THE MINING AND QUARRY INDUSTRY I9II 99 



In the new plant of the Uniform Fibrous Talc Co. the Hardinge 

 conical mill is employed in preparing the talc for the finishing 

 process. The crude rock is first passed through a jaw breaker which 

 reduces the lump talc to about 1.25 inch size; and then the product 

 is screened and fed into the Hardinge mill where it is ground to 

 pass a 10 mesh screen for the cylinders. The latter are of the usual 

 intermittent type. 



Tube mills of large size, such as are used in the fine grinding of 

 cement and ores, have been installed in one or two plants. They 

 take the place of the Alsing cylinder. They have the advantage 

 over the latter of being continuous in regard to feed and discharge, 

 but are more difficult to regulate so as to give the desired finish to 

 the product. 



A coarser grade known as buhr stock is produced by omitting the 

 last stage of grinding in the Alsing cylinder. This is used as a sub- 

 stitute for asbestos in the manufacture of asbestos paper and pack- 

 ing. The ground talc, or mineral pulp as it is called, is put up in 

 paper sacks of 50 pounds each, or in cloth bags of 200 pounds. 

 Shipments are made by the Gouverneur and Oswegatchie Railroad, 

 near the line of which most of the mills are located. Prices are 

 usually quoted from Gouverneur. 



Cost of production. The conditions vary so much in the dif- 

 ferent mines and mills that it is impossible to fix any average basis 

 for estimating the costs of production. The mining and milling 

 operations are perhaps the least variable factors of all, and these 

 may be figured approximately at from $1.50 to $2 a ton. Royalty 

 is an important item in the leased mines ; it is usually fixed at about 

 $.75, but may be as low as $.25. The haulage from mine to mill 

 and from the mill to the shipping point is a heavy tax in some 

 cases, as the country is rough and the roads are very poor. This 

 may amount to as much as $1.50 or $2 a ton. The cost of package 

 is about $1. 



Uses. The fibrous talc is mainly used in the paper trade as filler 

 for book and writing paper and to a considerable extent for news- 

 paper. It is more readily incorporated with the paper stock than 

 clay and at the same time has a beneficial influence upon the strength 

 of the paper. The manufacturers of gypsum wall plasters are con- 

 sumers of the talc which takes the place of hair, wood fiber or 

 asbestos in these plasters. Among the minor uses are in the manu- 

 facture of waterproof paints and steam pipe coverings. 



