THE MINING AND QUARRY INDUSTRY 



59 



In the western part of the State there are deposits in Buffalo and 

 vicinity which are the basis of an extensive manufacturing industry. 

 The clay rests upon bed rock, varying from a few inches to 60 feet 

 in thickness. A section on Grand island showed 20 feet of red 

 clay and 14 feet of boulder clay. The beds occur also at Tona- 

 wanda and La Salle and south of Buffalo along the shore of Lake 

 Erie. Common building brick is the leading product, but pressed 

 brick, hollow brick, earthenware and tile are manufactured on a 

 small scale. 



Clay is worked at Jamestown and Dunkirk, Chautauqua co. 

 At the latter locality the deposit is 20 feet thick, consisting of yellow 

 sandy clay on top and blue clay underneath. 



Around Rochester clay is found in an area extending 7 miles 

 north and south and about 10 miles east and west, in the towns of 

 Brighton, Henrietta and Chili. It is usually of reddish color and 

 has an extreme depth of 10 or 12 feet. The main openings are 

 in the suburbs of Rochester. Common brick, fire brick, building- 

 tile, fireproofing and drain tile are made. » 



The clay beds of Onondaga county occur in the valleys throughout 

 the central and southern portions. Many of them are reddish in 

 color, evidently due to their derivation, in part at least, from the 

 Salina shales. A large deposit of stiff red clay occurs at the south 

 end of Onondaga valley, in the vicinity of the salt wells. On the 

 east bank of the Seneca river, east of Baldwinsville, there are open- 

 ings which yield blue and buff clays. The thickness exposed 

 ranges from 15 to 25 feet. Some pottery clay has been obtained 

 at Belle Isle, a few miles west of Syracuse. The clay products of 

 the county include building brick, paving brick, hollow building 

 blocks, drain tile and earthenware. There are potteries at Syra- 

 cuse manufacturing porcelain and china wares, but the crude 

 materials are obtained elsewhere. 



In Jefferson and St Lawrence counties scattered deposits of clay 

 occur and are worked for brick around Watertown, Carthage and 

 Ogdensburg. At Watertown a bed 20 feet thick consists of red 

 and gray clay resting on Trenton limestone. 



Along the Mohawk valley clay beds are found at frequent inter- 

 vals from Rome to Schenectady. They have a thickness of from 

 6 to 15 feet and are red, blue or gray in color. They are utilized 

 to supply the local markets with building brick. 



In the southern part of the State the clays are of comparatively 

 little economic importance. A small output of building brick is 



