92 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



The first mill was constructed on piles on the bank of Mill 

 creek ; the selection of this site was unfortunate for the first spring 

 flood carried it downstream. The present mill stands upon the rim 

 of the basin forcing the company to hoist the ore 50 to 60 feet by 

 a cranelike arrangement into the ore bin. Pumping is necessary 

 to keep the shaft and drift dry. It is possible that such an expensive 

 method could have been avoided by placing the mill farther to the 

 east and driving a horizontal drift following the strike. 



It was observed that the mill was not arranged so that a complete 

 gravity system could be employed. For example; the top of the 

 crusher hopper was not flush with the floor of the ore bin. This 

 necessitated the rehandling and lifting of the ore. 



Water in the vicinity is plentiful, especially to the west in Mill 

 creek where a small dam was built and water pumped over the brow 

 of the hill to the mill, evidently for the boilers. . Yet the dry method 

 of concentration waj attempted. A Newaygo separator, manufac- 

 tured by the Newaygo Portland Cement Company, was employed. 

 This proved unsatisfactory, but recently experiments with an electro- 

 static process were made with excellent results, it is stated. 



The transportation facilities are very favorable. A comparatively 

 new state road runs from Riverside, the nearest railroad station to 

 Weaverton (Weverton on the map), from which there is a fairly 

 good dirt road to Johnsburg. It is understood that the construction 

 of a road 1% miles in length would make transportation a simple 

 matter for motor trucks. 



Summary. It has been shown that the amount of ore is probably 

 limited, variable and difficult to crush. Hence, unless a careful 

 survey points to the contrary, we can conclude that the future of 

 this property is rather uncertain. 



The Sacandaga Graphite Company 

 Situation. This property is in the township of Day, Saratoga 

 county, 1% miles due west of Conklingville in the Sacandaga valley, 

 within the Luzerne topographic sheet. The property may be reached 

 by an 8 mile drive from Hadley, on the Delaware and Hudson Rail- 

 road, following the north road west of Conklingville to the fork 

 (with a bench mark of 748 feet) and turning north along the east 

 bank of a small stream, three-eighths of a mile. The mill stands to 

 the west of the road. The mine is located about 1700 feet to the 

 east at an elevation of 1000 feet. 



