks, N.Y., by J. & J. Rogers.

                              Operations of a ten-fire Catalan forge were begun by Pope, Williams &
                         Company of Plattsburg, N. Y., at Belmont, N. Y., on the Chateaugay River,
                         just below the outlet of Lower Chateaugay Lake.  Ore was obtained for the
                         forges from the famous Chateaugay ore beds.

                              A dam was built at the outlet of Lower Chateaugay Lake, furnishing
                         water power for operating the Catalan forges at Belmont, N. Y.
 
                         1876
                              The first set of Siemens-Cowper-Cochrane fire brick hot blast stoves
                         erected in this country was built at one of the Crown Point furnaces in Essex
                         County, N.Y.
 
                         1877
                              On March 15th, the iron works at Belmont, N. Y. were bought and
                         operated by the Chateaugay Ore and Iron Company, of Lyon Mountain, N. Y.,
                         which was also the owner of the Chateaugay Ore Bed.
 
                         1883
                              At this time there were about 277 forges in the Champlain district,
                         Northern New York.  They included 1171 forge fires, and produced nearly
                         44,000 tons in this calendar year.  In 1890, the number of forges had been
                         reduced to 14, with 102 fires.  Their production in 1889 was only 12,397
                         net tons of blooms.

more??????this is page 173.
Go to Mine History Page 7 for more pictures
Blue Gray Line

Rod Bigelow
Box 13  Chazy Lake
Dannemora, N.Y. 12929
rodbigelow@netzero.net
 History Page
BACK TO BIGELOW HOME PAGE