IRON. 



395 



is an exceedingly interesting locality, not only on account of the minerals which it affords, 

 hut of the apt illustration which it presents of the changes produced in the mineral kingdom 

 througli the influence of chemical agencies. 



Putnam County. This mineral occurs in many parts of this county, but only two locali- 

 ties are of much importance. They are within a few rods of each other, and are about four 

 or five miles norlhwest from Carmcl, and near Brown's serpentine quarry in the town of 

 Kent. The one is an old mine hole, from which silver is said to have been obtained. The 

 shaft, which is about forty feet deep, was cleared out a few years since. The yellow pulveru- 

 lent sulpluiret of arsenic covered the sides of the shaft and the timbers wherever they had 

 been immersed in the water, and no doubt resulted from the decomposition of the arsenical 

 pyrites. Mr. Mather expresses the opinion that the latter mineral is not in the form of a vein, 

 but that it exists in a mass, and he supposes it may be in great quantitiy.* He also states 

 that a loose mass of arsenical iron pyrites, weighing from two to three hundred pounds, said 

 to have been dug out of the road, was seen about three miles west of the mine above men- 

 tioned, and perhaps a mile from Boyd's corners in the town of Kent. 



The other locality is about twenty rods from the preceding, and may be a continuation of 



the same deposit. It has not 

 been much worked, but speci- 

 mens may be obtained, of both 

 the crystallized and massive va- 

 rieties. The forms observed in 

 this vicinity are those repre- 

 sented in Fig. 468, unitairc of 

 Haiiy ; Fig. 469, rinibinaire of 

 Haiiy ; and Fig. 470. M on 

 WU\° 18'; Mona 136= 20'; 

 M on I 115° 32'; I on I 80° 

 24'; Zon z 160° 40'; z on z 

 118'-'' 46'. 



As arsenic is converted to various uses in the arts, it is not improbable that these localities 

 may hereafter be advantageously wrought. 



Arsenical iron pyrites occurs at Monroe and Chatham in Connecticut, and at Worcester in 

 Massachusetts ; but the most interesting deposit is said to be found at Franconia in New- 

 Hampshire. 



Fig. 470. 



* Nnv-Yorl< GiologiaU Kfporta, 1^39, 



