CHAPTER XIV
Mines and Metallurgy Exhibit and Schedule of Awards
MINES AND METALLURGY EXHIBIT By H. H. HINDSHAW Special Agent of the
State Museum
[Illustration]
As in previous expositions at which the State of New York has been an exhibitor, the scientific exhibits were made through the organization of the State Museum. Dr. F. J. H. Merrill, the director of the museum, assigned to the writer the duty of preparing the exhibit to be made under his direction. The available time and money entered largely into the settlement of the question of what form the exhibit should take.
SCOPE OF EXHIBIT
It was thought best to confine the scope of the main exhibit to the technologic and commercial aspects of geology and mineralogy. A judicious selection of materials made to show the mineral wealth of the State was considered more desirable than to make merely a large display. Many of the materials exhibited were taken from the State Museum collections, supplemented where necessary by such additions as could be obtained within the required time.
The benefit derived by the State from such exhibits is often much more apparent than that which is to be derived by the individual exhibitors, and on this account the Commission is particularly indebted to those firms and individuals which went to considerable expense in preparing exhibits along lines which were intended more to represent all phases of an industry rather than to show the products of a single firm.
Those deserving especial mention in this connection are The Solvay
Process Company, of Syracuse; The H. H. Mathews Consolidated Slate
Company, of Boston; the Helderberg Cement Company, of Howes Cave; The
Hudson River Bluestone Company, of New York; the Medina Sandstone
Company, of New York, and the United States Gypsum Company, of Chicago.
INSTALLATION
The cases used were taken from the museum, and suitable stands for the building stone and other exhibits were constructed in Albany. On account of the weight of the specimens exhibited the floor had to be strengthened. This work, as well as the building of platforms and partitions, was done under contract by Messrs. Caldwell and Drake.
The exhibits of mineral resources may be divided into the metallic and non-metallic groups.
IRON
In the first division in our State, iron is by far the most important and probably the one with which the people of the State are least acquainted. A few years ago New York stood near the head of the iron producing states. The depression in the iron industries, commencing about 1888, and the discovery about that time of the seemingly inexhaustible deposits of rich ores in the Lake Superior region, however, resulted in shutting down nearly all of our mines. For the last few years little attention has been paid to them, and they seem to have been popularly supposed to have been worked out. The Exposition gave an opportunity of showing this supposition to be incorrect, and recent investigations show that the deposits are of much greater extent and value than was known in the eighties. With but one or two exceptions none of the mines then worked are exhausted, and immense bodies of valuable ore have not been touched. Most of the non-mining localities were represented by specimens from the museum collections. Messrs. Witherbee, Sherman & Company exhibited a series of ores and concentrates from Mineville, the Arnold Mining Company, magnetites and martite from Arnold Hill, and the Chateaugay Ore and Iron Company, specimens from Lyon Mountain.
MAGNETITE
A series of magnetite and associated rocks from the Tilly Foster and other mines were supplemented by a model of the Tilly Foster mine which was loaned to the museum for this purpose by the Columbia School of Mines.
HEMATITES
The St. Lawrence and Jefferson county hematites were represented by large specimens of ore and by a series of associated rocks and minerals, including some beautiful specimens of millerite, chalcedite, etc. These hematites are mined in a belt about thirty miles long reaching from Philadelphia, Jefferson county, into Hermon, St. Lawrence county. They are known as the Antwerp red hematites, and, being very easily smelted, are mixed with more refractory ores.
The Clinton or fossil ores extend in a belt across the central part of the State and are mined in the vicinity of Clinton, Oneida county, and in Ontario and Wayne counties.
The limonites shown from Dutchess and Columbia counties included some fine specimens of stalactitic ore.
Carbonate ores were shown from Columbia and Ulster counties, where there are extensive deposits on both sides of the Hudson river.
MAGNETIC SEPARATOR
A feature of the iron ore exhibit was a magnetic separator supplied by the Wetherill Separator Company, of New York. This was kept at work on the magnetite ores from Mineville, and was of great interest not only in showing the method of concentrating the magnetic ore, but also in saving the phosphorus which occurs in the form of the mineral apatite and which is of considerable value in the manufacture of fertilizers. A large quantity of ore was donated for this purpose by Messrs. Witherbee, Sherman & Company.
