Mining for Souls

Page 42
Blue Gray Line
 
DEVELOPMENT OF LYON MOUNTAIN, N Y. AS A MINING ENTERPRISE
page 2
 
Drill Shop, underground, 750 level with group of miners
     In 1921 a sintering plant was built at Lyon Mountain,In May 1924, the separator, which had been completed in 1918 of such material as was available, was destroyed by fire; a new and larger separator and concentrating plant, built entirely of steel and concrete, absolutely fireproof, was then built and put in operation in June 1925.
     By 1925, the plants and equipment of the Company were modern in every way; including a well-developed mine, with one main hoisting shaft, with steel headframe and concrete and steel hoist house; a large and modern concentrating plant; and at the furnace, a skip hoist and bins, pig-casting machine, a 25,000-cu.ft. turboblower, a cooling system, and a revolving distributor. The subsequent years have been devoted entirely to operating the plant and marketing the products.
     Early in 1939, Republic Steel, having taken over the Witherbee-Sherman mining operations at Mineville and Port Henry, looked with interest on the Chateaugay mining operations at Lyon Mountain. A study indicated that they would fit into the ultimate picture of Republic's proposed Adirondack development and the Delaware and Hudson Co. felt that it might be to their best interests to have their property operated by a steel company with large iron-ore consuming capacity, so a mutual agreement was readily consummated and Republic immediately decided to improve Chateaugay facilities for a decided increase in production. Demand for this special low-phosphorous ore, because of the war, resulted in doubling the output. Wet drilling and wet concentration have been adopted and installation of appropriate equipment is practically completed.
     Transportation was improved by extension of the Delaware and Hudson Railroad seventeen miles from Dannemora to Lyon Mountain in 1879.  On Dec.18, 1879, the first train of ore was moved to Plattsburgh, N. Y. This provided access to both water shipping on Lake Champlain and rail access direct to Pennsylvania steel centers.  Operations expanded at Lyon Mountain and that hamlet grew rapidly from a few wilderness shacks to a thriving community of 3,000 inhabitants in a few short years.
Loading ore - manuel lift gate.
     A blast furnace was erected near Lyon Mountain at Standish in 1885 for producing pig iron and the Chateaugay iron was in great demand for the Bessemer process due to its low phosphorus content. Within a short period the Catalan forges were all abandoned as the blast furnace produced a superior product at lower cost.  In the years immediately preceding the Lyon
Mountain operations producing the famous "Chateaugay Iron" became an important contributor to Republic's product line.
     In 1939 the Standish blast furnace was dismantled and the rich iron ore produced from the mine shipped to other more modern Republic blast furnaces.  The mine plant was modernized, production increased and its high grade product became a vital contribution to the World War II war effort.Republic Steel continued to operate the Lyon Mountain mine until its economic life was completed in June 1967.                by Bernard Hart
Ore chutes underground
continued on Page 3 of Mining History


Sources:
Adirondack Museum photos, Blue Mountain Lake, NY;
History of Clinton County, New York;
from History of Mining of Chateaugay Ore and Iron Company.

Go to Page 1 of The History of Lyon Mountain.
Go to Page 3 of The History of Lyon Mountain.
Go to Mining History for The History of Mining in the North Country.
Go to Page 5 of The History of Lyon Mountain.(for article on Lyon Mt. and Mineville)


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Blue Gray Line
Rod Bigelow
Box 13  Chazy Lake
Dannemora, N.Y. 12929
  rodbigelow@netzero.net
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