5 24 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



face and readily accessible. In regions farther to the south, beyond 

 the limits of glacial action, the granite-beds are still covered with a 

 mass of decomposed rock, often many feet in thickness, and which 

 must be removed before quarrying can commence. It is probably 

 largely due to these facts that the granites of these two States are en- 

 abled to compete so favorably in the Washington market with those 

 from near Richmond, Virginia, a distance of only four or five hours' 

 ride by rail. 



Granite did not come into general use for building purposes in this 

 country until a comparatively recent date, owing largely to the great 

 difficulty in working it. According to Mr. J. E. Wolff,* one of the 

 earliest stone buildings in Boston was the " stone house of Deacon 

 John Phillips," erected about 1650, and which continued to stand until 

 1864. It was built chiefly of bowlders from the immediate vicinity. 

 In 1737 was built of bowlders, of Braintree (Quincy) granite, the old 

 Hancock house, since torn down. The granite bowlders scattered over 

 the commons had been very generally used in Quincy for steps, foun- 

 dations, etc., for some years previous to this, until at last the inhabit- 

 ants, becoming frightened lest this supply of valuable building mate- 

 rial should become entirely exhausted, assembled in town-meeting and 

 voted that "no person shall dig or carry off" any stone "on the said 

 commons or undivided lands upon any account whatever without license 

 from the committee, . . . upon penalty of the forfeiture of ten shil- 

 lings for every and each cart-load so dug and carried away." Little 

 did they then imagine that, close at their doors, this same stone ex- 

 isted in such quantities that over half a century of almost constant 

 quarrying has failed to exhaust the supply. It was not, however, 

 until the early part of the present century that granite began to be 

 used at all extensively in and about Boston, when the material was 

 introduced in considerable quantities by canal from Chelmsford, thirty 

 miles distant. It was from the Chelmsford stone that was constructed 

 in 1810 the Boston Court-House, in 1814 the New South Church, and 

 in 1818-'19 the first stone block in the city, a portion of which is still 

 standing on Brattle Street. In this year also a considerable quantity 

 of the stone was shipped to Savannah, Georgia, for the construction 

 of a church at that place. The greater part of this granite was, how- 

 ever, obtained from bowlders, and it was not until the opening of 

 quarries at Quincy, in 1825, that the business assumed any great im- 

 portance. From this time the use of granite for building material in- 

 creased in a marked degree, and the history of stone-quarrying in 

 Massachusetts may properly begin with this date. 



Under the head of marbles are here included all those rocks con- 

 sisting essentially of carbonate of lime (limestone), or carbonate of 

 lime and magnesia (magnesian limestones and dolomites), which are 

 susceptible of receiving a good polish, and are suitable for orna- 

 * " Building-Stone and Quarry Industry of the United States," p. 282. 



