ECONOMIC GEOLOGY OF WESTERN NEW YORK 



BY IRVING P. BISHOP 



Building materials 



The territory in which information on the above topic has been 

 collected includes the comities of Chautauqua, Cattaraugus, 

 Allegany, Erie, Wyoming, Genesee, Niagara and Orleans. In 

 Erie county the mineral producers were known to the writer: 

 in the others they were reached by correspondence. Though 

 some small quarries or deposits may have been overlooked, 

 the lists which follow will be found to include everything of 

 importance. 



Trade conditions 



The establishment in Buffalo during the past year of many 

 great business enterprises, including a $40,000,000 steel plant, 

 has caused increased activity in the production of all lines of 

 building material, specially stone, sand, brick and cement. The 

 construction of breakwaters, grade crossings and other public 

 improvements has also called for large quantities of these 

 materials. The result has been that the producers who have 

 facilities for handling large contracts have had all the busi- 

 ness they could take care of, while some of the smaller 

 quarries and factories have been idle. Therefore, though the 

 number of producing quarries has decreased, the total output 

 of stone will probably be above that of last year. That the 

 increased demand for building materials is due to better condi- 

 tions in Buffalo is shown by the brick industry. In Buffalo, 

 though the local plants are working to their full capacity, the 

 old stock of brick and all of the product of 1902 have been 

 exhausted. At Dunkirk and Olean the market is reported as 

 dull. Small quarries and brickyards in districts remote from 

 the city report also a limited demand, usually too light to 

 warrant the starting up of the kiln or quarry. Cement, which 

 is marketed outside, quite as much as at home, seems to be 

 affected less by local conditions. The demand for it is gener- 

 ally good. 



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