28 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



A considerable quantity of feldspar is employed as an abrasive, 

 especially in the form of scouring soaps and powders. It is not 

 readily apparent, however, why feldspar should be preferred to 

 quartz for the purpose, unless it is on account of the cleavage which 

 may, like the parting of garnet, provide sharp cutting edges. For 

 scouring materials, the spar is ground to an impalpable powder. 

 Feldspar is also an ingredient of emery, carborundum and corundum 

 wheels, but here it serves rather as a binder than as an abrasive. 



The output of feldspar showed a very large gain in 1912. In 

 former years, it has ranged between 10,000 and 15,000 tons, accord- 

 ing to the relative market conditions which were fairly stationary. 

 Last year, however, it reached a total of 24,584 short tons, an 

 increase of over 50 per cent in the twelve months, and in value 

 amounted to $106,419. These figures include the unsorted peg- 

 matite that is used for roofing material as above explained. The 

 increase was contributed mostly by the Bedford Feldspar Co., 

 which began operations during the year near the Kinkel quarries. 

 The prices received for the product were on about the usual level : 

 $3 a ton for sized roofing spar, $4.50 a ton for selected crude, and $6 

 to $8 for the ground spar used for enamel, glass manufacture, etc. 



The Bedford Feldspar Co. opened a quarry just north of the 

 Kinkel quarries at the base of the hill that marks the main outcrop 

 of the pegmatite body. The continuation of the pegmatite in this 

 direction was shown by drilling, being covered by soil and earth 

 to a depth of about 15 feet. The present opening consists of a 

 circular pit about 75 feet in diameter and 30 feet deep. A derrick 

 is used to raise the rock to the surface. The pegmatite is some- 

 what stained and disintegrated in the upper part, but doubtless 

 fresher material will be found in depth. It seems to carry more 

 feldspar and less quartz than the average run of the rock exposed 

 in the Kinkel quarries. The company has a mill at the quarry and 

 all the output is shipped in ground state, to tile, enamel ware and 

 glass manufacturers. The mill is equipped with ball mills and has 

 a capacity of 35 or 40 tons a day. 



The Kinkel quarries were operated during the year, but the 

 product was shipped in crude form. The mill has been partly dis- 

 mantled for the installation of new machinery, which will include 

 pebble mills for the preparation of pottery spar. A considerable 

 quantity of the no. 1 potash spar is stocked at the quarries until 

 grinding can begin. The usual shipments of quartz were made from 



