THE MINING AND QUARRY INDUSTRY I908 49 



PEAT 



There have been no practical developments in the utilization of 

 the peat deposits of the State since those mentioned in the issue 

 of this report for the year 1906. The subject has continued to 

 receive much attention, however, and further experiments along 

 similar lines may follow. The results thus far attained in the use 

 of peat for fuel purposes seem discouraging- enough though they 

 should be judged perhaps as bearing upon the success of special 

 processes rather than as having much significance with regard to 

 the ultimate outcome of experimentation. 



The destruction by fire last year of the peat plant erected by 

 the International Fuel & Power Co. for operation on Black lake 

 unfortunately prevented the publication of any details of its effi- 

 ciency under working conditions. This was the most extensive 

 enterprise that has yet been undertaken in this country and in- 

 volved an outlay, it is reported, of about $200,000. The peat was 

 to be excavated by dredging, dried artificially and made into 

 briquets ; all the machinery requisite for the work was mounted 

 on a self-propelling barge. Though up to the present no active 

 steps have been taken to rebuild the plant, investigations of the 

 peat deposits in Black lake and vicinity have been under way. 



Experiments in connection with the use of peat in paper manu- 

 facture, to which reference was made in a previous report, have 

 not yielded any apparent results, so far as the establishment of 

 an industry is concerned. The company that was organized for 

 developing the peat beds near Oswego was a subsidiary of the 

 enterprise at Capac, Mich, which operated for a time making coarse 

 grades of paper from peat. Samples of peat from Oswego and 

 Glens Falls were treated in the ]\Iichigan plant, and the material 

 from the former place was reported as well adapted for use in 

 paper. 



PETROLEUM 



The oil pools found in New York State constitute the northern 

 extension of the Appalachian field which reaches its main develop- 

 ment in Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Mrginia. They underlie 

 small areas in Cattaraugus, Allegany and Steuben counties near 

 the Pennsylvania Ixjrdcr. The first well was drilled in Cattaraugus 

 county in 1865. while Allegany county began producing about 

 1880. The oil is encountered in fine grained sandstones of dark 

 color belonging to the Chemung formation of the Upper Devonic. 



In Cattaraugus county the productive area embraces al>iut 40 



