An 1832 plan of the village of Auboué shows 50–60 houses, sheds, barns and stables on each side of the Orne river.

At the end of the 19th century there were 100 voters, but ten families of farmers and craftsmen ran the village, sitting in the 10-person municipal council.

[3] Xavier Rogé of the Société de Pont-à-Mousson began to investigate land around Auboué, and on 1 December 1882 found the upper layers of the iron oxide formation of the Briey Basin.

In April 1883 a layer 4 metres (13 ft) thick was found, and on 11 August 1884 the Société de Pont-à-Mousson was granted the concession.

[4] The technicians said that it would be very difficult to pass through the overburden above the Auboué ore deposit due to the amount of water it contained.