LEAD
Lead, generally associated with zinc and sometimes copper, has been mined on a small scale from very early times in Ulster and Sullivan counties, and more recently in St. Lawrence county. Many other localities have yielded small quantities of these minerals.
A set of specimens was exhibited by the Ellenville Zinc Company, consisting of strikingly beautiful crystalline masses of quartz galina, sphalerite and chalcopyrite and specimens of the rare mineral, brookite. There was also shown in the same case concentrates from the Ellenville mine of lead, zinc and copper made both by jigging and by magnetic separation, and a collection of ores and associated minerals and rocks from Rossie and Wurtzboro.
NON-METALLIC MINERALS
A large part of this exhibit consisted of construction materials, stone, slate, brick, tiling and cement. Most of the building stone was exhibited in the form of ten-inch cubes arranged on three pyramidal stands. Only a few of these were especially collected for this Exposition. Many more which were considered desirable could not be obtained in time on account of the inclement weather conditions of the preceding winter.
GRANITES
The granitic rocks included granite, gneisses, syenites and norite. This series only inadequately represented the New York granites. Among the most striking examples shown were the coarse grained red granite from Grindstone island in the St. Lawrence river, the Mohican granite from Peekskill, Westchester county, which is being extensively used in the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York city, and the dark green labradorite rock known as the Ausable granite from Keeseville, Essex county. There are many interesting granite deposits, especially in the Adirondack region, which have not been developed.
MARBLES
The marbles included some fine examples of decorative stone from South Dover, Dutchess county, the black marble from Glens Falls, monumental and building marbles from Gouverneur, St. Lawrence county, and white building marbles from southeastern New York.
LIMESTONES
Limestones of excellent quality are quarried in a great number of localities and were well represented, some of them showing as fine a polished surface as the true marbles.
SANDSTONES
The State is also rich in sandstones of good quality. The Potsdam sandstone forms an almost complete belt around the Adirondacks and is an excellent building stone. Its color is from white to pale red, and in many places it is an extremely hard quartzite. Specimens were shown from Potsdam, St. Lawrence county.
The white sandstones of Washington county have been extensively used for refractory purposes in the manufacture of steel, being almost free from iron. The Medina sandstones are quarried in the neighborhood of Medina, Albion and Lockport. While a pure white stone occurs at Lewiston, the Medina stone is generally of a pinkish red color. It is extensively used as a building stone, particularly in Buffalo and Rochester. It is valuable for paving, curbing and flagging. The Medina Sandstone Company exhibited a piece of wall work to show the various methods of finish, including a finely carved lintel. A number of cubes were exhibited from various quarries.
The sandstones of southern New York occurring in the rocks of Devonian age are generally fine grained and blue or greenish in color and are known as bluestones. Most of the quarries are in the counties of Greene, Ulster, Broome, Delaware and Sullivan. They are described in New York State Museum Bulletin 61 by Harold T. Dickinson. There is a great variety in color and physical properties of stone from these quarries. It is used as building stone and for trimming, and some of it is especially valuable for large platforms. A large proportion of the output is in the form of flagging and curbstone.
The Hudson River Bluestone Company exhibited a piece of wall built into the base of the pyramidal stand holding the sandstone cubes. This was designed to show the ease with which it can be worked and included some finely carved lettering. The main entrance to the exhibit was paved with flags and tiles of this material.
SLATE
With the sandstones were shown some ten-inch cubes of slate cut from the quarries of the H. H. Mathews Consolidated Slate Company, of Boston, which operates a number of quarries in Washington county. The slate belt covers an area of about 320 square miles, the larger part of which is in Washington county, N. Y., but which extends across the line into Rutland county, Vt. This is probably the richest slate region in the world. The beds are of great thickness, belonging to two distinct geologic formations. They are folded on one another in such a manner as to present the workable beds in long parallel ridges.
