USA > New York > Franklin County > A history of St. Lawrence and Franklin counties, New York : from the earliest period to the present time > Part 81
USA > New York > St Lawrence County > A history of St. Lawrence and Franklin counties, New York : from the earliest period to the present time > Part 81
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HISTORY OF ST. LAWRENCE
having the color and brilliancy of gold. Groups of crystaline specimens of these minerals, often form objects of great beauty. This variety of ore is constantly associated with a mineral much like serpentine, named by Prof. C. U. Shepard, dysyntribite, of which further notice will be given. In some form or other, this always makes its appearance in the mines, often in such large masses as to displace the ore, and render necessary an outlay to remove it. It is of every shade of green, yellow and red, often mixed in the same specimen, and its surfaces are many times grounded and polished as if it had slipped under great pressure, and before entirely solid. No profitable locality of red ore occurs east of the town of Gouverneur, although at the junction of the two formations in Pierrepont, a reddish pulverulent mass occurs, which has been ground and used as a paint. In some localities this ore bears unmistakable evi- dence of former igneous action, as shown by the contorted, folded and even fused appearance of the lamina of which it is composed. Should this theory be correct, there must have been a peculiar susceptibility of the surface along the line of the two formations, where from its weak- ness, it yielded to the forces from below. In Gouverneur, near the Little Bow, is a locality of soft unctuous ore-like substance, occurring in white limestone, as shown in Fig. 2, opposite page 685, in which a, represents the soil, b, sulphate of barytes, and c, soft scaly ore. The red ores yield about 50 per cent in the large way as shown by our statistics of the Ros. sie furnace. It has been noticed that castings from this ore shrink a little upon cooling, which requires the patterns to be a little larger than the article to be made, while those from primitive ores lose nothing from this, the iron being probably more crystaline.
Bog ores are rather rare in the primary district, but more common in swamps in Madrid, Norfolk, Louisville, Bombay, Westville, &c., from which supplies for the furnaces at Waddington, Norfolk and Brasher Iron Works, have been derived, and they have supplied several forges. In favorable localities these superficial deposits are renewed after being dug over, and thus successive crops are obtained once in a dozen of twenty years. This ore makes very soft tenacious iron. A mixture of the pri- mitive, red and bog ores in equal parts, was thought to make the best specimen of iron ever produced in Northern New York. Bog ores are generally lean, not yielding more than 20 or 25 per cent.
St. Lawrence has long enjoyed a deserved celebrity for the variety and beauty of its minerals, which indicates the propriety of giving a notice of the more important of these, as well for a guide to the mineralogist, as to convey to the inhabitants themselves, a just idea of the minera! wealth of their own neighborhoods, and perhaps serve to awaken a spiri! of inquiry and observation, especially among the youth that will be pro. ductive of the best results. A neatly arranged mineral cabinet bespeaks the taste and intelligence of its possessor, and one need not travel beyond the precincts of St. Lawrence county, to collect one that shall possess both elegance and value, and be as remarkable for variety as beauty. It is conceded that this county is unrivaled for the variety of its mineral treasures, and this preeminence should be known and appreciated by its citizens.
Agate, of a coarse variety, occurs with chalcedony near Silver lake, in Fowler.
Albite, or white feldspar, is a common constituent of gneiss, in the towns underlaid by that rock, Gouverneur, Rossie, &c. Fowler, affords ex - amples, but there is nothing which possesses interest, either in crystal-
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ine modification or quality, which renders the mineral an object of in- terest to the collector.
Amethyst (blueish violet, or purple quartz), to a limited extent, in Gou- verneur. The banks of Yellow lake in Rossie, have also afforded in- ferior specimens.
Amphibole (basaltic hornblende), occurs frequently in bowlders, but not in rock formations. The crystals appear to be definitely formed and terminated, but so firmly imbedded in the rock, through which they are scattered that it would be impossible to detach them. Broken surfaces often present numerous sections of crystals. In the town of Rossie it has hitherto been noticed most abundantly.
Anglesite (sulphate of lead), occurred sparingly in the lead mines of Rossie, with galena, but it was not of sufficient importance to be worthy of notice in an economical point of view, or of much interest to the min- eralogist.
Ankerite (a variety of dolomite, containing iron), has been attributed to the iron mines of Rossie, but it scarcely differs from the spathic iron of that region, and can not be distinguished from it, if it exists, except by chemical tests.
Apatite (phosphate of lime), crystalized in six sided prisms, occurs at several localities in the white limestone formation, in St. Lawrence county. It was formerly found of a delicate green shade, a mile s. w. of Gouverneur village, but is not now met with there. At the Clark hill, in Rossie, small, but very pretty crystals have been found associated with sphene, crystalized feldspar, and pargasite. Near the head of Mile bay, on Black lake, this mineral has been found of a coarse quality, with its usual associates, but the finest locality hitherto observed in the county, is on the farm of Michael and Charles Harder, in the town of Rossie, in the vicinity of Grass lake. Crystals weighing 18 pounds, and 12 inches in length, have been obtained here, and those of less size, but finely terminated, are more common. The tender quality of the miner- als renders it difficult to procure large specimens without fracturing. These, when perfect, are highly prized by mineral collectors, for their rarity and beauty. If procurable in quantities, it would be a valuable article for manures, being chemically the same as calcined bones. It is also used in the process of assaying gold and silver ores, and would command a high price for this purpose in the markets. The locality in Rossie was first noticed and wrought by Professor Emmons. In figure 5, opposite page 684, is a warped crystal of this mineral, which appears to have been bent after it had been formed, by some motion in the rock, in which it is bedded. This mineral also occurs in Gouverneur, two miles north of Somerville.
Asbestus, of a brown color, with fibres interlocking each other in a very intricate manner, occurs in the town of Fowler, associated with Rens- selaerite, talc, and tremolite, between the villages of Little York and Fullerville. When broken, the fractured surface has some resemblance to rotten wood. It does not possess the quality of tenacity, or the prop- erty of being easily beaten up into a fibrous mass, which give value to this mineral in the arts, as a constituent of incombustible cloth, or a non conductor of heat, for the packing of iron safes.
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HISTORY OF ST. LAWRENCE
Arragonite. (needle spar), occurs in the iron mines, near Somerville, in beautiful white globular masses, in cavities of iron ore. When broken, these present a silken white radiated structure. Groups of these spherical masses, usually of about half an inch in diameter, often pos- sess much beauty. The best that have been obtained came from a shaft sunk in the land of Mr. Parish, adjacent to the Kearney mine. From its occurrence with the ores of iron, this mineral is sometimes called flos-ferri, or the flowers of iron.
Automolite, has been attributed to the vicinity of Rossie village. Its existence is doubtful, and its locality is unknown. Recent examinations prove this mineral to be a variety of spinel, and identical with dys- luite, one of the varieties of that mineral.
Babingtonite, has been said to occur in Gouverneur, coating crystals of feldspar. The locality, if it existed, has been lost.
Blende (sulphuret of zinc), was found associated with galena, at the lead mines at Rossie, sparingly, and at Mineral point, in the town of Macomb, more abundantly. It is more or less mixed with that mineral . at the lead mines in Macomb, and in the towns of Fowler, Morristown, and De Kalb.
Calcareous tufa, formed by the deposit of carbonate of lime, from springs, is of common occurrence in Rossie, Gouverneur, and other towns. At some localities, it is found imitating in form, the fibres of moss, which it is popularly believed to be the petrification. This struct- ure is found to occur where no vegetable matter could have existed, to give it the peculiar appearance.
Calcite (carbonate of lime), occurs in many localities, and is afforded at almost every mine that has been wrought, but at none with more bril- liancy and beauty, than at the lead mines at Rossie and Mineral point. Limpid crystals, of great size, often witli cavities containing water oc- curred here, and the modifications of form and combination of groups of crystals appeared to be infinite. Not unfrequently an instance would occur in which an original defect had been remedied, by a subsequent addition, and the form would be perfect, while the addition was evident from difference of color. On the right side of the Oswegatchie, two miles above the Kearney bridge, in the town of Gouverneur, in an oven shaped cavity in limestone rock, and imbedded in clay, are crystals of great size, rough externally but when broken quite transparent. A specimen more than a foot in length, nearly transparent, and weighing 75 pounds, was procured by Charles S. Bolton, of Wegatchie, from this locality. It is in the state cabinet.
Peculiar modifications represented in figures 1, 2, 3, 4, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, opposite page 709, and a twin group shown in figure 4, opposite page 704, occur at the locality of Pearl spar, in Rossie. They are chiefly remark- able for form, rather than quality. The surface is often rough from cal- careous depositions, and they are opake within. Just within the edge of Jefferson county, in the same range with the last locality, on the farm of Mr. Benton, a very interesting locality of calcite occurs, in which the same terminal planes as those represented in the figures occur. The spar at this place is sometimes tinged with a delicate rose tint, which is, however, liable to fade when exposed to the light.
