BUILDING STONES. 161 



Dolomites.] 



stone is largely shipped to St. Paul, