﻿REPORT 
  OF 
  THE 
  DIRECTOR 
  5 
  

  

  The 
  block 
  bearing 
  each 
  specimen 
  is 
  numbered 
  (under 
  the 
  label), 
  

   and 
  the 
  same 
  number 
  occurs 
  on 
  both 
  the 
  old 
  and 
  new 
  label. 
  The 
  old 
  

   labels 
  are 
  stored 
  in 
  the 
  order 
  in 
  which 
  they 
  were 
  removed, 
  and 
  by 
  

   this 
  system 
  of 
  numbering, 
  can 
  be 
  produced 
  at 
  a 
  moment's 
  notice. 
  

  

  During 
  the 
  year 
  five 
  field 
  excursions 
  were 
  made 
  by 
  Mr. 
  Nevius 
  in 
  

   the 
  interests 
  of 
  citizens 
  of 
  the 
  state. 
  

  

  Mr. 
  W. 
  A. 
  Ray, 
  of 
  Rayville, 
  Columbia 
  county, 
  had 
  a 
  deposit 
  of 
  

   impure 
  bog-ore 
  (limonite) 
  on 
  his 
  farm, 
  which 
  he 
  wished 
  investigated, 
  

   as 
  a 
  possible 
  source 
  of 
  mineral 
  paint. 
  He 
  also 
  wanted 
  some 
  traces 
  

   of 
  limoni-te 
  investigated. 
  A 
  trip 
  to 
  the 
  locality 
  revealed 
  the 
  fact 
  

   that 
  bog-ore 
  was 
  being 
  formed 
  from 
  iron 
  derived 
  J)y 
  alteration 
  of 
  

   pyrites 
  in 
  the 
  decomposing 
  Hudson 
  River 
  shale 
  in 
  the 
  immediate 
  

   vicinity. 
  The 
  deposit 
  was 
  neither 
  sufficiently 
  extensive, 
  nor 
  of 
  good 
  

   quality 
  for 
  use 
  as 
  a 
  pigment. 
  

  

  The 
  small 
  deposits 
  of 
  limonite 
  were 
  in 
  the 
  Calciferous-Trenton 
  

   limestone, 
  and 
  gave 
  no 
  evidence 
  of 
  extensive 
  deposits 
  near 
  at 
  hand. 
  

   They 
  were 
  but 
  small 
  accumulations 
  of 
  limonite 
  along 
  joints 
  and 
  

   fractures, 
  and 
  were 
  without 
  doubt 
  derived 
  from 
  alteration 
  of 
  pyrite 
  

   (or 
  possibly 
  siderite) 
  near 
  by. 
  

  

  Other 
  excursions 
  were 
  taken 
  at 
  the 
  request 
  of 
  Dr. 
  E. 
  J. 
  Fisk, 
  of 
  

   Troy 
  — 
  the 
  object 
  sought 
  being 
  an 
  ore 
  of 
  manganese. 
  At 
  a 
  quarry 
  in 
  

   the 
  Hudson 
  River 
  shale 
  opened 
  for 
  road-metal, 
  about 
  two 
  and 
  a 
  half 
  

   miles 
  west 
  of 
  Watervliet, 
  some 
  fairly 
  good 
  specimens 
  of 
  psilomelane 
  

   had 
  been 
  found. 
  The 
  ore 
  occurs 
  in 
  small, 
  irregular 
  pockets, 
  rarely 
  

   affording 
  more 
  than 
  a 
  few 
  pounds 
  of 
  ore 
  to 
  the 
  cubic 
  yard. 
  But 
  the 
  

   shale 
  being 
  badly 
  fractured, 
  as 
  is 
  usual 
  in 
  this 
  region, 
  gave 
  free 
  

   access 
  to 
  percolating 
  water, 
  and 
  this 
  agent 
  had 
  left 
  a 
  thin, 
  shiny 
  black 
  

   film 
  of 
  psilomelane 
  on 
  the 
  rock 
  surfaces 
  along 
  the 
  interstices, 
  

   wherever 
  it 
  could 
  penetrate, 
  so 
  that 
  to 
  a 
  hasty 
  glance 
  the 
  whole 
  rock- 
  

   front 
  appeared 
  to 
  be 
  rich 
  in 
  manganese. 
  ^ 
  

  

  The 
  other 
  excursions 
  were 
  beyond 
  the 
  boundaries 
  of 
  the 
  state, 
  but 
  

   further 
  than 
  the 
  collection 
  of 
  specimens 
  for 
  the 
  museum, 
  nothing 
  

   of 
  importance 
  was 
  accomplished. 
  

  

  During 
  the 
  year 
  five 
  institutions 
  under 
  the 
  State 
  University 
  have 
  

   been 
  supplied, 
  under 
  the 
  proper 
  authority, 
  with 
  the 
  loan 
  collec- 
  

   tions 
  of 
  minerals 
  m.a^e 
  up 
  from 
  the 
  duplicates 
  of 
  the 
  museum 
  

   collection. 
  

  

  