THE MINING AND QUARRY INDUSTRY I909 63 



a common associate of the pyrite, and zinc blende and chalcopy- 

 rite may be usually observed in small amount. Large bodies 

 of nearly pure pyrrhotite occur in the Adirondacks, but as they 

 can not be utilized for their sulfur and carry only traces of 

 nickel they have no commercial value. 



In southeastern New York there are no active pyrite mines, 

 though a deposit at Anthony's Nose, above Peekskill, was 

 worked some 30 or 40 years ago as a source of ore for sulfuric 

 acid manufacture. The ore appears to have carried consider- 

 able pyrrhotite and would not be considered mineable at the 

 present day. 



The principal deposits of pyrite in the Adirondack region are 

 found along a belt of crystalline limestones and schists that 

 extend from near Antwerp, Jefferson co., into the town of 

 Canton, St Lawrence co. They take the form of impregnated 

 zones, or fahlbands, the pyrite being intermixed with the min- 

 erals of the schistose country rock, which are chiefly quartz, 

 feldspar and hornblende; some deposits have a pronounced 

 lenticular shape, with the longer axis of the lenses parallel to 

 the foliation of the schists. The pyrite occurs in crystals and 

 crystalline aggregates of variable purity. The associated sili- 

 cates are generally more or less decomposed. The surface por- 

 tion of the deposits has the characteristic reddish stain and 

 burnt look due to oxidation, though the weathered zone is re- 

 markably shallow, the fresh pyrite being found usually within 

 a few feet from the surface. 



There are a number of mines and prospects in this region, 

 but at present active mining is carried on only by the St Law- 

 rence Pyrite Co., at Stellaville, near Hermon. The properties 

 owned by the company include the Stella mines, which it took 

 over in 1905, and other holdings in the vicinity that have been 

 subsequently acquired. Most of the ore is of concentrating 

 grade and is treated in a 500-ton mill equipped with Hancock- 

 jigs, Hartz jigs and Overstrom tables. The concentrates carry 

 from 40 to 48 per cent sulfur. Electric current for power pur- 

 poses is supplied from a central station at Hannawa Falls. 



The mines at High Falls which were taken over a few years 

 ago by the Oliver Mining Co. have not been placed in operation 

 as yet, though the exploration by the diamond drill, which the com- 

 pany carried out, is reported to have shown very favorable results. 

 The mines were once worked by the High Falls Pyrite Co., and 

 later by the National Pyrites Co. 



