THE MINING AND QUARRY INDUSTRY 



129 



Building sand. The glacial deposits which are a prominent 

 feature of the topograph}- in many sections afford an abundant 

 source of sand for building and construction purposes. Such sand 

 may be mixed with gravel, boulders and clay, requiring some prepa- 

 ration by screening or washing before it can be used. Frequently, 

 however, the materials have been sorted before deposition so that 

 beds yielding quite clean and evenly sized sand may be worked. 

 The supplies of sand used in building operations in Albany and 

 Rochester are derived from local morainal deposits. Alluvial sand 

 found along the stream valleys is employed in many localities in 

 the interior of the State. Beach sand also enters into the trade ; 

 most of the sand consumed in New York city is obtained from the 

 shores of Long Island, and Buffalo derives its supply from the 

 beaches of Lake Erie, principally from the Canadian side. 



While the trade in building sand has attained to very large pro- 

 portions, it is difficult to secure reliable information on the subject, 

 owing to the numerous small enterprises engaged in the industry 

 and their somewhat unstable character. The value of building sand 

 is mostly represented in the cost of excavation and transport to 

 market. 



Glass sand. For the manufacture of glass, pure quartz sand is 

 required. The presence of dark minerals such as magnetite, horn- 

 blende, mica etc., which carry iron, is objectionable. In the manu- 

 facture of window glass and common glassware, the iron is kept 

 down to a small fraction of 1 per cent, while for the finer grades no 

 more than a trace is allowable. 



The glass sand produced in the State comes from the vicinity 

 of Oneida lake. The principal workings are in the towns of Rome, 

 Verona and Vienna, Oneida co. ; and Constantia. Oswego co. The 

 deposits vary from 6 inches to 3 feet in thickness and are covered 

 by a few inches of soil. The sand is prepared for market by 

 washing in sheet iron sieves and subsequent stirring in troughs 

 partly filled with water. It is shipped to various points including 

 Rochester, Ithaca, Lockport, Black Rock, Syracuse and Clyde. The 

 resources of this section early attracted attention and for many 

 years the manufacture of window glass by local plants was a flour- 

 ishing industry. The business has declined in importance owing 

 to competition with manufacturing centers situated in the coal and 

 natural gas fields. An analysis of glass sand from West Vienna, 

 furnished by B. Delahunt, manager of the Oneida Lake Sand Mine, 

 shows the following chemical composition. 



