﻿26 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  STATE 
  MUSEUM 
  

  

  bottoms 
  of 
  the 
  small 
  Adirondack 
  lakes, 
  those 
  in 
  Herkimer 
  county 
  

   being 
  best 
  known, 
  and 
  are 
  formed 
  by 
  the 
  accumulation 
  of 
  the 
  

   minute 
  silicious 
  skeletons 
  of 
  organisms 
  inhabiting 
  the 
  waters. 
  They 
  

   attain 
  a 
  thickness 
  up 
  to 
  30 
  feet 
  in 
  White 
  Lead 
  lake 
  from 
  which 
  the 
  

   present 
  supply 
  is 
  obtained. 
  The 
  material 
  is 
  excavated 
  and 
  purified 
  

   by 
  washing 
  and 
  settling 
  in 
  vats, 
  after 
  which 
  it 
  is 
  compressed 
  into 
  

   cakes 
  for 
  shipment. 
  According 
  to 
  an 
  analysis 
  published 
  in 
  the 
  

   report 
  for 
  1905 
  it 
  contains 
  about 
  86 
  per 
  cent 
  silica, 
  2 
  per 
  cent 
  or 
  

   less 
  of 
  iron 
  oxid, 
  alumina 
  and 
  lime, 
  and 
  about 
  12 
  per 
  cent 
  water. 
  

  

  The 
  earth 
  is 
  employed 
  as 
  an 
  abrasive, 
  particularly 
  for 
  polishing 
  

   of 
  metal 
  surfaces, 
  as 
  a 
  substitute 
  for 
  quartz 
  in 
  the 
  manufacture 
  of 
  

   wood 
  filler, 
  and 
  for 
  various 
  other 
  purposes. 
  The 
  production 
  re- 
  

   ported 
  in 
  1907 
  was 
  made 
  by 
  George 
  W. 
  Searles 
  of 
  Herkimer. 
  

  

  EMERY 
  

  

  The 
  source 
  of 
  the 
  small 
  quantity 
  of 
  emery 
  produced 
  in 
  the 
  State 
  

   is 
  near 
  Peekskill, 
  Westchester 
  co. 
  The 
  material 
  in 
  crude 
  state 
  is 
  a 
  

   rock, 
  made 
  up 
  of 
  corundum, 
  spinel 
  and 
  magnetite 
  chiefly, 
  and 
  rep- 
  

   resents 
  a 
  phase 
  of 
  the 
  basic 
  igneous 
  intrusions 
  of 
  that 
  vicinity 
  which 
  

   are 
  known 
  as 
  the 
  Cortlandt 
  series. 
  The 
  emery 
  occurs 
  as 
  lenses 
  and 
  

   bands 
  grading 
  off 
  at 
  the 
  edges 
  into 
  the 
  country 
  rock 
  which 
  is 
  usually 
  

   norite. 
  The 
  material 
  was 
  originally 
  worked 
  as 
  an 
  iron 
  ore, 
  but 
  

   unsuccessfully 
  owing 
  to 
  its 
  refractory 
  nature 
  from 
  the 
  presence 
  of 
  

   so 
  much 
  alumina. 
  In 
  their 
  geological 
  relations 
  the 
  bodies 
  resemble 
  

   the 
  titaniferous 
  magnetites 
  of 
  the 
  Adirondacks, 
  a 
  similarity 
  that 
  is 
  

   strengthened 
  by 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  the 
  analyses 
  of 
  the 
  emery 
  show 
  a 
  

   small 
  percentage 
  of 
  titanium. 
  

  

  The 
  production 
  of 
  emery 
  in 
  1907 
  amounted 
  to 
  1223 
  short 
  tons, 
  

   valued 
  at 
  $13,057. 
  This 
  is 
  a 
  little 
  less 
  than 
  the 
  production 
  for 
  the 
  

   preceding 
  year 
  which 
  totaled 
  1307 
  short 
  tons 
  valued 
  at 
  $13,870. 
  

   In 
  1905 
  the 
  output 
  was 
  1475 
  short 
  tons 
  valued 
  at 
  $12,452 
  and 
  in 
  

   1904, 
  1 
  148 
  tons 
  valued 
  at 
  $17,220. 
  The 
  valuation 
  is 
  based 
  on 
  the 
  

   material 
  at 
  the 
  quarries, 
  where 
  it 
  undergoes 
  only 
  hand 
  sorting 
  

   and 
  cobbing 
  preparatory 
  to 
  shipment 
  to 
  outside 
  points 
  for 
  grinding 
  

   and 
  manufacture 
  into 
  emery 
  wheels, 
  stones, 
  cloth, 
  etc. 
  

  

  The 
  list 
  of 
  producers 
  in 
  1907 
  includes 
  the 
  following: 
  Blue 
  

   Corundum 
  Mining 
  Co., 
  Easton, 
  Pa., 
  Keystone 
  Emery 
  Mills, 
  Frank- 
  

   ford, 
  Pa., 
  Tanite 
  Co., 
  Stroudsburg, 
  Pa., 
  J. 
  R. 
  Lancaster, 
  Peekskill, 
  

   and 
  J. 
  H. 
  Bugby, 
  Peekskill. 
  With 
  the 
  exception 
  of 
  J. 
  R. 
  Lancaster 
  

   and 
  J. 
  H. 
  Bugby, 
  the 
  companies 
  mine 
  the 
  emery 
  for 
  their 
  own 
  use 
  

   in 
  connection 
  with 
  manufacturing 
  plants. 
  

  

  