On the left bank of the Oswegatchie, near the Natural dam, in Gou- verneur, large crystals of calcite occur. The iron mines of Rossie,
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afford crystals usually of the dog tooth form, in cavities of iron ore. Some of these with bright globular crystaline groups of nickeliferous iron pyrites, and spathic iron, form attractive cabinet specimens. The slender six sided pyramids are here, as in most other localities in the county, terminated by an obtuse pyramid, the planes of which are par- allel with the plane of cleavage. The mines of the St. Lawrence Lead Mining Company, in Macomb, have furnished some interesting specimens of a smoky hue, and others tinged red. Cavities in white limestone, are often found to contain crystals of calcite, and it is noticed that all the crystals of a given locality possess some general resem- blance or family likeness, which to one acquainted with the localities, would be sufficient to identify it among many others. This fact is inter- esting, as indicating that similar conditions at the the time of formation, produce similar results,, and may perhaps lead to a knowledge of the causes which produce the varieties in crystaline form. In the town of Pitcairn, calcite, of a sky blue color, in coarse crystaline masses, occur on the south road, about two miles from Green's mill. At the copper mine, in Canton, crystals of calcite, nearly limpid, often a great size, and frequently coated with pearl spar, were found.
Celestine (sulphate of strontia), in crystals of a beautiful blue tint, was found in working Coal Hill mine in Rossie.
Chalcedony, occurs at a locality in Fowler, in interesting concretionary forms, but destitute of that polished surface, which is common with this mineral. It was found with calcareous spar, galena, blende, &c.
Chlorite, occasionally occurs in bowlders, but not in rock formation, in the northern part of the state. It is often associated withi epidote.
Chondrodite, with its usual associates, spinelle, occurs in the town of Rossie abundantly about three fourths of a mile, west of the village of Somerville, in white limestone. It is of every shade of yellow, inclining to orange and brown, and is diffused in grains, and small crystaline particles, through the white limestone, appearing in relief, on the weath- ered surface. Detached bowlders on the shores of Yellow lake, contain the same mineral, and it is said to occur in situ, near the Clark hill, in Rossie.
Dolomite, or magnesian limestone, is of frequent occurrence, but not in sufficient quantities to give it geological importance. It is usually as- sociated with white limestone, and is distinguished from it by its supe- rior hardness, causing it often to appear in relief upon weathered sur- faces.' Rossie, Gouverneur, De Kalb, &c.
Dysyntribite, occurs at all localities of red iron ore.
Epidote, granular, and disseminated, in ' chlorite, is common in bowlders, but not in place.
Feldspar .- This important constituent of gneiss and granite, occurs abundantly throughout the the primitive region, but at only a few lo- calities of sufficient interest to merit notice. At the locali.y of apatite, pargasite, &c., on the Clark hill in Rossie, crystals occur of consider- able interest.
Fluor Spar .- One of the most celebrated American localities of this mineral was discovered many years since on Muscalunge lake, in Ant- werp, near the borders of St. Lawrence county. Massive cubes va-
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HISTORY OF ST. LAWRENCE
riously grouped, and at times presenting single crystaline faces, a foot in extent, were here found. Externally they were usually rough, but within perfectly transparent, and of some shade of green, varying from the slightest to the deepest tinge. At the Rossie lead mines small quantities were found. Good specimens can not be now procured here. At a locality of sulphate of barytes in Gouverneur, two miles north from the Griffith bridge, a limited quantity was also found. Near the Rock island bridge, in the same town, it has recently been found in considerable quantity and of fine quality. This mineral pos- sesses commercial value from its uses in the chemical arts. It is em- ployed as a flux for separating metals from their ores, and in making fluoric acid, the most corrosive substance known, and which is used in etching upon glass. This acid is also used, with iodine and bromine, in the daguerreotype process.
Galena (sulphuret of lead) .- This important ore the only ore hitherto employed, in the country for the production of lead, occurs in Rossie and Macomb in quantities which will hereafter render these towns of great importance. This ore has also been found in Fowler, Pitcairn, &c., but not in such quantities as to repay the cost of working. It usually occurs in veins with calcareous spar, and of a highly crystaline structure, yielding the primitive form of the mineral (the cube), by cleav- age with the greatest freedom. When crystalized, it has been in the form of the cube and octahedron, with the intermediate modifications. The Rossie lead mines have furnished groups of these crystals, which, for size and splendor, would compare with any in the world.
