Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1910-07-04
Mineral Resources of Maine.


A subscriber asks the Commercial to
give some information regarding
Mains mineral resources and to what
exteht they are mined question which
opens wide field.
The most valuable mineral resourse
of the State is it's granite, an appar-
emily mexhaustible resource for it has
been said that within our borders there
is granite sufficient to supply all the
cities of the world with it's building
and paving stone for many centuries to
come. The granite is well distributed,
being found in every country in the
State although found in the largest
quantities in the western and south
eastern counties. From returns made
in 1901 to the bureau of industrial sta
tistics it was found that the capital in
vested in this industry Appropriated
$4,000, 900 while the value of production
for the year was but some 100000 less.
Some $500 WCrkmen are employed in
the various qGarries and about $2000.-
900 is expended annually for labor. In
that year Maine reached first place, as
a granite producing State.
The second place in Importance in
Names minerals must be given to
limestone and while the stone has been
found widely scattered over the State
its quarrving and burning has been
confined largely to Knox county where
the prosperity of Rockland, Camden
Rock port and Thomaston depends to
very great extent upon this industry.
There is about $4,000, 900 invested in the
lime industry in Maine. and the value
of the product annually is about 81 .200.-
900. About quarter of this amount is
paid out in wages.
Names resources in State form a
very material contribution TO the
wealth of the State. There is a vast
belt of slate which extends from the
Kennebec river at Carratunk nearly to
ries have been opened along this belt.
notably in Piscataquis county. The
total value of the production runs at
an average of about $780, annually
and il is to be noted that the Maine
slate is considered equal to any in the
world, it's price averaging so per cent.
higher than the entire average for the
country.
Not ar inconsiderable item in the list
of Names mineral resources comes
from its brick manufacture, the desired
plastic blue clay being found in suff-
cient abundance along the coast and in
the river valleys of the State. There is
also quite an extensive manufacture of
drain tile, the total value of the brick
tile output of the State reaching near
" half million of dollars annually.
Rich deposits of feldspar have been
found at TopSham. Hebron, Auburn.
Perry, Phippsburg, Rumford, Paris and
other towns in the state and for some
40 years quarry has been operated at
Topsham. the ground product being
shipped to New Jersey and used in the
manufacture of pottery.
Maine has iron ore in abundance and
for a plumber of years there was pro-
duction on a large scale at Katahdin
Iron Works in Piscataquis and at Penn
broke in Washington county, but work
was suspended many years ago There
is large bed of red hermatite ore in
Wade plantation in Aroostook county
and beds of magnetic iron on Mt. Des-
art and some adjacent iron and also in
Bucktield. There is a very large bed
of bog ir"n ore in New Limerick, in
Aroostook county and also at Katah-
din Iron Works. Among other localities
where the ore is found in quantities
are Newfield in York county, where
manufacture was formerly carried on.
Shapleieh. Argyle. Clinton. Williams
burg. Bluchill. Lebanon. Union. Cam
ton, Paris, Sacn and ThOmaston and
smaller deposits in many other places
1t may be that in years to come iron
production will be found lucrative in
Maine and there is certainly no lack
of orc if it can be mined to financial
advantage.
1t is stated that any marked increase
in the price of lead would result in con-
operations in this State. 1t is
thought that Names richest lead mine
is that situated in Lubec in Washing
ton county. where operations have
been carried on and many tons of ore
extracted. In the Lubec mine quite a
percentage of zinc is found in combi-
nation with the lead. Galena, which is
the principal ore of lead, is found in
Bluehill. Cherryfield, Dexter. East
port. Marion. Parsonsfield, Scarboro.
Thomaston Topsham. Warren and
elsewhere. Nearly all of these mines
contain silver to some extent
AS older residents will remember
large quantities of copper ore WERE
mined at Biuehill and in 1880 the oper-
atoms there were very promising and