SOME OBSERVATIONS 



ON THE 



CLEE HILL BASALT 



FROM A PRACTICAL POINT OF VIEW 



BY 



WILLIAM CLARKE, Esq., M. Inst. C.E. 



(Chairm.in of the Associated Stone Companies of the Clee Hill, Shropshire.) 



READ TO THE COTTESWOLD CLUB 



ON THE OCCASION OF THEH^ VISIT TO THE CLEE HILL QUARRIES 



ON JULY 26th, 1894. 



The geological history and the mineralogical structure 

 of the Clee Hill formations have been so clearly and fully 

 laid before the members of the Club by Professor Harker 

 that I need not dwell further upon that part of the subject. 

 But it may be, perhaps, in some sense a rehef to us to 

 come back from the far-off geological past to the imme- 

 diate and living present, and to consider briefly the 

 properties and uses of the so-called " Dhu " stone from 

 which its great commercial value is derived. 



The history of the quarries may not be uninteresting. 

 Some 34 years ago, acting as Engineer for the construc- 

 tion of the Railway from Ludlow to this Hill, (a hne made 

 for the purpose of developing what was expected to be a 

 large coal traffic, as well as the opening out of the 

 quarries) I had my attention directed to the capabilities of 

 the hill stone for road purposes, and in conjunction with 

 my friend Major Patchett and others, we secured the hill 



