Chapter 22

Mines and Metallurgy Exhibit and Schedule of Awards

MINES AND METALLURGY EXHIBIT By H. H. HINDSHAW Special Agent of the State Museum

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