414 REPORT ON NATIONAL MUSEUM, 188G. 



pinkish and red varieties are quarried iu a few instances. At Red 

 Beach, near Calais, and at Jonesborough there is quarried a pink or 

 reddish rock, very compact and hard, which from a simple examination 

 with the unaided eye is seen to be composed of i)ink or cream-colored 

 feldspars, smoky quartz, and a few small shreds of mica. An examiufi- 

 tion of a thin section with the microscoi)e does not greatly increase the 

 number of constituent minerals. The mica, which is usually of a green- 

 ish color, is very evenly disseminated throughout the rock and in very 

 small shreds, bearing numerous iuclosures of magnetite. A few small 

 apatite crystals are as usual present, but are visible only with a micro- 

 scope. 



The evenness of the grain of these rocks, and the occurrence of the 

 mica only in small amount and in minute tlakes are matters of great 

 practical importance, since they allow the production of a more perfect 

 surface and lasting polish than would otherwise be possible. The text- 

 ure of the rock is much finer than the red Scotch granite, and the color 

 a more delicate i)ink. They are, in fact, the most beautiful of any of 

 our pink or red granites now in the market, and are used very exten- 

 sively for monuments, ornamental work, and general building purposes. 

 The largest blocks ever taken out from these quarries was 7 by 7 feet 

 and 2 feet thick. It is said, however, that blocks 30 by 15 by 2^ feet 

 could be obtained if desired. The principal markets of the stone are 

 Boston, Providence, New York City, Baltimore, Thiladelphia, Buffalo, 

 Cincinnati, Cleveland, and Columbus, Ohio, Springfield and Chicago, 

 111., Milwaukee, Saint Louis, Charleston, S. C, Washington, D. C, 

 and San Francisco, Cal. 



At West Sullivan, iu Hancock County, a light gray, sometimes slightly 

 pinkish, granite of medium texture is extensively quarried for paving 

 blocks and general building purposes. The stone corresponds closely 

 with that quarried in the town of Franklin. A slightly pinkish granite 

 of coarse texture is also quarried at Somerville, on Mt. Desert Island. 

 This stone was used in the construction of the Brooklyn approaches to 

 the East Eiver bridge and in the arches and foundations of the new 

 bridges in Back Bay Park, Boston. Blocks 150 by 50 by IS feet have 

 been loosened in the (piarry. " The position of these quarries is pecul- 

 iarly good for shipi^ing, as they lie near the head of Somer Sound, 

 along a narrow and very deep fiord, running several miles inland from 

 the southwest harbor, between the mountains. One of the quarries is 

 situated on the side of a hill and at the water's edge. The sheets of 

 stone are very thick in some cases, one being 18 feet in thickness." 



In the vicinity of East Blue Hill, iu this same county, are quarried 

 some of the most beautiful gray granites at present iu the market. The 

 rock varies from fine, even-grained gray or slightly pinkish to coarsely 

 porphyritic. A foot cube of this granite in the National Museum is 

 composed of a fine even-grained gray groundmass, carrying very many 

 snow-white crystals of orthoclase an inch or more in length. This is 



