REPORTS OF THE BUILDING COMMITTEE. 605 



intend to have switches (that is, lateral branch railroads) running into their quar- 

 ries. 



The rock here is of a rather finer crystalline structure than that of the preceding, 

 with a slight cast of blue ; see specimens Nos. 3 and 3a. A solid bed is exposed, of 

 nearly uniform texture, about nine feet thick. Blocks weighing several tons are now 

 lying in the quarry. At the top of the quarry there are some beds with gray mica 

 disseminated ; such must, of course, be rejected. The dip is here as at the other 

 quarries. 



Thirteen and a half miles from Baltimore and half a mile east of the railroad, and 

 about one mile northeast of the previously described localities, is a quarry on 

 land owned by Chisilla Owens. The rock here is also a white and highly crystalline 

 marble, of a good color, similar to that in the vicinity of Texas ; but the quarry is 

 not yet opened ; the surface indications are, however, very favorable for a bodv of 

 good "alum limestone." For sample of this material, see specimen No. 6. 



In the vicinity of the same railroad, a little further to the north, in the neighbor- 

 hood of Cockeysville, fourteen to fifteen miles from Baltimore, are several other 

 marble quarries. 



The first visited was on land owned by Messrs. Taylor, and situated about a quar- 

 ter of a mile west of the railroad. The rock exposed here differs from that of the 

 Texas quarries, in being rather closer grained and the surface layers more granular ; 

 see specimen No. 5. At this locality a block was got out upwards of seventeen feet 

 long, which was presented to the Building Committee of the Washington Monument 

 at Baltimore ; out of this block the statue on the summit was sculptured. 



Loose blocks of similar character to that in the quarry are seen all over the surface 

 of the adjacent hills. 



The lower beds are not exposed in Mrs. Taylor's qaarry. 



Four hundred to five hundred yards nearer the railroad, a better 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 certainty, 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 I 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 laj-ers, (see specimen No. 56,) at this place, are, from some peculiarity, 

 either of texture or chemical composition, much disposed to crumble to calcareous 

 sand, which has been employed 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 Chisilla Owen's property. 

 This rock is of a beautiful texture and good color, as may be seen by specimens No. 

 5d and No. 7. It lies in tolerably distinct strata, and nearly horizontal, but it is 

 traversed by minute cross-fissures, which detract much from the value of the mate- 

 rial, inasmuch as large, solid blocks cannot be got out, at least from the exposed lay- 

 ers ; 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 fifteen feet or upwards ; 

 four and a half to five feet in this quarry, as far as opened, is tolerably good marble, 

 (see specimen No. 8;) but the upper beds are of inferior quality, being contaminated 

 by a thin interlamination of mica in the interstices of the stratification. 



Nests of sulphuret of iron also occur here, which would reader 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 Chisilla Owen's quarry, on Beaver Dam creek, and about 

 two hundred to three hundred yards from the 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 Dam ; it is said, how- 

 ever, 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 



