﻿34 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  STATE 
  MUSEUM 
  

  

  wholly 
  undeveloped 
  along 
  a 
  belt 
  of 
  country 
  more 
  than 
  ioo 
  miles 
  in 
  

   length, 
  east 
  and 
  west 
  between 
  Clinton 
  and 
  Wolcott, 
  that 
  it 
  was 
  of 
  

   first 
  importance 
  to 
  the 
  iron 
  industry 
  in 
  this 
  State 
  to 
  determine 
  prob- 
  

   abilities 
  of 
  variation 
  in 
  the 
  volume 
  of 
  this 
  ore 
  body 
  in 
  its 
  dip 
  and 
  

   local 
  variations 
  in 
  the 
  quality 
  of 
  the 
  ore. 
  

  

  To 
  ascertain 
  these 
  facts 
  borings 
  are 
  necessary 
  at 
  various 
  points 
  

   south 
  of 
  the 
  observed 
  or 
  buried 
  line 
  of 
  outcrop. 
  The 
  more 
  numer- 
  

   ous 
  such 
  borings 
  are 
  the 
  more 
  accurate 
  the 
  deductions 
  will 
  be. 
  It 
  

   would 
  be 
  well 
  if 
  series 
  of 
  such 
  holes 
  could 
  be 
  put 
  down 
  at 
  points 
  

   from 
  half 
  a 
  mile 
  to 
  2 
  miles 
  back 
  of 
  the 
  outcrop 
  at 
  alternating 
  in- 
  

   tervals 
  of 
  about 
  5 
  miles, 
  but 
  the 
  present 
  provision 
  will 
  not 
  cover 
  

   the 
  cost 
  of 
  so 
  much 
  drilling. 
  We 
  are 
  therefore 
  now 
  engaged 
  in 
  

   putting 
  in 
  with 
  diamond 
  core 
  drill 
  a 
  single 
  series 
  of 
  holes 
  which 
  

   will 
  have 
  an 
  approximate 
  average 
  depth 
  of 
  175 
  to 
  200 
  feet 
  and 
  

   which 
  have 
  thus 
  far 
  been 
  located 
  about 
  2 
  miles 
  south 
  of 
  known 
  

   surface 
  outcrops. 
  The 
  outcome 
  of 
  this 
  undertaking 
  will 
  have 
  to 
  be 
  

   deferred 
  to 
  the 
  next 
  report. 
  

  

  Oil 
  shales. 
  An 
  undeveloped 
  source 
  of 
  eventual 
  wealth 
  to 
  the 
  

   State 
  lies 
  in 
  its 
  vast 
  deposits 
  of 
  densely 
  black, 
  bituminous 
  shales 
  

   which 
  reek 
  with 
  the 
  components 
  of 
  natural 
  gas 
  and 
  petroleum. 
  

   These 
  beds 
  of 
  black 
  shale 
  lie 
  in 
  the 
  Devonic 
  system 
  of 
  western 
  and 
  

   southwestern 
  New 
  York, 
  particularly 
  in 
  the 
  Genesee 
  and 
  Portage 
  

   divisions 
  of 
  the 
  Upper 
  Devonic 
  and 
  are 
  to 
  be 
  found 
  in 
  outcrop 
  quite 
  

   freely 
  from 
  Canandaigua 
  lake 
  westward 
  to 
  Lake 
  Erie. 
  Preliminary 
  

   efforts 
  have 
  been 
  made 
  this 
  year 
  to 
  ascertain 
  the 
  available 
  hydro- 
  

   carbon 
  content 
  of 
  these 
  shales 
  for 
  the 
  purpose 
  of 
  instituting 
  com- 
  

   parisons 
  between 
  them 
  and 
  similar 
  shales 
  like 
  those 
  of 
  Scotland 
  

   which 
  are 
  today 
  distilled 
  for 
  the 
  commercial 
  production 
  of 
  petro- 
  

   leum, 
  paraffin 
  and 
  ammonia 
  sulfate. 
  The 
  method 
  of 
  treatment 
  of 
  

   the 
  Scotch 
  shales 
  and 
  the 
  products 
  resulting 
  may 
  be 
  thus 
  briefly 
  

   stated. 
  The 
  oil 
  is 
  distilled 
  at 
  a 
  temperature 
  of 
  about 
  900 
  F. 
  The 
  

   spent 
  shale 
  is 
  then 
  heated 
  to 
  about 
  1300 
  F. 
  to 
  increase 
  the 
  yield 
  of 
  

   ammonia 
  and 
  permanent 
  gases 
  from 
  the 
  shale. 
  The 
  Scotch 
  shales 
  

   yield 
  on 
  an 
  average 
  25 
  gallons 
  of 
  crude 
  oil 
  and 
  45 
  pounds 
  of 
  

   ammonia 
  sulfate 
  per 
  ton. 
  

  

  The 
  first 
  distillation 
  of 
  the 
  crude 
  oil 
  yields: 
  

  

  1 
  Green 
  naphtha. 
  This 
  is 
  treated 
  with 
  sulfuric 
  acid 
  and 
  caustic 
  

   soda 
  yielding 
  " 
  shale 
  spirit 
  " 
  or 
  naphtha. 
  

  

  2 
  Still 
  coke 
  ; 
  a 
  valuable 
  smokeless 
  fuel, 
  the 
  production 
  of 
  which 
  

   has 
  now 
  become 
  an 
  extensively 
  capitalized 
  industry. 
  

  

  3 
  Green 
  oil; 
  the 
  source 
  of 
  paraffin. 
  

  

  