THE MINING AND QUARRY INDUSTRY I909 3^ 



general record of the mining indu.stries showed, however, that 

 the improvement was slow during the year and conditions on 

 the whole were scarcely so prosperous as had been depicted in 

 current reports. There was no evidence of any developments 

 unfavorable to the Adirondack garnet mines in particular, and 

 a more active market may be anticipated for the coming season. 



The production of garnet last year amounted to 3802 short 

 tons with a value of $119,190. The gain over the output for 

 1908, which was 2480 tons valued at $79,890, was thus more 

 than 50 per cent, but it may be doubted if the consumption 

 showed a corresponding increase. The total for 1907, the 

 largest on record, was 5709 tons valued at $174,800. Prices re- 

 mained practically unchanged ; they have fluctuated only 

 slightly in recent years, the average being between $30 and $35 

 a ton. 



No new mines were opened in 1909. The producing com- 

 panies included the North River Garnet Co. with mines at 

 Thirteenth lake ; the American Glue Co. and H. H. Barton & 

 Sons who worked properties near North river; and the Arneri- 

 can Garnet Co. who operated the Smith mine on Mt Bigelow in 

 northern Essex county. 



The Adirondack garnet that is mined belongs to the common 

 iron-bearing variety and the better grades have a deep reel 

 color. It is associated with a basic rock of which plagioclase 

 feldspar and hornblende constitute the other ingredients. The 

 rock shows the effects of metamorphism and the garnet is 

 probably the result of a recrystallization. The garnet crystals 

 are of variable size ; those found on Gore mountain near North 

 river often measure a foot or more in diameter and a single 

 crystal has yielded more than a ton of abrasive; elsewhere in 

 the region the crystals seldom exceed a diameter of 5 or 6 

 inches. The fact that the garnet is m.ore or less shattered 

 facilitates its recovery by hand picking which is practised by 

 all but one of the companies. When the large crystals are 

 broken into, they crumble under slight pressure and can be 

 removed from the matrix without much difficulty. The frag- 

 ments generally exhibit smooth surfaces on one or more sidtes 

 due to a well developed parting, and this feature adds consid- 

 erably to the efficiency of the Adirondack garnet for abrasive 

 uses. The fractured condition of the crystals is probably the 

 result of regional compression, evidences of which are ob- 