On account of its great strength and easy working qualities new uses are constantly being found for slate. One of the most striking features of the slate exhibit was a mantel built of rough slabs of dark red slate showing the cross fracture to have a fine satiny texture. This was a copy of a mantel designed by Lord & Hewlet, of New York, and built in a Poultney, Vt., residence. The main slate exhibit consisted of a stand supporting a slated roof, one side of which was covered with unfading green slates one inch thick, such as were laid on Senator Clark's New York residence. The other side was covered with rough thick slabs of unfading red. The sides of the stand were covered with the regular trade slates in four sections—red, green, purple and variegated. The uses of slate for construction purposes were shown by slabs and panels on the upper part of the stand.
CEMENT
The cement exhibit was made by the Helderberg Cement Company, of Howes Cave. One side of the exhibit stand was devoted to Portland and the other to natural cements. Barrels and bags of finished cement formed the base of the structure on which were glass jars containing the rock in its stages of manufacture, with a series of photographs of the works and of buildings of cement. On account of the rapidly extending applications of cement a large section outside of the building was set aside for exhibits of the uses of cement, and the exhibit was designed mainly to show the manufacture, the materials used and the method of their treatment.
GYPSUM
Gypsum was shown by a fine series of specimens contributed by the United States Gypsum Company from their mines in western New York. This material, like cement, is rapidly being adapted for a variety of purposes, especially in the finish and ornamentation of buildings, and the exhibit, encased in one of the square plate glass museum cases with its cut and polished cubes of raw gypsum, selenite crystals, jars of stucco colors and examples of plaster casts, made a very attractive exhibit. In another case there was exhibited gypsum in various forms from other sources.
SALT
The salt exhibit was made up from a very complete set of specimens in sample jars taken from the Museum collections, and a large number of packages from the manufacturers. The salt of New York is obtained from the salina formation in the western part of the State. The industry is of great importance. The deposits are described in State Museum Bulletin 11 by Dr. F. J. H. Merrill. One of the most interesting varieties shown was the solar salt, which has been made on the Onondaga Salt Reservation, Syracuse, since 1788. Blocks of rock salt were shown from the Retsof and Livonia shafts.
Most of the salt produced, however, is from wells bored down through the rock salt beds, and is pumped up in the form of brine and evaporated by artificial heat.
SOLVAY PROCESS COMPANY
The Solvay Process Company, of Syracuse, made a splendid display of soda ash. The plant of this company uses an immense amount of salt which is obtained from the Tully districts and carried by pipes to Solvay. The raw materials used were shown in the lower sections of two cases especially constructed for the exhibit, which also held a set of barrels and other packages in which the soda is shipped. In the upper sections were shown a series of large glass jars with the various products. These were supplied with a series of labels completely describing the process of manufacture and the chemical changes which take place. Above the case there was a set of photographs of the works, illustrating the social life of the work-people employed and the growth of the establishment.
USEFUL MINERALS
The exhibit of the useful minerals of the State was principally prepared by H. P. Whitlock of the Museum staff. One case contained a set of the abrasive materials, the most important of these being garnet, which is found in great quantities in the Adirondacks. Crude garnet from several mines, the ground and cleaned garnet, and grades of garnet paper were shown. A small millstone to represent the celebrated Esopus grit, emery ore from Peekskill, and quartz and sand from many localities were also exhibited in this case. Another case was filled with feldspar, mica and quartz, which usually occur associated with each other in the form of pegmetite dikes in the crystalline rocks of the Adirondacks and the Highlands of the Hudson. These materials are not as yet very extensively mined but an increasing demand for them is bringing to light many promising localities.
GRAPHITE
Another valuable mineral which occurs in the State in great quantities is graphite. Specimens of both the crude ore and manufactured graphite were exhibited. The deposits of this material in the form of graphitic limestone cover miles of territory, but more satisfactory processes for its concentration are needed to make it available for use, especially in the higher grades.
MUSEUM PUBLICATIONS
The Museum exhibited a set of its publications on geologic subjects, a set of published maps and maps specially prepared for this exhibit to show the distribution of useful minerals, and a number of enlarged photographs.
PALEONTOLOGY
The exhibit of the Department of Paleontology consisted of a set of its publications on the paleontology of the State of New York—35 volumes—covering the period 1847-1904, and a set of wing frames with many of the original drawings and plates used in their illustration.
