64 Ni:\V VnUK STATI-: MUSKUM 



Ihc main iJiotluct of W'asliitij^ton county is red slate. This is 

 the most vahiable variety of roofinjT^ slate. The color is an attractive 

 shade of red or reddish brown which does not change on e.\ix)sure. 

 Red slate brings an average of $7 or $8 a square and is shipped all 

 over the country and even abroad for use on fine buildings. The 

 principal quarries are near (Granville and North Granville on the 

 north end of the slate belt. Sea green, purple and variegated 

 slates are obtained around Middle ( Iranville, Salem and Shushan. 

 The red and green varieties sometimes occur in alternating beds in 

 the same quarry. Black slate has been worked at different times 

 in the southern portion of the metamorphic belt, but the operations 

 apparently have not been a commercial success. There are aban- 

 doned quarries at Hoosick, New Lebanon and New Hamburg. The 

 quarry of the last mentioned locality was developed about 10 years 

 ago. 



The quantity of roofing slate rnade in 1908 was 13,735 squares 

 valued at $111,119. The average price received was $8.09 a square, 

 a much higher average than was received for the product of other 

 slate districts in the east, due to the fact that most of the output 

 consisted of red slate, of which the New York quarries have a natu- 

 ral monopoly. The production w^as distributed among 11 firms and 



individuals, most of whom operated on a small scale. 



> 



STONE 



LV HEXRY LEIGIITON 



The quarrying of stone for building purjx)ses, road and pavement 

 construction and for various other purposes is one of the most wide- 

 spread and imjxjrtant of the State's industries, furnishing employ- 

 ment to 4000 or 5000 w^age-earners and annually producing about 

 $7,000,000 w'ortli of stone ($6,615,614 in 1908). 



The rocks of the State, ranging in age from the very earliest 

 Precambric to early Carbonic and comprising igneous, metamorphic 

 and stratified representatives, are abundantly able to supply almost 

 every type of rock desired for building purposes, save some orna- 

 mental stone. Notwithstanding the large amount of local stone 

 used, considerable quantities of stone are annually imported into 

 the State ; granites from New England, limestones from Indiana 

 and sandstones from Ohio, coming from large centers of produc- 

 tion where development is on such a large scale that the stone can 

 be shipped into the State at a price almost as low as that asked 

 for local material. 



