20 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



lated for the purpose of informing the public as to their claims, any 

 satisfactory explanation of the processes employed for recovery of 

 the gold which would account for the wide variance between their 

 reported results and those obtained by the usual assay methods. 

 We have been informed recently on creditable authority that in the 

 so called " Sutphen " process, which was extensively advertised about 

 10 years ago, the methods consisted briefly of pulverizing the sand 

 and amalgamation after treatment with a hot sodium carbonate so- 

 lution. It was stated that the gold had a silioious coating which 

 necessitated fine grinding and chemical treatment before amalgama- 

 tion was effective. Even if that were true, there is no reason why 

 the gold should; not be set free by fire assay. On the other hand 

 the claim that the gold exists in volatile state, something entirely 

 new to chemical science, seems to be met and controverted by the 

 recent assays. 



The economic record of past enterprise in this field is certainly 

 not reassuring to those intent on new ventures. Though it is im- 

 possible to give an accurate estimate of the outlay of capital rep- 

 resented by previous experiments, the total must amount to several 

 hundred thousand dollars. An idea of the wide interest which the 

 early enterprises aroused may be gained from the official records 

 which show that over 4000 claims to gold and silver discoveries, 

 mainly within the Adirondacks, were filed in the year 1898. We 

 know of no instance where the public has received any financial 

 return for its investment. 



CEMENT 

 After the setback of 1908, a decided improvement in the cement 

 trade seemed to be the natural order for last year. The market 

 was undoubtedly somewhat broader, inasmuch as manufacturers 

 found a more ready outlet for their product and were able also to 

 reduce considerably the stocks that had accumulated during the 

 previous year, but otherwise the conditions were not much changed. 

 Prices continued at a low level, with a slight upward tendency 

 in the later months. The disparity between productive capacity 

 and consumption was accountable for the continuance of a 

 depressed market. This condition seems to have been removed, 

 or to have been greatly relieved at any rate, and the outlook 

 for the trade at the opening of 1910 was more encouraging than 

 it had been during the last two years. It may be said that 

 local manufacturers enjoyed some advantages in marketing 