Garnet is found only in bowlders, and of coarse quality.
Graphite (carburet of iron), is a common mineral in the white lime- stone, although it has not hitherto been observed in quantities sufficient . for any valuable purpose. Near the Big hill, in Rossie, it forms a vein in the old road, and a quarter of a mile further east, it also occurs. The apatite localities all afford scales of graphite. In Canton it occurs in gneiss. It has been found in considerable quantities in Duane in bowlders.
Greenstone is common in bowlders, and occurs in dykes in limestone in Rossie. The junction of the rock with the intruded mass, often exhibits evidences of the action of heat.
Hornblende, either in its proper color and crystaline form, or in its varieties as tremolite, asbestus, pargasite, &c., is one of our most abund- ant minerals. It is a constituent of gneiss, and coextensive with that rock. In Edwards is an interesting locality of glassy hornblende, which is very cleavable in one direction. It is two miles from the village, on the road to South Edwards, which runs on the right bank of the Oswe- gatchie. The color at this locality is greenish black, and it is very com- mon to find the peculiar wedge shaped crystaline form of this mineral in the cavities. A similar but less interesting locality occurs in the town of Rossie, on the left bank of the Oswegatchie, a short distance above the village of Wegatchie. It occurs in De Kalb, Gouverneur, Potsdam, Pierrepont, &c.
Houghite .- This term has been applied by Prof. C. U. Shepard, of Amherst College, to a new mineral that occurs on the farm of Stephen Ayres, 1} miles north of Somerville, associated with spinelle, serpentine, dolomite, phlogopite, &c. The quantity is abundant at the locality, and
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it has been found crystalized in octahedrons. The reader is referred to the American Journal of Science, since 1849, and the Transactions of the American Association, for 1851, for several articles by Profs. Shep- ard, Dana and Johnson, on this mineral. It has been suggested that it may be analagous to, or identical witlı, Volknerite, a Norwegian mineral, and it is at this time undergoing a rigid analysis in the laboratory of Yale College, that will probably settle the question.
Idocrase, in irregular fluted prisms, occurs in bowlders, and perhaps in rocks in situ, in several localities in Rossie, and probably other towns. It is usually clove brown, opake, brittle, and resembles some varieties of tourmaline in form. At Vrooman's lake, near the Ox Bow, it has been found in crystals, which possess terminal planes.
Iron pyrites (sulphuret of iron), is common, and will doubtless at a future time possess much economical importance for the manufacture of copperas, sulphuric acid, and soda ash. Of the former, several hundred tons were formerly made in the town of Canton, but the works have long since been discontinued. Some of the most brilliant specimens ever procured, were in the lead mines of Rossie, where it occurred in cavi- ties of the veins, crystalized in cubes, with various modifications, and pos- sessing a brilliant lustre which was not liable to tarnish. The iron mines of Rossie and those adjacent have furnished many interesting specimens. It here occurs massive and crystalized, the latter often associated with arsenic, constituting the mineral known as arsenical iron pyrites .* For variety of crystaline form, a locality on the farm of Mr. John Robertson, in the town of Gouverneur, is worthy of notice. The mineral here oc- curs in company with graphite and iron ore of a tarnished bronze color, and in small crystals, which possess the form of the cube, octahedron, dodecahedron, with every intermediate modification. Large octahe- drons have been obtained in Gouverneur, at a working for iron ore on the farm of James Morse. The vicinity of the village of Hermon has furnished interesting specimens, and the mines which have been worked for iron, copper and lead, throughout the county contain more or less of this mineral. It is often imbedded in gneiss.
Labradorite (opalescent feldspar), occurs in bowlders, the best speci- mens having been found on the banks of the St. Lawrence, in the town of Oswegatchie, three or four miles above the village of Ogdensburgh. Several tons exist there, near the water's edge. It takes a beautiful polish, and would form an elegant gem. The play of colors is vivid, and the shades are mostly green and blue.
Ioxoclase (feldspar with diagonal cleavage), occurs in Rossie at the celebrated locality of zircon and apatite, and this is the only hitherto reported locality. It occurs crystalized in the forms usual with feldspar, and when broken, presents a delicate bluish opalescence.
Magnetite, described ahove in our account of iron ores.
Mica .- See Muscovite and Phlogopite.
