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Tlie lower beds are not exposed in Mrs. Taylor's quarry. 



Four hundred to five hundred yards nearer the railroad, abetter cemented 

 and rather more compact marble crops out to the surface; but no quarry is 

 opened here, to enable one to form a correct judgment as to the extent, 

 thickness, or uniformity of the beds. Still, from the persistency of the 

 same material throughout this region, one may predict, with tolerable cer- 

 tainty, that there is here, deeper seated, a great mass of valuable material. 



Part of the marble employed in the construction of the Washington 

 monument at Baltimore was obtained at this quarry of Mrs. Taylor's, and 

 part of it from Scott's quarries, five miles further to the north. The latter 

 is said to be of an inferior quality. Of this I had no opportunity of judging 

 personally, as 1 did not visit the quarry, thinking it was too far out of the 

 way. 



Three quarters of a mile from the railroad, and a mile and a half or two 

 miles northeast from Texas, is another quarry, on Mrs. Taylor's property. 

 This quarry has been wrought for fifteen years, and supplied Baltimore 

 with a great deal of marble. The upper layers, (see specnnen No. 5 b,) at 

 this place, are, from some peculiarity, either of texture or chemical composi- 

 tion, much disposed to crumble to calcareous sand, which has been employ- 

 ed to advantage as a mineral manure on land. The inferior beds are of a 

 sounder material, and lie more regularly than usual, but the rock is not 

 of as pure a color, being banded with gray stripes; see specimen 5c. 

 Dip very slight to the south. 



One hundred yards south of this is another quarry, on Ghisilla Owens's 

 property. This rock is of a beautiful texture and good color, as njay be seen 

 iDy specimens No. 5d and No. 7. It lies in tolerably distinct strata, and 

 nearly horizontal, but it is traversed by minute cross-fissures, which de- 

 tract much from the value of the material, inasmuch as large solid blocks 

 cannot be got out, at least from the exposed layers; a sounder material 

 may perhaps be obtained lower down. 



A little northwest of this is Baker and Conly's quarry, near Beaver Dam 

 creek. This quarry is well opened, presenting a perpendicular face of fif- 

 teen feet or upwards; four and a half to five feet in this quarry, as far as 

 opened, is tolerably good marble, (see specimen No. S;) but the upper beds 

 are of inferior quality, being contaminated by a thin interlamination of mica 

 in the interstiees of the stratification. 



Nests of sulphuret of iron also occur here, which would render necessary 

 a very careful selection. There are at present in this quarry several blocks 

 that would fill a room of ordinary size. 



Between this quarry and Ghisilla Owens's quarry, on Beaver Dam creek, 

 and about two hundred to three hundred yards from tlie last described, 

 Mr. Baker has quarried out a considerable quantity of white marble of very 

 superior quality. Unfortunately, the ledges of rock here are but little above 

 the level of Beaver dain; it is said, however, that when this quarry was 

 worked, it was easily kept drained by a one-horse pump. The fact of 

 good marble occurring at this low level on Beaver dam, renders it more than 

 probable that good marble will be found in the adjacent quarries just men- 

 tioned at a considerable lower level than where they are now worked. 



On the northwest branch of Beaver dam, between fifteen and sixteen 

 miles from Baltimore, and rather more than a ip^ile from the radroad, are 

 Mr. Worthington's marble quarries, and saw-mill for cutting it into dimen- 

 sion-stone. 



