Jackson.] b-i 



December 21, 1S64. 

 Vice President C. T. Jackson, M. D., in the chair. 



Thirteen members present. 



The following paper was read : 

 DiscovzEY OF Emzet rs' Chester. :^L\S5. By Charles T. 

 Jackson, M- D. 



It has been said in England that '• a good mine of emery is worth 

 more to a manufacturing people than many mines of gold." This 

 being undoubtedlv true, it affords me great pleasure to be able to 

 announce the discovery of an inexhaustible locality of excellent 

 emery in the middle of the State of ^Massachusetts, in the town of 

 Chester, in Hampden county, within three-fourths of a mile of the 

 Western EaiLroad, and twenty-seven miles from the Springfield cir- 

 mories and machine shops. 



For more than two years the existence of important beds of ^lag- 

 netic iron ore has been known in the mountains of Chester, and Dr. 

 H. S. Lucas, who originally discovered and secured them, sought the 

 aid of Boston capitalists in mining and smelting the ore.* In conse- 

 quence of this agitation I was sent by John B. Taft, Esq.. on the 1 9th 

 of October. 186.3, to examine the locahty. and to report to him the 

 results of my explorations. Large and rich beds of magnetic iron ores 

 were discovered, and one bed had so remarkable an appearance as to 

 excite my doubts as to its being really a pure iron ore. I brought speci- 

 mens of it and of the associated minerals home for chemical examina- 

 tion: and found among the minerals which occur in veins beautiiul 

 foliated crj-stals, which I ascertained by chemical examination to be 

 iMargarite or the Emerylite of J. Lawrence Smith, a constant asso- 

 ciate with the Emery of Naxos. Ephesus and other localities in Greece, 

 Asia Elinor and Siberia. With this also I found two other associates 

 of emery, the Chlorotoid and black Tourmaline, which are more com- 

 mon minerals. The rocks were also found to be similar to those of 

 known emerj- locahties. and from these premises I at once declared 

 my full belief that emery would be foimd at the Chester locahty, and 

 m^ed that it should be sought for. 



Subsequently I saw Br. Lucas at my ofl&ce, and explained to him the 

 nature of the emery rock, and showed him how to identify it, and 

 asked him to send to me any mineral he might find, that would readily 



* I would here express mv obligations to Dr. Lucas for valuable assistance in the 

 field during all mv explorations. He has been active in searching the hills, and ia 

 one of the owners of the property I am describing. 



