THE ONYX MARBLES. 567 



already described. The Luray Caves, in Page Coimty, and Weyers Cave, 

 in Augusta County, are among the most widely known of these. There 

 are, however, hundreds of smaller and less interesting ones, whicli may 

 have become wholly or partially refilled by stalactitic and stalagmitic 

 matter. Very many instances present themselves in which portions of 

 tlie roofs or sides of these caves have been removed by erosion, leaving 

 the white, (!reamy, or amber yellow stalagmitic material exposed on the 

 surface, where it shows up in strong contrast with the dull gray lime- 

 stone which forms the i)revailing country rock. It has not infrequently 

 happened that these deposits, are of sufficient extent to M^irrant the 

 opening of small quarries, though the stone is rarely of sufficient 

 beauty to enter into active competition with the onyx marbles of Mex- 

 ico, Arizona, California, or Algeria, with which they are chemically 

 almost identical. Nevertheless fine blocks are fre(juently obtainable, 

 showing a pronounced banded structure when cut across the ijlane of 

 de])osition (pi. 13), and it is rather to be regretted that no more suc- 

 cessful attempts have been made toward keeping them upon the market. 

 Such attempts as have been made have almost uniformly failed, partly 

 ownig to a lack of definite knowledge as to the character of the depos- 

 its on the part of those in control, and partly from the fact that the 

 work was undertaken on too extensive a scale. The average American 

 has yet to learn that a small business, carefully conducted, may be a 

 surer source of income than many of the gigantic schemes which flood 

 the country to-day. The managers of the caverns above alluded to 

 might add materially to their incomes, as well as to the satisfactiouof their 

 visitors, by exposing for sale small objects made from such blocks of 

 stalactite or stalagmite as could be spared without defacement of the 

 cave. So lar as the writer is aware it is only at Mammoth Cave, in 

 Kentucky, that any attempt is made in this line, and here one finds 

 only a few small charms and paper weights manufactured at odd 

 moments by the natives. Near Harrisonburg, in Owen County, are con- 

 siderable deposits of stalagmitic material which have yielded small 

 j)ieces of great beauty. An attempt was made not long ago to work 

 the quarries, but with little success. The marble dealers, knowing 

 they could not be relied upon as constant sources of material, ignored 

 them utterly, and it will not be until our wealthier classes learn to 

 more fully appreciate home products that we may hoi)e t3 see these 

 marbles receive the attention they deserve.* Nevertheless it is not 



*It must lie acknowledged, however, that the difficulty lies not wholly with the 

 wealthier classes, who can scarcely be expected to admire or demand auy article con- 

 ceruiuy the existence of which they are ignoraut. Americans abroad pay fancy prices 

 for small articles of ornament and art simply for the reason that these are everywhere 

 exposed for sale, and the attention is at once attracted. Let but the American exert 

 ecpial taste and patience in Avorking up our native materials, and it is possible we 

 might be able to tell f^uite another story. Brazilian agates, colored and polished iu 

 (Germany, are sold to the tourists of Colorado and other Western resorts as local 

 products, and 1 have seen the so-called "tiger-eye" (Crocidolite) from South Africa 

 sold by dealers in Montana to the unsuspecting tourist as fossil wood from Auzona. 



