392 Report on National mitseum, issg. 



fouiid, of u boautifnl whiteness and of a texture which renders it sus- 

 ceptible of a nuo polish as well as beins' readily wrought with the chisel. 

 A few miles from Lynchbjirgh, in Campbell County, a good marble is 

 likewise found." "The Tye River marble and one or more analogous 

 veins" are further stated to "have all the characters of a statunry 

 marble of fine quality, and should not some peculiarity, as yet un])er- 

 ceived, prevent their application to the purposes of the sculptor, they 

 will no doubt be looked upon as very valuable possessions." The writer 

 has seen none of the material from this locality. White and pink 

 marbles of excellent quality also occur in the vicinity of Goose Creek, 

 in Loudoun County. We have seen samples of the white, wRich for 

 l)urity of color, fineness of grain, and general excellence, are not ex- 

 celled by any marble now quarried In the United States, but the extent 

 of the deposit is as yet unknown. 



The stalagmitic deposits upon the floors of the caverns at Luray, in 

 Page County, furnish, when cut, occasional fine pieces of the so-called 

 onyx marble, but the stone is too easily fractured and too uneven in 

 texture to be worked economically, even were the deposits of sufficient 

 extent to warrant the opening of quarries. I am informed by Trof. C. 

 1j. Goode that it is a common thing to find mantels of stalagmitic 

 marble in the dwellings of Virginia. These are, however, always made 

 from blocks found loose in the field or in caves near at hand. 



« 

 (4) LIMESTONES AND DOLOMITES OTHER THAN MARBLES. 



Alabama. — A dark compact limestone has been received at the jVIu- 

 seum from Calera, Slielby County, and a light-colored, finely fossilifer- 

 ous one from tJickson, in Colbert County. The last mentioned closely 

 reseml)les in general appearance the celebrated limestone from Bedford, 

 Ind., to be noticed later. It appears of good quality, and works readily. 



Arlansas. — Oolitic limestone suitable for building, and having the 

 ro])utation of being very durable, is stated by Mr. Owen* to occur ne;ir 

 Batesville, in Independence County. 



Colorado.— Tha collections show from this State a coarse, reddish 

 limestone from Jefferson County, and also a very compact, finely crys- 

 talline black stone, traversed by a coarse net-work of very fine white 

 lines, from Pitkin in Gunnison County. This last stone takes a polish, 

 and might almost be classed as a marble. Neither stone is now quar- 

 ried to any extent. 



Florida. — This State at present furnishes scarcely anything in the 

 line of building stone, nor is there much demand for any other form of 

 building material than wood. On Anastasia Island, about 2 miles from 

 Saint Augustine, there was formerly quarried to a considerable extent a 

 very coarse and ])orous shell limestone which was used in the construc- 

 tion of the old city of Saint Augustine and of Fort Marion, which was 

 *Gcol. of Ar£, Vol. i, p. 220. ' 



