REPORT OF THE DIRECTOR AND STATE GEOLOGIST 1902 1*63 



procured from various places mostly outside of New York State. 

 The Acker Process Co., office, Niagara Falls N. Y., makes the 

 same products by the dry process. The raw material is all obtained 

 outside the State, the salt coming from Ohio, and the limestone 

 from Pennsylvania, Canada and elsewhere. The details of 

 manufacture are not given to the public by either concern. 



For the year ending Sep. 30, 1902, the Acker Process Co. made 

 14 tons of caustic soda and 28 tons of bleaching powder a day, 

 counting 350 days to the year, a total of 4900 tons of caustic 

 and 9800 tons of bleaching powder. 



GYPSUM 



The United States Gypsum Co. of Chicago 111. has two mills 1 

 mile from Oakfield, Genesee co., where stucco and other gyp- 

 sum products are made from rock mined in that vicinity. The 

 combined output amounts to 500 tons a day. 



The plaster mill of S. Gilmore at Indian Falls in the same 

 county was not in operation in 1902. 



NATURAL, GAS 



The inquiry regarding natural gas has extended over that 

 part of New York which lies west of the Auburn meridian, 

 essentially the territory covered by my report of 1899. In the 

 counties bordering on Lake Ontario, very little exploration for 

 gas has been made, and that little has been unsuccessful. One 

 deep well was put down at Eagle Harbor, Orleans co. The 

 drill touched Trenton rock at 1814 feet and stopped in the top 

 of the Potsdam at 2300 feet. The well was barren. 



At Warners, east of the meridian mentioned, no drilling has 

 been done since 1899, and no improvement in gas production is 

 reported. Letters addressed to the local gas company at Jor- 

 dan have not been answered. At Seneca Falls the gas supply 

 has failed, and the wells have been abandoned. 



In the Ontario field deeper drilling has increased the pro- 

 duction. Mr A. Miner Wellman, of Friendship N. Y., has 

 drilled six new wells in the western part of the field, all pene- 

 trating the Medina. Of these only three were sufficiently pro- 

 ductive to pay. The best well showed a rock pressure of 590 