SPECIAL FEATURES
The most striking feature of the exhibit was an immense slab of Potsdam sandstone from Bidwell's Crossing, Clinton county, which was part of the premoidial or cambrian beach laid down about the shores of the Adirondack continental nucleus. The slab shows the trails of animals crossing in all directions, especially those known as clemactechnites, said by Dr. J. M. Clarke to have been made by a a simple primitive type of mollusk. The slab, weighing over fifteen tons, was moved in six sections and put together for exhibition.
Restorations in plaster of paris of the fossil crustaceous eurypterus and hughmilleria were also exhibited.
CLAYS
The exhibition of clays and clay products was made by the State School of Ceramics, at Alfred, N. Y., under the direction of Professor Charles F. Binns, and included some large vases, the work of students.
The State of New York has long held an important place in the brick trade on account of its unlimited quantities of clay along the Hudson river, which have not only supplied much of the brick used for building in New York city, but bricks have been shipped from this source long distances by water. The finer varieties of clay have not been worked to any extent except on Long Island, but other conditions have resulted in the establishment of potteries at Brooklyn, Syracuse and other points, using almost exclusively clays imported into the State. The beds of feldspar and flint now being exploited in the Adirondacks will materially help to put this class of potteries on a firmer basis.
The center of the exhibition space was devoted to a pagoda designed to show the kinds of brick manufactured in the principal localities. The roof afforded an excellent place to exhibit earthenware tiling.
The General Electric Company exhibited a case of insulators, many of them of special types, from their Schenectady pottery. Insulators were also exhibited by Pass & Seymour, of Syracuse, and the Empire China Works, of Brooklyn.
PETROLEUM
The petroleum exhibit was made under the general direction of Secretary and Chief Executive Officer Charles A. Ball. An extensive series of crude and refined oils and by-products occupied a case showing on both sides. On this was installed a model of a tower and drilling machinery such as is used in sinking oil wells. The records printed on the labels furnished data which made an important addition to our previous knowledge of the New York oil fields.
In addition to those heretofore mentioned, the following gentlemen assisted as indicated in the preparation of the exhibit, and are entitled to no small credit for the valuable assistance rendered.
E. E. Engelhardt was engaged in the acquisition of the salt exhibits.
J. S. Bellamy collected the petroleum exhibit under the immediate direction of Secretary Ball.
C. F. Binns collected the exhibit of clay products under the immediate direction of the State Commission.
W. C. Richard assisted in installing the exhibit.
Frederick Braun installed the slab of Potsdam sandstone.
The following members of the staff of the State Museum also assisted:
H.S. Mattimore, C.A. Trask, E.C. Kenny, D.D. Luther and Joseph Morje.
Catalogue of Exhibitors in the Department of Mines and Metallurgy, with the Award, if Any, Received by Each
GROUP ONE HUNDRED SIXTEEN
Minerals and Stones
Adirondack Pyrites Co., Gouverneur
Pyrites: crude and concentrates
Alfred Clay Co., Alfred Station
Brick
Tile
Algonquin Red Slate Co., Truthville
Mineral paint
Alps Oil Co., Alma
Crude oil
Applebee & Baldwin, Scio
Crude oil
Arnold Mining Co. Bronze medal
Iron ores
Attica Brick and Tile Co., Attica
Brick
Atwood & McEwen, Andover
Crude oil
J.J. Barron, Three Mile Bay
Limestone (Trenton)
H.H. Barton Son & Co., North Creek and Minerva
Garnet and garnet paper
