THE MINING AND QUARRY INDUSTRY 



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from 8 to 12 feet wide. By extending a crosscut through the 

 hanging wall, a second deposit was found which has been shown by 

 exploration to be at least 100 feet long and 60 feet thick. The mine 

 is owned by the Adirondack Pyrite Co. The equipment includes a 

 large mill. 



Besides the three mines mentioned there are a number of open- 

 ings and prospects in the vicinity. Some ore has been taken from a 

 deposit on the Alexander Farr farm, 2>< miles northeast of Bigelow 

 in De Kalb township. The existence of pyrite is reported also on 

 the properties of George Styles iy 2 miles west of Bigelow; of 

 S. Hendricks 1 mile south of Bigelow ; and of L. Hockins, 7 miles 

 west of Rensselaer Falls, town of De Peyster. Another locality is 

 the Graham pit 2 miles northeast of the Stella mine. 



The crude ore from the St Lawrence county mines carries from 

 20 to 35 per-cent sulfur. An analysis of average material from the 

 Stella deposit shows the following percentages: sulfur 33%; silica, 

 32% ; iron, 32% > copper .04%, with traces of gold and silver. By 

 concentration the sulfur content is raised to 45 or 50 per cent. 



In the mill owned by the Adirondack Pyrites Co., the ore as it 

 comes from the mine is passed through a Blake crusher and rolls 

 where it is broken down to y-g- inch size. Tt is then concentrated 

 on Hartz jigs. Each of the four jigs used has three beds. From 

 here the concentrates are elevated and loaded into cars for shipment 

 or held in storage. About 5 per cent of sulfur is lost in the tailings. 

 The cost of mining and milling is said to be about 75 cents a ton of 

 concentrates. 



The pyrite is used in making sulfuric and sulfurous acids. It 

 has been shipped to chemical companies in New York and adjoin- 

 ing states. The sulfite pulp mills in the Adirondacks consume large 

 quantities of sulfurous acid and should afford an excellent market 

 for the output of this region. The pyrite contains no impurities 

 that interfere with its use for manufacturing acids. 



On the eastern side of the Adirondacks the schists and gneisses 

 often carry pyrite, and occasional streaks and irregular masses are 

 found that are quite rich. So far, however, no workable bodies 

 have been discovered. Some of the magnetite deposits are pyritous 

 and occasionally they are notably so, as is instanced in the Lee mine 

 near Port Henry. 



Elsewhere in the State, pyrite is quite widely distributed, though 

 not usually found in quantity. The Phillips magnetite mine, Putnam 

 co., is mentioned by Beck as affording the mineral. It is associated 

 here with magnetite and also impregnates the walls. It constitutes 

 from one half to one sixth of the ore body. 



