﻿THE 
  MINING 
  AND 
  QUARRY 
  INDUSTRY 
  I908 
  49 
  

  

  PEAT 
  

  

  There 
  have 
  been 
  no 
  practical 
  developments 
  in 
  the 
  utilization 
  of 
  

   the 
  peat 
  deposits 
  of 
  the 
  State 
  since 
  those 
  mentioned 
  in 
  the 
  issue 
  

   of 
  this 
  report 
  for 
  the 
  year 
  1906. 
  The 
  subject 
  has 
  continued 
  to 
  

   receive 
  much 
  attention, 
  however, 
  and 
  further 
  experiments 
  along 
  

   similar 
  lines 
  may 
  follow. 
  The 
  results 
  thus 
  far 
  attained 
  in 
  the 
  use 
  

   of 
  peat 
  for 
  fuel 
  purposes 
  seem 
  discouraging 
  enough 
  though 
  they 
  

   should 
  be 
  judged 
  perhaps 
  as 
  bearing 
  upon 
  the 
  success 
  of 
  special 
  

   processes 
  rather 
  than 
  as 
  having 
  much 
  significance 
  with 
  regard 
  to 
  

   the 
  ultimate 
  outcome 
  of 
  experimentation. 
  

  

  The 
  destruction 
  by 
  fire 
  last 
  year 
  of 
  the 
  peat 
  plant 
  erected 
  by 
  

   the 
  International 
  Fuel 
  & 
  Power 
  Co. 
  for 
  operation 
  on 
  Black 
  lake 
  

   unfortunately 
  prevented 
  the 
  publication 
  of 
  any 
  details 
  of 
  its 
  efii- 
  

   ciency 
  under 
  working 
  conditions. 
  This 
  was 
  the 
  most 
  extensive 
  

   enterprise 
  that 
  has 
  yet 
  been 
  undertaken 
  in 
  this 
  country 
  and 
  in- 
  

   volved 
  an 
  outlay, 
  it 
  is 
  reported, 
  of 
  about 
  $200,000. 
  The 
  peat 
  was 
  

   to 
  be 
  excavated 
  by 
  dredging, 
  dried 
  artificially 
  and 
  made 
  into 
  

   briquets; 
  all 
  the 
  machinery 
  requisite 
  for 
  the 
  work 
  was 
  mounted 
  

   on 
  a 
  self-propelHng 
  barge. 
  Though 
  up 
  to 
  the 
  present 
  no 
  active 
  

   steps 
  have 
  been 
  taken 
  to 
  rebuild 
  the 
  plant, 
  investigations 
  of 
  the 
  

   peat 
  deposits 
  in 
  Black 
  lake 
  and 
  vicinity 
  have 
  been 
  under 
  way. 
  

  

  Experiments 
  in 
  connection 
  with 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  peat 
  in 
  paper 
  manu- 
  

   facture, 
  to 
  which 
  reference 
  was 
  made 
  in 
  a 
  previous 
  report, 
  have 
  

   not 
  yielded 
  any 
  apparent 
  results, 
  so 
  far 
  as 
  the 
  establishment 
  of 
  

   an 
  industry 
  is 
  concerned. 
  The 
  company 
  that 
  was 
  organized 
  for 
  

   developing 
  the 
  peat 
  beds 
  near 
  Oswego 
  was 
  a 
  subsidiary 
  of 
  the 
  

   enterprise 
  at 
  Capac, 
  Mich, 
  which 
  operated 
  for 
  a 
  time 
  making 
  coarse 
  

   grades 
  of 
  paper 
  from 
  peat. 
  Samples 
  of 
  peat 
  from 
  Oswego 
  and 
  

   Glens 
  Falls 
  were 
  treated 
  in 
  the 
  Michigan 
  plant, 
  and 
  the 
  material 
  

   from 
  the 
  former 
  place 
  was 
  reported 
  as 
  well 
  adapted 
  for 
  use 
  in. 
  

   paper. 
  

  

  PETROLEUM 
  

  

  The 
  oil 
  pools 
  found 
  in 
  New 
  York 
  State 
  constitute 
  the 
  northern 
  

   extension 
  of 
  the 
  Appalachian 
  field 
  which 
  reaches 
  its 
  main 
  develop- 
  

   ment 
  in 
  Pennsylvania, 
  Ohio 
  and 
  West 
  Virginia. 
  They 
  underHe 
  

   small 
  areas 
  in 
  Cattaraugus, 
  Allegany 
  and 
  Steuben 
  counties 
  near 
  

   the 
  Pennsylvania 
  border. 
  The 
  first 
  well 
  was 
  drilled 
  in 
  Cattaraugus 
  

   county 
  in 
  1865, 
  while 
  Allegany 
  county 
  began 
  producing 
  about 
  

   1880. 
  The 
  oil 
  is 
  encountered 
  in 
  fine 
  grained 
  sandstones 
  of 
  dark 
  

   color 
  belonging 
  to 
  the 
  Chemung 
  formation 
  of 
  the 
  Upper 
  Devonic. 
  

  

  In 
  Cattaraugus 
  county 
  the 
  productive 
  area 
  embraces 
  about 
  40 
  

  

  