Herman Behr & Co., North River. Silver medal
Garnet and garnet paper
Milo M. Belding, Gouverneur
Marble
Bellamy & Elliott, Scio
Crude oil
Frank Bennett, Staten Island
Diabase
J. B. Berridge, Hudson
Limestone (Helderberg)
H. Boice & Co., Rondout
Bluestone
A. F. Bouton, Roxbury
Red sandstone (Catskill)
Burhans & Brainard, Saugerties
Bluestone
Eugene Campbell, New Baltimore
Limestone (Helderberg)
Canton Marble Quarry, Canton
Marble
B. & J. Carpenter, Lockport
Limestone (Niagara)
Celadon Roofing Co., Alfred
Tile roofs
Church & Bradley, Alma
Crude oil
Church & Co., Wellsville
Crude oil
Clark, Tracey & Co., West Union
Crude oil
Conner Paint Mfg. Co
Mineral paint
Consolidated Wheatland Plaster Co., Wheatland
Gypsum
Land plaster
Corning Brick, Tile & Terra Cotta Co., Corning
Brick
Delaware Milling, Mining & Mfg. Co., Roxbury
Mineral paint
Albert Dibble, Belvidere
Bluestone
Joseph Dixon Crucible Co., Ticonderoga
Graphite
Duford & Son, Chaumont
Limestone (Trenton)
Ellenville Zinc Co., Ellenville
Lead and zinc: zinc blende, chalcopyrite, galena, lead, zinc
and copper concentrates
Empire China Works, Brooklyn
Insulators
Empire Gas and Fuel Co., Ltd., Willink
Crude oil
Empire Marble Co., Gouverneur
Marble
Empire Salt Co. Silver medal
Salt
Extra Dark Marble Co., Gouverneur
Marble
Foery & Kastner, Rochester
Limestone
D. R. & H. Fogelsinger, Buffalo
Limestone (Onondaga)
Franchot Bros., Scio
Crude oil
R. Forsyth, Grindstone Island
Granite
General Electric Co., Schenectady. Gold medal
Insulators
Genesee Salt Co., Pifford
Salt
Glens Falls Co., Glens Falls
Limestone (Trenton)
Adelbert Gordon, Batchellerville
Mica
Feldspar
Gouverneur Garnet Co., Gouverneur
Garnet
J. B. Gray, Geneseo
Oil sand and crude oil
Ezra Grinnell, Port Gibson
Plaster of paris
Land plaster
Grumply Oil Co., Rexville
Crude oil
Helderberg Cement Co., Howes Cave. Gold medal
Cement
D. C. Hewitt, Amsterdam
Limestone (Calciferous)
High Falls Pyrites Co., Canton
Pyrites
Horan Bros., Medina
Sandstone
Horseheads Brick Co., Horseheads
Brick
L. W. Hotchkiss, Lewiston
Sandstone (Medina)
Hudson River Bluestone Co., Ulster county. Silver medal
Bluestone
International Graphite Co., Ticonderoga
Graphite
International Pulp Co., Gouverneur
Talc
International Salt Co., Ithaca
Salt
Interstate Conduit & Brick Co., Ithaca
Brick
Jamestown Shale Paving Brick Co., Jamestown
Brick
Jewettville Pressed Brick & Paving Co., Jewettville
Brick
R. Jones, Prospect
Graphite
J. F. Kilgour, Lordville
Bluestone
F. H. Kinkel, Bedford
Feldspar
Quartz
A. Gracie King, Garrisons
Granite
Francis Larkins, Ossining
Granite
B. B. Mason, Keeseville
Norite
Masterton & Hall, Tuckahoe
Marble
H. H. Mathews Consolidated Slate Co., Washington county. Gold
medal
Slate
G. J. McClure, Ithaca
Bluestone
J. H. McCutcheon, Lancaster
Brick
James McEwen, Wellsville
Crude oil
J. C. & A. McMurray, Olean
Brick
Medina Quarry Co., New York city. Silver medal
Sandstone
M. Mervine, Whitesville
Crude oil
Morris & Strobel, LeRoy
Limestone
Mount Eve Granite Co., Mount Eve
Granite
Mutual Gas Co., Andover
Crude oil
National Salt Co., Ithaca and Warsaw. Silver medal
Salt
National Wall Plaster Co., Fayetteville
Crude gypsum
Plaster of paris
Land plaster
James Nevins & Son, Walton
Bluestone
New York State School of Clay Working and Ceramics, Alfred
Silver medal
Clay products
New York Hydraulic Pressed Brick Co., Canandaigua
Brick
New York State Museum, Department of Paleontology. Grand
prize
General Exhibit in Paleontology, including publications, slab
of Potsdam sandstone, restorations of fossils
New York State Museum. Bronze medal
Plaster Model of Tilly Foster Iron Mine
New York State Museum. Gold medal
Publications on Geology, Mineralogy, Topography, Quarrying,
Mining, Metallurgy, Development of Water Resources, etc.
