126 NEW YORK STATEi MUSEUM 



Large deposits of titaniferous magnetites in the anorthosites, 

 similar to those which supplied the ore for the old iron works at 

 Lake Sanford, in Essex county, are unknown in Franklin, though 

 such may occur. Iron ore is known to exist on the unnamed 

 mountain situated in the hilly tract to the north of Big Wolf pond 

 in Altamont township, but the locality is rather inaccessible, and 

 has not been visited by the writer, nor is the extent of the deposit 

 known. 



It is by no means impossible that similar deposits may be dis- 

 covered in township 27, on or about Mt Seward. This is one of 

 tfhe wildest, most inaccessible, and least known tracts in the whole 

 Adirondack region, and has never been exploited for iron so far 

 as the writer is aware. But, even if extensive deposits exist, they 

 would have but a prospective value, owing to the prejudice 

 against, and non-use of titaniferous ores in this country at the 

 present day. 



Building stone. The only building stone quarries known to the 

 writer in Franklin county are all in the Potsdam sandstone and 

 mostly confined to the vicinity of Malone. These are all in the 

 upper part of the formation, and quarry a white or buff stone of 

 fair to good quality which has mostly only a local use. The 

 lower, red beds, such as are quarried at Potsdam, make but small 

 show in outcrop in the county. At many places farmers have 

 made small openings in this formation for stone for their own 

 use. There must be an inexhaustible supply of good stone in 

 this formation, but outcrops are very infrequent considering the 

 extent of surface occupied by the rock, and no stone of the quality 

 and character of that quarried at Potsdam has been noted. 



None of the Precambrian rocks of the county have been used 

 for building purposes, though some quarrying has been done in 

 anorthosite-gabbro at Keeseville and, more recently, on Rand hill 

 in Clinton. Nor is there likely to be any use of these rocks for 

 such purpose for a long time, except possibly an exceedingly re- 

 stricted local use. Yet there is a vast amount of good stone for 

 building and monumental purposes, the syenites, granites and 

 anorthosites all being capable of furnishing good material. All 

 present phases which are very durable and take a fine polish. 



