yC NEW YORK STATE MliSEUM 



Along the IJudson river from Orange connty northward to 

 Washington county various heds of sandstone occur in the Hudson 

 river formation. They are quarried for rul)l)le. local building stone 

 and crushed stone in Albany, (ireene and Dutchess counties, and in 

 former times were taken out at many other localities. 



Minor sandstones, in which from time to time (|uarries arc 

 opened, are the (Jneida conglomerate, Clinton and the Triassic 

 brownstones, the latter now practically abandoned. 



By far the most important sandstone, both as to areal distribution 

 and annual output, is the variety known as bluestone. 



Bluestone. Tliis variety of sandstone constitutes one of the im- 

 portant sources of wealth of certain sections of the State. It is a 

 name applied to certain, usually bluish, evenly bedded sandstones 

 occurring in the upper Devonic strata. Its importance lies in the 

 fact that it splits in thin regular horizontal slabs along planes 

 known as lifts, and that these slabs are in turn intersected by two 

 sets of joints lying at about right angles which facilitate the ex- 

 traction of blocks of convenient size. 



The stone taken out in most districts is classed under three heads : 

 (i) "flagging," the thin slabs used for sidewalks; (2) "edge" 

 stone, or thicker slabs which are used in curbing, as Belgian bridge 

 in crosswalks and as sills and coping in construction w^ork ; (3) 

 " rock," or rough more or less square blocks which may be dressed 

 or sold in rough condition for building and for bridge construction. 

 Among the minor uses are for crushed stone and for rubble and 

 riprap, for which purposes the waste rock is almost entirely used. 

 As a flagging, bluestone is suitable because of the even surface ob- 

 tainable with little or no dressing and because after long usage it 

 does not assume a slippery surface. 



The bluestone quarries are usually situated uix)n the hillsides and 

 the waste material is dumped down the slope, while the stone is 

 hauled in wagons down the slopes to the shipping points. Flag- 

 stones and curbstones are usually roughly hand dressed wdiile build- 

 ing stone, sills etc. are dressed in various mills situated in the 

 district. 



The area from which bluestone is obtained extends roughly from 

 Albany, Greene and Ulster counties on the east, due westward 

 through Sullivan, Delaware, Broome and Chenango counties and 

 so on to Lake Erie. 



There are four main districts in the area : ( i ) the Hudson river 

 region comprising Greene and Ulster counties and having for its 



