Delaware state journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1870-1883, 1873-05-10
RICH CORUNbGM MIE'
An Extensive Deposit Of the Mineral in
Chester County on the W. & r. R. 1T
Is Owned and Worked BY Delawareans

Chester County on the W. & r. R. r 1T
is Owned and Worked by Delawaresns
- - lf
Corundum is a subsistence TO sQme ex
tent resembling emery, out muclf harder
than that substance and once used almost
exclusively for grinding glass. II was
found In India and 10 some extent In this
country, chiefly in North Carolina, aud
subsequently In Delaware county ,gPa.
and more lately still IN Chester county,
where deposits of such size had been
found as 10 permit cOrundum 10 enter
much more largely than ever before into.
the useful arts.
In 1896 or 1887 II WIS discovered IN
Chester County and a firm OF English
plate glass manufacturers sent a scien-
tilic man to investigate tue discovery.
AT the suggestion Of this gentleman, Mr..
l.. White Williams, mineralogist, of
West Chester, bought property IN New
lin township containing a deposit which
he orked until about lhy tons had been
shipped to England, when the supply was
apparently exhausted. The land passed
through several hands subsequently until
It was purchased by Samuel Pusey, spen-
Ger Chandler and George Ball. A cores
respondent OF the West Chester Repubii-
can recently visited the place, and we ex-
tract the following from his report;
On Tuesday las. we visited the work.
ings which we found on bleak and
barren looking hlll, where TIE land seems
too poor to raise even an excitement, near
Oak Hill School house in Newlln town
ship, about a mile and Il half from Glen
Hall Station on the Wilmington aud
Reading Railroad. Here we found George
n.,NN Al -
gave us all the information in his power
In regard to corundum and the process of
mining Il.
TIE attention of these gentleman was
first called to the yelue OF the mineral
Of Morton Poole, Esq, a prominent ma
chinist Of Wilmington, who saw II used
on polishing wheels at machine shop In
Providence Rhode Island, and found that
II was purchased from a Mr.. Dougherty
# Philadelphia, who claimed that il came
from somewhere in Delaware county. for
be it known that at this time the utmost
secrecy was observed in regard to the
places where it was to be found. Dill
gent inquiry disclosed the present locality
which was purchased, and prospecting
resumed upon a large scale and kept up
for some time, but without paying results.
Tie land was then leased to a New York
Company who did a great amount Of
digging, nut but failing to satisfy the eX.
pectations of the stockholders, was given
up. The owners then during the summer
Of 1872, called In the services of John II.
Smedley, of Delaware county, a mineral
logist of experience, who came to the
conclusion that the scattered boulders
found upon the surface Indicated vein
of the mineral In The immediate ueighbor-
hood, and proceeding patiently upon this
theory, his perseverance was rewarded
in September last, by the finding of the
large vein at present worked. The first
Indication of the vein was found about
one footlbeneath the surface, 10 the form
of nodules, which continued to grow
larger as they descended, until at ten feel
down the vein presents a surface Of about
dve feet in width, while of It's length and
depth 1t is impossible to say anything
definite. The vein has been cleared
ten feet or more in length to depth Of
about thirty feet, aud shows increasing
dimensions ALL the way with no iudica-
tions of running out verticallo. Its d.
reclion is nearly East and West, and it
descends with slight inclination to the
South.
It comes out In boulders weighing from
lew POUNDS 10 rev IONS, anu IS nFphen
gradually with sledges, then ground he.
tween the rollers Of powerful crushing
mill until reduced fine enough to bo ap-
piled to the same uses as emery, which it
entirely surpasses, and is destined 10 en-.
tirely supersede among manufacturers OF
plate glass, machinists, dentists, and in
all other manufactures which require a
rapid and lasting cutting material Of this
kind.
That II is a mine Of untold wealth to its
owners, may he seen when it Is stated
that IL finds a. a.ready market at $500 per
ton in the rock, delivered at the railroad
station, or $500 per ton when crushed.
The present owners are apidly periecling
machinery for crushing it ut the works,
and as soon as this can be done their
iinal success is assured, as there is ro
limit TO the demand, aud apparently
none to the supply. Large quantities are
being shipped to France, England and
other counties; besides what finds mar
ket at home.
This is the only mine Of corundum
known to exist In the world, and Chester
county has the honor Ut being the only
locality whore il is found in paying guam.
,tics. Messrs. Pusey, Chandler and
Ball NAV be congratulated upon their
success, which has not, however, been
reached without great expenditure Of
time. labor and money.