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One of the more enigmatic aspects of the mineral deposits at Franklin and Sterling Hill is that very few investigators have attempted a unified, coherent presentation of its great story. It has been 60 years since Charles Palache’s grand monograph on these deposits, and over 20 years since Clifford Frondel’s checklist which also provided some historical background. A great many scientific papers have been written during these intervals but most, including those of this writer, have been narrowly focused.
The present study began in 1973, and since 1977 has been done in the public eye, largely in cooperation with geologists, miners, mineralogists, and mineral collectors interested in Franklin and Sterling Hill. A vast amount of scientific work remains to be done, but this seems like a reasonable time to punctuate my research efforts with a figurative semicolon, pause, and share most of this magnificent story. This effort is an attempt to set out what happened here in an expository manner.
Mankind’s awareness of these mineral deposits, the most enigmatic on our planet, gave rise within three centuries to viable iron-mining and zinc-mining communities, whole new zinc industries, several “company mining-towns,” a “company smelter-town,” 40 years of novel mining litigation, the Great Consolidation, our recognition of the beauty and variety of mineral fluorescence, the discoveries of a great many new mineral species and mineral relationships, and the publication of a great body of scientific information.
Some parts of this text, particularly those treating historical matters, evolved by a very long process, the tedious knitting together of tidbits of information gleaned from a very large number of published sources cited in the bibliography. A great many single sentences herein would require truly voluminous (and very interruptive) citations if each individual fact were separately and formally referenced. Instead, a more readable format was chosen and the relevant references are cited mostly in clusters where appropriate. I apologize for the still numerous citations, while defending their utility.
I am reasonably confident that a prudent person, having read the entire bibliography and having reconciled contradictions by assiduous research, would prepare a similar presentation. To the extent detectable, personal biases have been largely omitted, but assuredly some have crept in. Given a choice between writing broadly and defensively with sweeping generalizations (and very few distinct or specific errors) or writing in substantial detail (with some unavoidable but as yet unknown errors creeping in), I chose the latter style. I consider it more contributory to record what is known to me and stimulate posterity than to avoid criticism. The reader is encouraged to send me corrections in cases where I might have made errors; such corrections will be appreciated. These qualifications and reservations notwithstanding, a serious scholar should use this work only as guide. A reference to the historical parts of this book, unsupported by primary (and wholly read) publications, suggests an indication of imperfect scholarship.
The story of mining, minerals, science, industry, and men at Franklin and Sterling Hill is a great one, much larger than can be accommodated here. Many aspects of related activities could have been discussed in much greater detail and depth, but have been abbreviated so as to keep the focus as sharp as possible. Responsibility for such abridgment is wholly mine; many paths were not taken.
Among the subjects not discussed in great depth are the beneficiation and processing of ores (details of milling, ore-transport, ore-dressing, metallurgy, refining); the products of the zinc ores and advances in zinc technology; the extensive and closely-related great histories of the local railroad, paint, and zinc industries; and the development of local mining law. Much of the local history has not yet been distilled from the record of the 40-year period of litigation, and this presents a fine opportunity for very persistent, careful historians and scholars who wish to punish themselves.
Discussions herein which could have been greatly expanded include the truly voluminous details of mineral-land rights and leases; the histories of all the mining companies; the intimate details of of the discoveries and subsequent development of new mining and processing technologies by Edwin Post, Samuel Wetherill, John Price Wetherill, Samuel Jones, Thomas Edison, and others; the roles of Joseph Wharton and the two Wetherills in developing the nearby and highly influential Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania, zinc industry; the partially told story of the long-lived Passaic Zinc Company; the vast nationwide holdings and operations of the second New Jersey Zinc Company; the history of mineral-specimen collecting; and others. In all cases, references are given to studies which touch on these topics. Similarly, there are a number of important topics relating to the geology and origin of the deposits, and their geochemistry, petrology, and mineral equilibria, which are as yet unaddressed.
Pete J. Dunn
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| Copyright © 1995 by Pete J. Dunn |
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