MINERAL RESOURCES OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK 24I 



Glass sand. Small quantities of glass sand are shipped occa- 

 sionally from the beds in the vicinity of Oneida lake. At one time 

 these were the support of an active local window glass industry 

 and large shipments also were made to factories at Rochester, 

 Lockport, Ithaca, Black Rock, Syracuse and Clyde. Competition 

 with manufacturing centers in the coal and natural gas fields of 

 Pennsylvania, Ohio and other states caused the decline of the New 

 York industry. The deposits around Oneida lake are of blanket 

 type, and vary from 6 inches to 3 feet in thickness. They are 

 stripped of the soil cover and the sand removed in benches which 

 is prepared by screening to remove the vegetable and other foreign 

 matter and by washing in troughs. The prepared sand contains 97 to 

 98.5 per cent silica, about .2 per cent ferric oxide and a little alumina, 

 magnesia and lime. 



A better grade of glass sand, used for various wares, has been 

 obtained from the Shawangunk grit in the vicinity of EUenville. 

 Some layers of the grit are practically pure quartz and by crushing 

 yield a superior material that was employed extensively in the works 

 at Corning. 



Fire and core sands. These are high silica sands which are 

 obtained in New York State in the Oneida lake region and on Long 

 island. Fire sands are used in the lining of furnaces, for iron and 

 steel rnanufacture and core sands in the making of cores for iron 

 molding. The important qualities are resistance to corrosion by 

 molten metal and gases and uniformity of grain. 



Filter sand. The employment of sand in filtration plants for 

 water purification affords basis for one of the growing branches of 

 the industry. For this use standard specifications in regard to 

 grain diameter, porosity and composition are recognized. The more 

 important qualities are that the sand be clean, free of clay and 

 lime, and possess a degree of porosity that will admit the passage 

 of water readily but retains the mechanical and organic impurities. 

 A high quartz material is the most effective. The deposits on 

 Long island are sources of supply. 



Abrasive sand. Minor quantities of sand are required by stone 

 dressing plants in sawing and rubbing of marble and other stones. 

 A pure quartz sand with minimum variation of size and a stout 

 rather than angular grain is called for. 



