lOO NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



The talc industry was established in the late seventies of the 

 last century. From shipments of a few hundred tons the output 

 had expanded to over 4000 tons by 1880 and to over 40,000 tons by 

 1890. In the following decade it increased to 60,000 tons; in the 

 last 15 years, however, it has remained practically stationary, fluctu- 

 ating between the limits of 60,000 and 70,000 tons according to the 

 character of the season. The total shipments from the first have 

 amounted to something over 1,500,000 tons, valued altogether at 

 about $13,000,000. The demand has improved of late years, and 

 it is probable that the market would absorb even larger quantities 

 than are now offered. 



The uses of fibrous talc are varied, but its most important appli- 

 cation is in the paper trade where it is consumed by manufacturers 

 of writing, book and newsprint paper as filler. According to J. S. 

 Diller,^ recent conditions in the paper trade point to an improved 

 market for the better grades of American talc. Its principal com- 

 petitor is German clay. Experience with its use in paper seems 

 to show that it is retained to a larger extent than clay and that 

 it is also a better absorbent of ink. The mineral fibers also help 

 to strengthen the paper stock. 



The Gouverneur talc industry was described at some length in 

 the issue of this report for 191 1. In the last two years a new 

 supply of talc has come into prominence through mining operations 

 in the vicinity of Natural Bridge, where deposits of a massive or 

 finely granular talc have been developed. The deposits apparently 

 are restricted to a relatively small area, rather than distributed over 

 a long belt, as in the Gouverneur district, and seem to be the result 

 of local contact metamorphism from the intrusion of granitic rocks 

 into limestones. They are not made up of talc exclusively, but 

 contain various hydrated magnesian silicates, inclusive of talc, 

 serpentine and a mineral of the chlorite family. An analysis of a 

 small sample by R. W. Jones showed the following percentages : 



Si02 48.16 



AI.O3 7-43 



Fe^Os 3.15 



MgO 27.44 



CaO .25 



:H20+ 11.06 



H2O— 2.68 



100.17 



- Mineral Resources of the United States, 1912, 2: 1142-43. 



