plan of the assumed folds, which is reproduced in Fig. 31. This theory is based on such a slight foundation that it can hardly be considered seriously. It is just as probable that the Bush and other mines in its vicinity are on the continuation of the Blue Fig. 31. Sketch illutsrating supposed folding of rocks at Ringwood. Scale, 1 inch = 2,050 feet. (After F. L. Nason, Trans. Amer. Inst. Min. Eng. Vol. 24, p. 509.) The heavy black spots represent mines actually worked. Fine lines represent actual rock outcrops where dip, strike and pitch were observed; dotted lines, conjectural strikes, etc. mine vein, brought to the surface by a fault between the two. This view receives some support from the fact that in the vicinity of the Cannon mine there are numerous parallel ore shoots that are in a general line with the shoots of the Peter mine, but which at several places appear to have suffered a slight displacement to the left. The distribution of the mines might be explained on the supposition that the ore bodies lie in a single vein, or possibly two parallel veins, shifted to the left as they are traced northeast by a number of cross-faults. A third hypothesis considers the deposits as being on independent veins. The total yield of the entire group of mines to June, 1880, is estimated in the Report of the 10th Census at 896,000 tons of ore. This was contributed mainly by the Cannon, Hurd, Keeler, Peter and Blue mines and the various openings on Hope Mountain. Before 1880 all these mines except the Cannon and a few small openings on Hope Mountain had been abandoned, and the Peter mine began to be again prominent as a producer. The New Miller was also worked a short time in the early 80's. Since 1886 all the ore has been obtained from the Peter mine except a comparatively small quantity that was taken from the Cannon mine. The total production of the group since 1880 has been about 325,000 tons, which, added to the 896,000 tons produced prior to this time, gives an aggregate of 1,221,000 tons as their total production to the close of 1907. References: N. J. 1840, pp. 23-27; 1855, pp. 180-186; 1868, pp. 546-550; 1873, pp. 52-54; 1879, p. 61; 1880, p. 109; 10th Census, pp. 174-175; 1883, pp. 120-122; 1884, pp. 92-93; 1886, p. 150; 1890, pp. 67-68; 1891, p. 249; 1896, p. 333; 1899, p. 160; Trans. Amer. Inst. Min. Eng., Vol. 24, p. 505; 1900, p. 205; 1901, pp. 148-149; 1902, p. 122; 1903, pp. 106-107; 1904, pp. 300-301; 1905, p. 317; 1906, p. 175; 1907, p. 171. (337) The Blue Mine was on the southeasternmost of the Ringwood ranges. It was first opened about 1835. By 1840 the ore had been removed from a pit which is described as being 100 feet long, 50 feet deep and from 6 to 15 feet wide. It was again opened in 1853 by a shaft that was sunk to a depth of 130 feet. A tunnel was also driven 175 feet from the southeast slope of the hill on which the mine was situated. This intercepted the ore body 30 feet below the surface. In the next two years about 6,000 tons of ore were raised from an irregular deposit from 10 to 20 feet thick, and 100 feet long, measured horizontally. By 1868 this deposit had been worked through a distance of 300 feet on the pitch, which was 60° northeast. Its dip was nearly vertical and its width about 17 feet. The mine was idle in 1873. The ore was massive and light blue in color. Its composition as given in 1868 showed a content of 68.1 per cent of iron. The following analysis was published in 1873: ... Fe2O3 Al2O3 CaO MgO P205 TiO2 Ins. Total Authority 95.98 .66 .43 .06 1.95 4.10 103.18. N. J. 1873, p. 54 Within an area of a few hundred square feet, in addition to the Blue mine there were three other considerable mines, namely, the Mule mine, which was southwest of the Blue mine; the Hard mine, which was west, and the Little Blue mine, which was north. The ore body in the Mule mine was 60 feet long and 14 feet to 20 feet wide. It pitched 45° northeast. The mine was opened about 1835, and abandoned in 1840. The ore is reported to have been very fine. The outcrop of (338) Hard mine was 150 feet long but very narrow. It was opened before the Revolution and had been worked down more than 175 feet before 1855, when it was abandoned. It was reopened again about 1870 and in 1873 had been mined to a depth of 400, feet. It was soon afterward abandoned permanently. The Little Blue mine ore body had a length of 