Luther — Economic Geology of Onondaga County. 



principal ingredient in the composition of "Portland" cement, which is an 

 artificial water-lime, having the property of hardening or "setting 11 under 

 water. 



The American Portland Cement Co. has a plant in the town of Elbridge, 

 two miles east of Jordan, and owns fifty acres of marl and clay lying on both 

 sides of the Erie canal, and another bed of marl near Jordan station. The 

 marl bed at the works is from eight to fifteen feet thick, and has the appear- 

 ance of a bed of pure white clay. Entire specimens of recent fresh water 

 shells are very abundant in it, and also in the bed of marly bluish clay beneath 

 it, which is the other important component in the cement. 



The process of manufacture is briefly as follows : After the muck has 

 been carefully removed, the marl is dug out and conveyed to the works, where 

 it is thoroughly mixed by machinery with water and a definite proportion of 

 clay, together with a small amount of other material, and pressed into the 

 form of long rough bricks. These are placed on small platform cars, in layers 

 crosswise, with a space between to allow circulation of air; then taken to a 

 large room through which is driven a strong current of air heated to a tem- 

 perature of 150°, where they are rapidly dried and become hardened so that 

 they can be hauled. They are then placed in large circular kilns, with alter- 

 nate layers of coal and subjected to a high degree of heat for three days. 

 When sufficiently cool, stone crushers and mill stones reduce the calcined 

 mass to the consistency of fine flour. It is then ready for use. 



The American Portland Cement Co. at its Jordan works has twelve 

 kilns and employs seventy-five men. It manufactures 2,500 barrels of 

 cement per month. In the town of Camillus, one-half mile south of Warners, 

 the Empire Portland Cement Co. owns extensive marl and clay beds and 

 manufactures Empire Portland Cement on a large scale. The marl bed one- 

 half mile west of the works is six to seven feet thick, covered by two to 

 twelve inches of black muck. Beneath the marl is a bed of bluish marly 

 clay two and one-half feet thick. Steam is employed in excavating the marl 

 and clay and hauling the loaded cars to the works. This establishment turns 

 out 400 barrels of finished cement per day and employs 110 men. The large 

 plant of the Warner Cement Co., located on marl and clay beds one mile west 

 of Warner's, is not in operation at present. Nearly all of the cement produced 

 in the county is exported. The amount of marl and clay in the county 

 adapted to the manufacture of artificial cement is practically unlimited. 



Deposits of carbonate of lime in the form of travertine, sometimes 

 called " basswood limestone,' 1 44 horse-bone 11 and 44 petrified moss," derived 



