﻿CLAYS 
  OF 
  NEW 
  YOKK 
  831 
  

  

  workers. 
  It 
  is 
  generally 
  slaty, 
  gritty, 
  and 
  contains 
  not 
  infre- 
  

   quently 
  mncli 
  iron 
  pyrite 
  and 
  bituminous 
  matter. 
  The 
  rock 
  is 
  

   well 
  exposed 
  in 
  tlie 
  bed 
  of 
  the 
  river 
  at 
  Leroy. 
  

  

  As 
  the 
  Hamilton, 
  Portage 
  and 
  Chemung 
  are 
  the 
  most 
  promising 
  

   and 
  most 
  extensive 
  of 
  the 
  shale 
  formations 
  occurring 
  in 
  this 
  state, 
  

   a 
  series 
  of 
  physical 
  tests 
  was 
  made 
  on 
  samples 
  from 
  several 
  locali- 
  

   ties, 
  to 
  determine 
  their 
  characters 
  as 
  related 
  to 
  each 
  other, 
  also 
  as 
  

   compared 
  with 
  other 
  deposits. 
  

  

  The 
  samples 
  were 
  ground 
  to 
  pass 
  through 
  a 
  30 
  mesh 
  sieve^. 
  The 
  

   determinations 
  made 
  on 
  these 
  samples 
  were: 
  1) 
  amount 
  of 
  water 
  

   required 
  to 
  make 
  a 
  workable 
  mass, 
  2) 
  shrinkage 
  in 
  drying, 
  3) 
  shrink- 
  

   age 
  in 
  burning, 
  4) 
  plasticity, 
  5) 
  tensile 
  strength 
  of 
  air-dried 
  bri- 
  

   quettes, 
  6) 
  temperature 
  of 
  incipient 
  fusion, 
  7) 
  vitrification, 
  8) 
  vis- 
  

   cosity; 
  9) 
  per 
  cent 
  of 
  soluble 
  salts. 
  

  

  The 
  localities 
  from 
  which 
  samples 
  that 
  were 
  tested 
  came 
  are 
  

   Jamestown, 
  Angola, 
  Homellsville, 
  Alfred 
  center, 
  Cairo 
  and 
  

   Coming. 
  

  

  Hamilton. 
  The 
  Hamilton 
  is 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  great 
  shale-bearing 
  

   formations 
  of 
  ^ew 
  York 
  state. 
  It 
  is 
  also 
  widely 
  distributed, 
  ex- 
  

   tending 
  from 
  the 
  Hudson 
  river 
  to 
  Lake 
  Erie, 
  and 
  at 
  these 
  two 
  

   points 
  shows 
  wide 
  extremes 
  in 
  its 
  lithologic 
  character. 
  In 
  the 
  east 
  

   it 
  is 
  a 
  true 
  sandstone, 
  in 
  the 
  west 
  a 
  clay 
  shale. 
  "The 
  valleys 
  of 
  

   Seneca 
  and 
  Cayuga 
  lakes 
  are 
  both 
  excavated, 
  for 
  more 
  than 
  half 
  

   their 
  length, 
  in 
  the 
  shales 
  of 
  this 
  group 
  '\ 
  (Hall. 
  Geology 
  of 
  the 
  

   4:th 
  district 
  of 
  New 
  York, 
  p. 
  18Y) 
  

  

  The 
  Hamilton 
  shales 
  extend 
  from 
  Port 
  Jeirvis 
  northeastward 
  

   along 
  the 
  edge 
  of 
  the 
  Chemung 
  area 
  in 
  a 
  belt 
  about 
  5 
  miles 
  wide, 
  

   and 
  then 
  swing 
  westward 
  from 
  a 
  point 
  a 
  few 
  miles 
  west 
  of 
  Albany 
  to 
  

   Buffalo. 
  In 
  the 
  central 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  state 
  the 
  Hamilton 
  belt 
  is 
  about 
  

   20 
  miles 
  wide, 
  and 
  thins 
  to 
  about 
  12 
  miles 
  in 
  the 
  western 
  half. 
  The 
  

   Finger 
  lakes 
  are 
  largely 
  bounded 
  on 
  the 
  north 
  by 
  the 
  Hamilton 
  

   shale 
  area. 
  

  

  1 
  Of 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  shales 
  ground 
  up 
  by 
  disintegrators, 
  about 
  60% 
  of 
  any- 
  

   sample 
  will 
  pass 
  through 
  a 
  30 
  mesh 
  sieve, 
  and 
  the 
  balance 
  through 
  a 
  i 
  

  

  1 
  o 
  

  

  or 
  % 
  inch 
  mesh. 
  

  

  