REPORT OF THE DIRECTOR I916 



189 



the larger valleys like the Hudson, Champlain and Genesee, as well 

 zs in numerous smaller ones, the glacial waters were held imprisoned 

 for a time by dams so that they stood high above the present levels, 

 and the sands and clays are revealed today in a series of terraces of 

 great thickness and well-sorted arrangement. 



Beach sands are found on the shores of many of the interior 

 lakes and around Oneida lake in particular are of considerable 

 economic importance. These are characterized by a degree of uni- 

 formity and purity which make them valuable for many purposes, 

 like glass-making, molding, etc. The most valuable sand beaches, 

 however, occur on Long Island where most of the supply of building 

 sands for New York and vicinity is obtained. 



The information as to the production of sand and gravel collected 

 for this report gives probably a fairly close approximation of the 

 business, and for certain branches is very reliable, but it is not 

 claimed that it is complete. The figures for building sand and gravel 

 are perhaps the least reliable, and understate the actual business 

 perhaps as much as 15 per cent of the total output in any one year. 

 The operations in building sand are so widely scattered and often of 

 so fugitive nature that it is impossible to keep abreast of all the 

 developments and changes in the industry that take place. On the 

 other hand, the data on molding sand are measurably full and the 

 statistics can be accepted as being as accurate as those in many 

 other lines of the mineral industry. This branch of the trade has a 

 stable basis and is restricted to a limited area, mostly in the Hudson 

 River valley. 



Production of sand and gravel 



MATERIAL 



1914 



1915 



1916 



Building sand 



Molding sand 



Fire and core sand 



Other sand a 



Gravel 



$1 151 521 

 310 727 



23 944 



75 000 



650 895 



$1 185 812 



415 073 



24 797 



75 000 



965 336 



$941 884 

 570 898 



16 430& 

 134 638 

 980 979 



Total 



$2 212 087 



$2 666 018 



$2 644 829 



a Includes engine sand, paving, glass, railroad ballast and a small amount of miscellaneous sand. 

 b Represents fire sand alone. 



The total quantity of building sand (for concrete and mortar) 

 reported in 191 6, for which the value alone is given in the above 



