﻿k 
  

  

  CLAYS 
  OF 
  XEW 
  YORK 
  849 
  

  

  power 
  of 
  absorbing 
  large 
  quantities 
  of 
  greasy 
  substances. 
  Tbe 
  

   ordinary 
  quantitative 
  analysis 
  does 
  not 
  show 
  it 
  to 
  differ 
  much 
  from 
  

   ordinary 
  clay, 
  except 
  that 
  it 
  usually 
  has 
  a 
  relatively 
  higher 
  percen- 
  

   tage 
  of 
  combined 
  water. 
  Fullers' 
  earth 
  when 
  dried 
  adheres 
  strongly 
  

   to 
  the 
  tongue, 
  on 
  account 
  of 
  its 
  absorbent 
  properties, 
  but 
  on 
  the 
  

   other 
  hand 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  ordinary 
  clays 
  do 
  the 
  same. 
  Fullers' 
  earth 
  

   was 
  at 
  first 
  used 
  for 
  fulling 
  cloth, 
  that 
  is 
  cleansing 
  it 
  of 
  grease, 
  but 
  

   at 
  the 
  present 
  day 
  its 
  most 
  important 
  use 
  is 
  for 
  bleaching 
  cotton- 
  

   seed 
  oil, 
  and 
  also 
  for 
  clarifying 
  petroleum. 
  Up 
  to 
  within 
  the 
  last 
  

   two 
  or 
  three 
  years, 
  nearly 
  all 
  of 
  the 
  fullers' 
  earth 
  used 
  in 
  the 
  United 
  

   States 
  was 
  imported 
  from 
  England, 
  where 
  large 
  deposits 
  of 
  this 
  

   material 
  exist. 
  Since 
  that 
  time, 
  however, 
  the 
  importance 
  of 
  these 
  

   materials 
  has 
  become 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  widely 
  known, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  mined 
  

   in 
  this 
  country 
  also, 
  deposits 
  having 
  been 
  found 
  in 
  different 
  states, 
  

   and 
  in 
  time 
  the 
  importation 
  of 
  the 
  English 
  material 
  may 
  perhaps 
  

   cease 
  altogether. 
  

  

  The 
  only 
  reliable 
  means 
  of 
  determining 
  the 
  quality 
  of 
  fullers' 
  

   earth 
  is 
  to 
  subject 
  it 
  to 
  an 
  actual 
  test, 
  which 
  can 
  be 
  done 
  in 
  the 
  

   laboratory. 
  

  

  This 
  of 
  course 
  necessitates 
  some 
  careful 
  manipulation 
  and 
  prac- 
  

   tice 
  in 
  order 
  to 
  insure 
  the 
  best 
  and 
  thoroughly 
  reliable 
  results. 
  

  

  Occurrence 
  in 
  New 
  York. 
  In 
  l^ew 
  York, 
  deposits 
  of 
  fullers' 
  

   earth 
  occur 
  at 
  a 
  locality 
  known 
  as 
  McConnellsville, 
  12 
  miles 
  north 
  

   of 
  Home 
  on 
  the 
  Rome, 
  Watertown 
  & 
  Ogdensburg 
  railroad. 
  

   The 
  deposit 
  has 
  been 
  worked 
  for 
  several 
  years 
  by 
  the 
  'New 
  

   York 
  fullers' 
  earth 
  co., 
  and 
  is 
  a 
  fine-grained, 
  dense. 
  Quater- 
  

   nary 
  clay 
  in 
  layers 
  2 
  to 
  8 
  inches 
  thick, 
  interbedded 
  with 
  

   layers 
  of 
  sand 
  of 
  similar 
  thickness. 
  The 
  total 
  thickness 
  ex- 
  

   posed 
  is 
  about 
  15 
  feet, 
  and 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  capping 
  of 
  about 
  4 
  feet 
  

   of 
  sand. 
  To 
  mine 
  the 
  earth, 
  the 
  overlying 
  sand 
  has 
  to 
  be 
  stripped 
  

   off 
  and 
  the 
  layers 
  of 
  fullers' 
  earth 
  taken 
  off 
  one 
  by 
  one, 
  and 
  spread 
  

   in 
  the 
  sun 
  to 
  dry, 
  the 
  racks 
  being 
  movable, 
  so 
  that 
  they 
  can 
  be 
  

   shoved 
  under 
  cover 
  in 
  stormy 
  weather. 
  Thus 
  far 
  this 
  fullers' 
  earth 
  

   has 
  been 
  used' 
  only 
  for 
  cleansing 
  woolen 
  goods, 
  and 
  it 
  has 
  been 
  

  

  