Muscovite .- This variety of mica does not occur in situ in northern New York, but is found in bowlders. One in Gouverneur, containing
* For an account of this mineral, see an article by Prof. Cha's U. Shepard, in the Transac. tions of the American Association, Albany session, 1851.
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HISTORY OF ST. LAWRENCE
large plates of a black variety was examined in its optical properties, by Professor B. Silliman, Jr., of Yale College, and found to have an optical angle of 70° to 70° 30'.
Pargasite (green hornblende), occurs wherever apatite has been found in St. Lawrence county. It usually is crystalized in hexagonal prisms, of a delicate grass green, or bluish green color, sometimes in radiated crystaline fibres, in seams of rock, and at others in crystaline grains of ready cleavage. The finest locality of this mineral known in St. Law- rence county, is near the county line, in Rossie, and in a neighborhood called New Connecticut.
Pearl spar (crystalized dolomite), occurs in the town of Rossie, on the right bank of the Oswegatchie, about opposite the furnace at Wegatchie, where the river crosses the town the second time. It occurs in crevices of limestone, on a precipitous ledge thickly covered by small cedars, and is usually planted in clusters of crystals upon large dog tooth crys- tals of calcareous spar, and can be obtained in considerable quantities.
Phlogopite .- The mica of our white limestone formations occurs in numerous localities, and often in great beauty. At the serpentine locality of Gouverneur, near Somerville, at the hornblende locality of Edwards, and at other places in that town, in Fine, two miles from South Edwards, in Russell, De Kalb, Fowler, Hermon, Gouverneur and Rossie, it is of frequent occurrence, and at times of great beauty. The optical proper- ties of these micas are given in vol. x, p. 374-8 (new series), of the Ame- rican Journal of Science and Arts.
Pyroxene in prisms occurs in Rossie, Gouverneur, Hermon, De Kalb, &c. Near Grass lake, in the former town, a white variety occurs, in which the crystaline form is well exhibited. In Gouverneur it occurs in the vicinity of the apatite locality. It is here dark green, and greenish black.
Quartz, the most abundant of the simple minerals, and a constituent of gneiss and sandstone, occurs in many interesting varieties. The mines of crystalized specular iron in Gouverneur, Fowler, Edwards and Hermon all afford splendid crystals. The iron mine near Chub lake, in Fowler, afforded beautiful crystals, which were nearly transparent, and quite brilliant. On the farm of Joel Smith, in Gouverneur, at a locality opened for iron ore, similar crystals were found. At the apatite locality at Gouverneur, large smoky crystals have been obtained, and at that in Rossie similar ones, so rounded as to appear to have been partially dis- solved, occur. The latter much resembles hyalite. At the iron mines in Rossie, delicate groups of needle shaped crystals occur in cavities in the ore.
Rensselaerite, of various shades, from white to black, through every intermediate color, and varying from a finely granular to a coarsely crys- taline structure, occurs in limestone and gneiss in many places in the towns of Gouverneur, Rossie, Fowler, Russell, Fine, Pitcairn and Ed- wards. In Russell and Edwards, it has been wrought to some extent into inkstands and other small articles, and its softness, toughness, the beautiful gloss which it readily receives, and the diversity of color which it often presents, indicate it as a suitable material for any of the orna- mental uses to which alabaster is applied. It can be turned in a lathe without difficulty. The manufacture from this material was never car-
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ried on as a regular business, and has been discontinued for many years. At Wegatchie, between 1836-9, about fifty tons were ground and sold for gypsum.
Rutile (titanic acid), has been attributed to Gouverneur, but its locality, if it ever existed, has been lost. This mineral is valuable, from the use made of it by the manufacturers of artificial teeth, to give a yellowish tinge to the enamel. It is worth about $6 per lb for this purpose.
Satin spar (fibrous calcite), is of frequent occurrence in seams of ser- pentine and Rensselaerite, in Fowler, Rossie and Edwards. At a locality near Silver lake, in Fowler, beautiful specimens occur. On the left bank of the Oswegatchie, between that river and Yellow lake, and opposite Wegatchie, in the town of Rossie, is a remarkable locality in a peculiar rock, supposed to be a new mineral. The satin spar is in vertical seams, while the fibres of the spar run across the vein. The width of the veins varies from a mere white line to an inch, and fine specimens are procur- able in quantities. The same mineral occurs in narrow seams in ser- pentine, at the Dodge iron mine in Edwards. The quantity is small.
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