THE MINING AND QUARRY INDUSTRY 929 



r The graphite occurs in small veins and dikes intersecting the 

 metamorphic strata and in the form of thin crystals or scales dis- 

 seminated through quartzites, schists and limestones. The veins 

 are perhaps the richest of all the deposits, though they rarely, if 

 ever, occur in sufficient size to be valuable. The graphite is found 

 in leaves and larger masses, more or less admixed with quartz but 

 otherwise free from impurities. These deposits bear some re- 

 semblance to the dikes, which also yield a coarsely crystalline 

 product associated with feldspar, quartz and other minerals com- 

 mon to pegmatite. The only successful attempt at working a dike 

 has been at Chilson hill near Ticonderoga, where operations were 

 carried on for several years by the Joseph Dixon Crucible Co. As a 

 rule there is little regularity in the occurrence of pegmatite deposits, 

 and this fact detracts from their value as mining propositions. 



The graphitic quartzites, schists and limestones, while not so 

 rich as the veins and dikes, are more persistent and can be worked 

 on a larger scale. At present they are the basis of all active opera- 

 tions in the State. The graphite occurs in finely divided particles 

 disseminated throughout the rock mass ; its recovery is a matter of 

 some difficulty, since the rock must be broken down to such a size 

 that the graphite is released and then subjected to concentration the 

 reverse of the process usually followed in separating ores from 

 gangue. The difficulty is greatly increased if the graphite is accom- 

 panied by other scaly minerals like those of the mica group. 



The most successful graphite mine in the Adirondacks is that 

 worked by the Joseph Dixon Crucible Co., in the town of Hague, 

 five miles west of Lake George. The deposit consists of a bedded 

 quartzite associated with the schists and gneisses of that region. 

 It is of great extent and for several years has supplied almost the 

 entire product of the State. The company operates two mills for 

 the separation and refining of the graphite, one situated at the mine 

 and the other at Hague. A feature of the concentration process 

 at the latter place is the use of the Hooper air jig which has been 

 found to be well adapted for treating graphitic rocks of this char- 

 acter. 



Aside from the operations of this company there was little graph- 

 ite produced in New York during 1904. The mine and works of the 

 Adirondack Mining & Milling Co. on South bay near Dresden, were 

 inoperative for most of the year, as were those owned by the Ticon- 

 deroga Graphite Co. The latter concern has been taken over by 

 the Columbia Graphite Co. of Pittsburg Pa. The mines are situated 

 near Rock pond between Ticonderoga and Schroon where there is a 