40 feet and a breadth of 8 feet. In 1868 the ore had been removed to a depth of over 100 feet. The ore of the Hard mine analyzed: Authority Fe2O MnO Al2O3 CaO MgO P2O5 S TiO2 Ins. Total 90.14 0.30 1.00 2.13 0.94 1.86 0.01 0.40 5.60 102.38. N. J. 1873, p. 54 References: N. J. 1840, p. 24; 1855, pp. 182-183; 1868, p. 547; 1873, pp. 53-54. The ore It dipped The New or Wood mine was 400 yards northeast of the Blue mine. It was opened during the winter of 1854. deposit was 12.5 feet thick, including 5 feet of rock. 88 southeast and pitched 30° northeast. Reference: N. J. 1855, p. 182. (339) The Bush mine was about one-fourth of a mile northeast of the Blue mine, and was for a long time considered as being on the same range as this mine. Nason, however, regarded its position on a line which lies between the Cannon and the Blue mines as explainable by folding. The mine was probably opened about 1855. In 1868 ore had been removed from a pit 100 feet long and 70 feet wide. The ore body dipped nearly vertical and pitched 30° northeast. The ore was compact, granular and black. It contained a little hornblende and a few veins of quartz. Reference: N. J. 1868, pp. 547-548. The Cook mine was near the Hard mine. It was opened about 1867 on a comparatively large ore body, but so far as known was never worked. Reference: N. J. 1873, p. 52. (340) The Cannon mine was formerly the most important of the mines in the Ringwood group. It was at the southwest end of a vein about 400 feet northwest of that on which the Blue mine was situated. The mine is an old one, but just when it was opened is not known. In 1855, however, extensive pits had already been made and large quantities of ore had been removed from them. Within an area of 125 feet by 100 feet there were apparently four deposits of ore. The southwest one was 25 feet long and 10 feet wide. From this about 200 tons had been taken before 1855. Another was at the southeast end of the pit. This was 50 feet long and 34 feet wide. It was worked in the very early years. The other two were in the northwest portion of the pit. These were 60 feet by 13 feet and 50 feet by 20 feet. They were both worked to a depth of 25 feet to 30 feet by the London Company. The entire rock between the ore bodies was so thickly impregnated with magnetite that it was all mined together in later years so that it constituted a mass of ore about 125 feet by 100 feet in size. The whole body apparently pitched northeast beneath a "cap rock" at an angle of 45°. The wall rocks were remarkable for being grooved with furrows sloping in the direction of the pitch of the rock. In the vicinity of the mine there is much pegmatite composed of a bright-red feldspar, quartz, and hornblende or pyroxene. This often encloses masses of ore. The quartz occasionally contains crystals of rutile. Zeolites and asbestus were also observed in cracks in the neighborhood of the ore bodies. The mine was worked almost continually between 1855 and 1879. The ore varied in color and in coarseness of structure. When powdered some of it possessed a purple tinge and other parts a distinct red color. This was thought to indicate that hematite was intermingled with the magnetite, which, of course, constituted its principal portion. A sample of ore taken from the cars in 1880 analyzed: gave: P2O5 TiO2 Insol. Total Samples analyzed in 1873 FeO3 MnO ALO3 CaO MgO S I-65.95 0.0 5.09 6.83 0.07 0.0 2-76.08 0.0 1.94 7.77 0.14 0.0 3-96.16 0.0 1.74 0.0 0.22 0.0 tr 0.70 3.10 101.92 4-90.47 0.0 1.91 0.0 0.72 0.0 tr 2.72 5.80 Authority The Saint George mine was in a small deposit on the trend of the Cannon vein and very close to this mine. It was worked before 1863 on an ore body that was reported to be 30 feet wide, and which was supposed to be connected with the Cannon mine shoots. An analysis of the ore made in 1873 gave: Authority FeO3 MnO Al2O3 CaO MgO S PO, TiO2 Insol. Total 94.66 0.20 0.39 2.58 0.21 0 2.50 0.65 2.00=103.19 N. J. 1873, p. 53 References: N. J. 1868, p. 548; 1873, p. 53. (341) The Miller mine was also on the trend of the Cannon vein. It was opened about 1867, revealing an ore body about 12 feet wide from which 1,000 tons of ore were taken during the first year. It was worked for several successive years, but was not in operation during 1873. In 1881 a new opening was made under the name of the New Miller mine, and was operated until 1884. |
