Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1917-08-15

being or have been mined at
more or less profit. and of at least one,
feldspar, Maine furnishes a most val
liable supply than any other state
The preceding statement omits to take
account of the vast amount of build
ing stone and road materials fur
nished every year by the rocks Of the
state.
"Of the metals, Maine is known to
possess tin, gold, silver, copper. lead
zinc. iron, anthony bismuth, man
ganese, arsenic and molybdenum.
Some or all Of these may be in small
amounts, perhaps too small to en-
courage expectations of immediate
profits in mining them. There has,
however, been so little systematic
prospecting that no definite state
ment as to the probable amount of
airy of them is warranted. There
seems nc really good reason why any
or all of them should not be found in
amounts that would satisfy moderate
expectations.
Broadly speaking, rocks which may
be considered as possible commercial
sources of feldspar occur in more or
less association with granite, wher-
ever the latter is found. Such locali-
ties are too numerous and too widely
distributed throughout the United
States. to receive particular mention
fere. Several of the eastern states.
however, contain considerable deposits
Of workable spar in amounts sufficient
to compete with the Maine supply.
1T is probably true that all the
GRANTEES Of the state have associated
with them some pegmatiteor at least
coarser phases that might conceivably,
! at some future time, yield feldspathic
materials of commercial Importance
Such GRANTEES are notably present in
the region between Penobscot and
Union rivers from Brooksville and
Fluehill northward through North
! Ellsworth, Dedham and Holden. The
large crystals are inclined to be
rather pure orthoclase and large
masses OF the granite, as some of that
in the neighborhood Of Bluehill, may
consist in greater part of this feldspar.
Field observation seems to indicate
that the coarser GRANTEES, inclining to
rorpnyrt:c texture, are less likely to
show pegmatitic phases than the finer
and more evensrained GRANTEES.
Great areas of granite occur in the
mountainous parts OF the state, in
the central and northwestern areas,
and careful prospecting in the neigh
horhood of these might reveal promis-
ing sources of feldspar in considera ole
amounts. They are for the most part.
however, difficult of access and remote
from railroads, and are interesting
only as regards possibilities in the
not very immediate future
Scattered small masses of potash
fadspar are found here and there in
the quartz veins that are abundant IN
the slate areas, but the mineral is
probably nowhere present in suf-
ficient amount to make it even remote
ly interesting
With the exception Of one aban-
donod quarry at New Castle. and two
at Edgeconb. all of the pegmatite
that has been worked, or even pros
pected for commercial spar. lies in an
area bounded by a line that follows
the most easterly boundary OF Saga
dahoc county from the islands north
to tho 44th degree of latitude, hence
due west to the Androscoggin river,
thence upstream to the northern
boundary of Androscoegin county,
thence westward across Oxford county
to the New Hampshire line.
within this boundary are some 50
or moro quarries, mines and small
prospects. 20 of which produce. or
could produce, marketable spar in
some quantity. Of these, perhaps -
are worked more or less steadily for
spar. all of which is hauled to three
grinding mills. Seven or eight locali-
ties arc worked either as mines or as
mere surface prospects. primarily for
gems or rare minerals. In at least four
of these such marketable spar as is
broken out in the course of operations
is piled up beside the openings and
allowed to accumulate until there is
enough to make shipping it worth
while.