NYALBANY-L Archives

From: "Pam Perryman" <>
Subject: [NYALBANY] sand in those clay deposits
Date: Wed, 02 Oct 2002 20:14:31 -0700

To Cliff and others who might be interested,

The following is an excerpt from an 1879 Albany or nearby area newspaper
clipping in a Fitzgerald family album:

1879, second half of the year --³SAND ­ A NEW INDUSTRY OPENING²
³Our townsman, J. G. Fitzgerald, about ten years ago, took in trade for a
Saratoga county farm, 76 acres of land, lying on Washington and Clinton
Avenues, in this city. When the butchers were driven from Washington avenue
some eight years ago, he sold, at a large profit, about 48 acres of the
farm, but kept the upper 28 acres, on which he had discovered a very deep
deposit of THE FINEST WHITE SAND.
An examination of the sand convinced him that it was suitable for the
manufacture of window glass of the finest kind and also for the
rectification of cider.Š
[long discussion of the chemical analysis of the sand and its extraction
and use for glass and rectification of cider]
ŠMr. Fitzgerald imparts all the information gained by his investigations
and experiments, so that all owning lands which have similar deposits may
realize their true value. He does not fear competition will depreciate the
value of his deposit, realizing that numerous deposits will attract numerous
enterprises and enhance the value of the whole.²

Sounds too like he had a friend writing the news article!! I can provide
the rest of the article if any one is interested.

Pam Perryman
Eugene, Oregon

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• [NYALBANY] sand in those clay deposits by "Pam Perryman" <>