Odd slag findings at Martha

[Kevinhooa]

So a while back while kayaking the Oswego with some friends, I noticed there was some odd slag underneath the water at the 90 degree beach just South West of the old dam site. This can be accessed by the road that leads from the furnace site to the unused bridge over the Oswego River (Batona Trail path too). I took a ride out there on Friday, which is now easier since they filled in that huge puddle along the way.

Looking north from the beach on the eastern side there is a lot of really heavy huge slag sticking out of the bank of the river and one piece that looks like it could be part of a huge iron wheel lying completely flat. There is slag across the river as well on the western bank, but couldn't check it out this time without a boat. I'm wondering why this slag was dumped here. Does anyone know?

I thought I remember reading something about an iron wheel being along the raceway but can't remember where I read that. I also thought I read something about a saw mill being at Martha. Maybe this slag was dumped here from the furnace to stabilize the saw mill foundation, or possibly another small dam. Although I don't think I ever read exactly where that mill was located or if there was either an old dam, and new dam, or two dams.

 

[MarkBNJ]

The stuff was definitely used as fill in various places, for roads and I'm sure dams as well. Or they may just have been getting rid of it. As for the specific shapes you saw, hard to say without seeing pictures or the actual objects. I think that during a long history of running a furnace of that type they would produce a variety of debris. In addition to the normal glassine slag they would probably have times when things went wrong, and large chunks of slag or iron had to be chipped from the furnace.

 

[pinelandpaddler]

So a while back while kayaking the Oswego with some friends, I noticed there was some odd slag underneath the water at the 90 degree beach just South West of the old dam site.

Here?

http://maps.njpinebarrens.com/#lat=39.68071957272761&lng=-74.51413750648499&z=17&type=nj1930&gpx=

 

[Ben Ruset]

Large chunks of iron, or mis-cast pieces would just be melted back down in the furnace.

 

[Kevinhooa]

Gabe, that's not the spot. It's actually at the top of the huge beach/clearing in that photo. I have a chance to check it out after work tomorrow if it doesn't rain. I'll try and take some shots and closeups, although this last storm really brought the water levels up quite a bit. It could be a huge chunk of iron, and it definitely has a nice curve to it. But why would they bother to cast something so huge and then throw it in the scrap pile? Couldn't they just toss it back in the furnace and re-melt it to make something else? This thing is pretty big, and would have been a huge waste.

 

[Kevinhooa]

Here's two shots of what looks like the outer edge of the wheel right on the edge of the river. The edge is shattered & decayed a bit but it definitely has a near perfect curve to it with what looks like it could be a 5-7 foot diameter.


Close.


Further away.

 

[pinelandpaddler]

Looks like a natural ironstone deposit. You sure you're looking at slag there, Kevin?

 

[Kevinhooa]

Well, it's definitely a weird situation. There is glassine slag coming from what seems to be out from underneath of it. It also does not have any sand or stone imbedded in the material itself, unlike every type of sandstone or ore I've seen before. I don't think that would be there if this thing has been forming naturally for so long. There is also a tree growing right on top of it and the roots seem to be all compacted and smashed which is making it a little hard to see around the edges. The kids that have been jumping off of it into the river which seems to be wearing away more dirt from the top of it. So maybe a couple summers from now we'll really be able to tell what it is.

One thing that tipped me off is even despite it's really rough edge, it has a nearly perfect curve on the outside.

I just thought it was a neat find around a furnace with quite a history is all. If anyone wants to see it in person, the water is high if you paddle, and the state fixed the road and filled in the puddle between the furnace and the beach.

 

[GermanG]

You will be able to identify the kids who have been jumping off of it by the poison ivy rashes on their feet!

 

[Teegate]

So you are saying it is here??

http://maps.njpinebarrens.com/#lat=39.68265995630262&lng=-74.51304316520691&z=17&type=h&gpx=

http://maps.njpinebarrens.com/#lat=39.68265995630262&lng=-74.51304316520691&z=17&type=nj1995&gpx=

Guy

 

[Teegate]

They fixed that road because they are going to build a pedestrian bridge across the river there. They needed to make it easier for the vehicles to get in there. At least that was the plan and they spent quite a bit of time and money so far.

Guy

 

[piker56]

That's interesting because my brother Tom and I have found 2 really big pieces of what we thought was bog ore on our last 2 trips. One was on the Oswego and one was on the Batsto. We probed with our paddles and they were huge, submerged about 3 feet deep or so and extending out from the bank pretty far. The Batsto trip the water was clear and we could see it. We thought it was a really neat to find such large pieces. Anybody have any ideas if it could have been anything else?
Greg

 

[Teegate]

Anybody have any ideas if it could have been anything else?
Greg

I am betting you found what you thought it was. It is always sweet finding them.

Guy

 

[Kevinhooa]

Guy, that is the spot.

As for the road improvements, I thought it was funny that they closed that bridge I guess because the pilings were rotting out underneath, and then to improve the road they drove the backhoe over it. At least according to the tire tracks I found left on either side.

And those kids might be in the poison ivy, they were there when I took the shots. The guy I talked to there said it definitely looked like an iron wheel and said after going there for so long he never noticed it.

 

[Teegate]

They had to repair the road for the builders, and do studies which was the reason for all the streamers on the trees a while back. They also will have to close the river and that will cause some hardships in the summer for local canoe rentals. I am not at all sure how this plan is progressing but maybe they will do it in August when the water is typically too low to paddle. Then again maybe they don't have the money.

http://www.state.nj.us/treasury/dpm..., Wharton State Park, Bass River Township.pdf

Guy

 

[Kevinhooa]

Guy, do you know what the builders are doing back there? New bridge?

 

[Teegate]

I suspect it is the foot bridge. The link is in the post above yours. I knew they wanted to do it in the middle of the summer because the water table is down and the rentals usually stop taking customers on the river. They had planned on closing the river so if anyone plans on going you may have some trouble.

Guy

 

[46er]

I think that the documentation and the estimate will probably cost as much as the bridge. Is this the first bridge they ever wanted built? No wonder this state is going broke.

 

[Teegate]

Guy, do you know what the builders are doing back there? New bridge?

Kevin,

Jessica and I were there today and it looks the same. What were the builders doing? The guard rail is gone and the road is semi fixed, but other than that it is the same.

I ran into two Park Police on the road from Harrisville to Martha. The first one drove right by me but the second one stopped along side me. He asked me if I had even been down the road before I told him I had and he warned me of the deep sand right behind his vehicle and that was obviously where I had to pull back into the road at. I told him I would be fine so when he pulled away I was under pressure to get into the road and not get stuck. I did fine. That is the first time I have run into them in a really long time.

Guy