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PhotosQingheiite-(Fe2+) - G. E. Smith Mine, Newport, Sullivan Co., New Hampshire, USA

14th Aug 2013 13:06 UTCFred E. Davis

07965020017099531096032.jpg
Ferroqingheiite
Chandlers Mill Quarry, Newport, Sullivan County, New Hampshire, USA
Copyright © California Institute of Technology
The locality "G. E. Smith mine (Chandler Mills quarry)" listed on Mindat is in error since it is not a single locality, but two distinct localities. The next problem is that "G. E. Smith mine" is incorrect; there was no "G. E. Smith," but there was a G. F. Smith - specifically George Frank Smith - who, with his wife Agnes, owned the property. Unfortunately, the poster had no correct choice available. It would be interesting to know whether the specimen is actually from G. F. Smith mine or Chandlers Mill mine. See my discussion of this problem in "Mistakes and Errors."
discussion for a link to that forum.>

14th Aug 2013 14:00 UTCVandall Thomas King Manager

I collected three or four times at the Smith/Chandler's Mills localities in the 1970s, before they were overgrown by scrub trees. Drove by out of curiosity two years ago and saw that not only are the lots completely densely wooded, but the dump rock actually can be seen on the slope touching a paved driveway with other driveways leading into the quarry area. Sigh! In the time when access was still permitted, the nomenclature of the two spots was much garbled. The lore was that the Chandler's Mills Quarry was a small pit that had been mostly back-filled due to farming and was on the NW side of the road behind the Smith residence. The Smith Quarry was across the road and up hill from the Smith residence and was the larger occurrence. At the time, the dump was in open sunlight with only a few trees encroaching on the pit. There was always a lot of brazilianite to collect and I found a two cm multiple crystal. Never did find any hurlbutite, but I did find gormanite before it was a species. Curt Segeler was trying to get it described as a new mineral after having an XRD pattern done for him. Based on semi-qualitative wet chemical analysis, he was sure it was the Fe-analog of souzalite, which of course it is. There are still several potentially new species that need work. Have been trying to get more from old collections, but maybe technology has caught up with the amount of mineral available?


Thank you for the name change information.

14th Aug 2013 14:22 UTCFred E. Davis

Gene Cameron and his crew visited the area at a unique period in the 1940s when these events were happening:

1) George F. Smith owned the property and was living there.

2) G. F. Smith opened the small pit just east of his residence near the Sugar River and was working it (G. F. Smith mine).

3) Smith leased the old, abandoned pegmatite further south up the hill to a Keene, NH mining company; it was reopened and worked (Chandlers Mill mine).

4) Both mines were active at the time of their visits, so there was no confusion about names (either owner or mine).

5) Maps were drawn and labeled (USGS PP255 Plate 41).

6) Other maps in that era (eg, Olson 1950) were similarly correctly labeled.


Names were clear then, but garbled with passing time. It's time to set them straight once again.

14th Aug 2013 15:44 UTCVandall Thomas King Manager

I see you were able to visit the Chandler Mills Quarry and photograph the remainder of the location. Glad to see there is some existence still. Were you able to find a pit at the Smith Quarry? I searched for it once, but was disappointed. Cameron et al. map two pegmatites with contacts, wonder if they aren't connected? At this point in time, I'm not sure there is a utility to have two separate listings at Mindat?

14th Aug 2013 16:41 UTCFred E. Davis

Cameron et al. (1954) imply that the G. F. Smith pegmatite is an extension of the Chandlers Mills pegmatite, but never explored the possibility further. So at this point, that's just a conjecture.


Since the mines are not adjacent, were operated independently by different mining companies and exhibit different minerals on the dumps, obviously they should be listed separately. Until they are listed correctly, I have no reason to add minerals & photos to an erroneous locality. I would like to see my contributions attributed to the locality where they were found.


Because the Orchard Pit and Bennett Quarries (Buckfield, ME) are so close, should you combine them into a single locality listing, mixing the reported minerals?

17th Aug 2013 17:22 UTCVandall Thomas King Manager

Now listed as two localities. There are certainly numerous worldwide localities which have excavations within the same rock units and which have different names. On occasion, mineral localities as those in Mt. St-Hilaire, Quebec or the N'Chwanning localities become a single excavation. (BTW The Orchard Quarry is in what is seemingly a separate pegmatite than the Bennett Pegmatite, of course that is conjecture as the same pegmatite might be split at depth.) Nonetheless, on looking in Morrill's (1960) New Hampshire Mines and Minerals Localities, 2nd edition, the G. E. Smith is placed incorrectly "S of road" and Chandler Mills "E of house". Morrill's various guides often had egregious errors in locating properties. Incidentally, I have Peter Zodac's review copy of the first edition of this guidebook and the directions to G. "E." Smith have the same error. Anyway, thank you for your help in this.

18th Aug 2013 00:19 UTCFred E. Davis

Thank you!

Fred

18th Aug 2013 13:15 UTCDon Kauffman

Fred and Van,


Thank you for the lively discussion regarding the Chandler Mills Quarry. Even though I'm from Pennsylvania, I love the history and local lore of the New Hampshire and Main countryside.


We (Linda and myself) still investigate sites and prospects around the Gilsum area at least once a year.


Keep up your good works.


Regards,


Don Kauffman

Reading, PA (tu)
 
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