68 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



SAND 



The production of sand for its varied uses in engineering and 

 building work, metallurgy etc., is carried on extensively in 

 New York and most requirements of the different industries 

 are or can be supplied by the local deposits. Considerable 

 quantities of the more valuable molding sands are shipped to 

 other states. 



A brief account of the several branches of the sand industry 

 was given in the issue of this report for 1908. According to the 

 statistical canvass which was undertaken in connection with 

 the report, the value of the production amounted to $1,130,291. 

 This total should be considered, however, an approximation 

 only; the actual output probably was considerably larger, as 

 productive operations, specially in building sands, are so widely 

 scattered and of so unstable character that no doubt many 

 escaped enumeration. In the present report attention will be 

 limited to the molding sand trade. 



Molding sand. The use of sand in the casting of metals calls 

 for a large supply of special grades which have a rather limited 

 distribution, as compared with building sands, and are conse- 

 quently more valuable. 



In New York State there are two main areas in which good 

 molding sand beds abound: (i) on the lands bordering the 

 Hudson river from Orange county northward on both sides of 

 the river, to Saratoga county; (2) in Erie county. The sand is 

 found in shallow beds immediately underlying the sod and 

 often covering many acres. Beds 8 inches or more in thick- 

 ness are worked profitably, a i-foot bed over one acre yielding 

 about 1200 tons. The large increase in business in the iron and 

 steel plants was directly responsible for an increase in the pro- 

 duction of molding sand. The production in 1909 amounted to 

 468,609 short tons valued at $437,402, as against 312,819 tons 

 valued at $277,290 in 1908. Notwithstandmg the increase, how- 

 ever, the production fell far short of that reported in 1907 of 

 693,293 tons valued at $539,674, which v/ould indicate that the 

 foundries had not fully recovered from the panic conditions 

 prevailing in 1908. 



Of the total production the Hudson river region furnished 

 450,989 tons valued at $422,144 or about 96 per cent of the total. 

 The remainder of the production was obtained mainly from 

 Erie county. 