New York State Museum. Gold medal
Collection of Minerals and Building Stones
New York State Museum. Silver medal
Ten Geologic maps of the State of New York and special
parts thereof
Relief Map of New York
Hypsometric Map of New York
Road Map of New York
Sixty-four photographic enlargements illustrating New York
State mineral resources and other geological features; size,
11 by 14 inches
New York State Museum. Silver medal
Collective Exhibit
Northern New York Marble Co., Gouverneur
Marble
North River Garnet Co., Ticonderoga
Garnet
Oakfield Plaster Manufacturing Co., Oakfield
Gypsum
Onondaga Coarse Salt Association, Syracuse. Silver medal
Solar salt
Ontario Talc Co., Gouverneur
Talc
D. Parmatir, Potsdam
Sandstone
Pass & Seymour, Syracuse
Insulators
Peter Pitkin's Sons, Portageville
Bluestone
Potsdam Sandstone Co., Potsdam
Sandstone
A. L. Pritchard, Pleasantville
Marble
Queen City Brick Co., Buffalo
Brick
Quick & Co., Alma
Crude oil
Remington Salt Co., Syracuse
Salt
Retsof Mining Co., Retsof and Livonia
Rock salt
W. Rielly, Cobleskill
Limestone
E. P. Roberts, Cortland
Granite
Robins Conveying Belt Co., New York city
Belts and conveyor on separator
Rochester Brick & Tile Co., Rochester
Brick
Rossie Metallic Paint Co., Rossie
Mineral paint
Rudolph & Dotterwich, Allegany
Crude oil
D. G. Scholten, Gouverneur. Bronze medal
Marble
Scio Oil & Gas Co., Scio
Oil sand and crude oil
C. R. Scott, Alma
Crude oil
Scott, Fuller & Fay, South Bolivar
Crude oil
George W. Searles, White Lead Lake, Herkimer county
Infusorial earth
J. Shanahan, Tribes Hill
Limestone
J. Shear & Co., Schenectady
Sandstone
Solvay Process Co., Syracuse. Grand prize
Salt products
Solvay Process Co., Syracuse
Limestone (Onondaga)
South Dover Marble Co., South Dover
Marble
St. Lawrence Marble Co., Gouverneur
Marble
A. D. Symonds, Elmira
Bluestone
The Tanite Co., Cortland
Emery
Evan T. Thomas, Prospect
Limestone
F. Thomas, Troy
Mineral paint
Loren Thomas, Waterloo
Marble
James Thornton Estate, Alma
Crude oil
Ticonderoga Graphite Co., Ticonderoga
Graphite
Tonawanda Brick Co., Tonawanda
Brick
W. B. Underhill Brick Co., Croton Landing
Sand
Union Salt Co., Watkins
Salt
Union Talc Co., Gouverneur
Talc
United States Gypsum Co., Oakfield. Grand prize
Gypsum
Statuary of plaster of paris
United States Talc Co., Gouverneur
Talc
James Van Etten, Granite
Millstones
Vosburg Oil Co., Bolivar
Oil sand and crude oil
Vossler Bros & Quick, Alma
Crude oil
Warsaw Bluestone Co., Rock Glen
Bluestone
Watertown Marble Co., Watertown
Marble
Watkins Salt Co., Watkins
Salt
Wells & Hall, Ogdensburg
Mineral paint
Wetherill Separating Co., New York city. Gold medal
Wetherill magnetic separator, Type E, No. 3, working on
New York magnetic iron ores
L. H. White, Saratoga Springs
Granite
White Crystal Marble Co., Gouverneur
Marble Ashler
Williamson & Co., Northport
Sand
Witherbee, Sherman & Co., Mineville. Silver medal
Iron ore
Worcester Salt Co., Silver Springs. Silver medal
Salt
[Illustration: VARIED INDUSTRIES BUILDING AND PLAZA ST. LOUIS]