56 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



SAND 



The resources of the State in sands adapted for building, 

 metallurgical and other uses are extensive and suffice to meet 

 most of the local requirements for the material. The building 

 and construction trades call for the largest quantity, consuming 

 several millions of tons annually of the common grades v^hich 

 are obtained in great part within the immediate vicinity of the 

 markets. Molding sands, glass sand, furnace sand, fire sand and 

 filtration sands are among the other kinds produced, some of 

 which are shipped to points without the State. 



Building sand. The glacial deposits which are found in nearly 

 all sections afford an abundance of sand for building and con- 

 struction purposes. The deposits may be mixed with gravel, 

 boulders and clay, requiring some preparation of the sand by 

 screening or washing before it can be used. Frequently, how- 

 ever, the materials have been sorted by natural processes so that 

 beds yielding clean and evenly sized sand may be found. The 

 supplies of sand used in building operations in Albany and Roch- 

 ester are derived from local morainal deposits. Alluvial sand 

 found along the stream valleys is employed in miany localities 

 in the interior of the State. Beach sand also enters into the 

 trade ; most of the building sand consumed in New York city 

 is obtained from the shores of Long Island, and Buffalo derives 

 its supply from the beaches of Lake Erie principally from the 

 northern or Canadian shore. 



The extent of the trade in building sand is indicated by the 

 statistics collected by the United States Geological Survey, ac- 

 cording to which the production of New York in 1906 amounted 

 to 3,369,194 short tons valued at $1,045,844. Large as the total 

 is, it perhaps falls short of the actual production, since there is 

 great difficulty in obtaining complete information on the subject. 

 Little capital is represented in the individual enterprises and 

 they are mostly of transitory nature, so that many changes take 

 place each year. The intrinsic value of the product, aside from 

 the costs of labor and transportation, is small. 



Glass sand. For the manufacture of glass, pure quartz sand 

 is required. The presence of dark minerals such as magnetite, 

 hornblende, biotite, etc., which carry iron, is particularly objec- 

 tionable. In the manufacture of window glass and articles of 

 common glass, the iron is kept down to a small fraction of one 

 'per cent, while for the finer grades no more than a trace is 

 allowable. 



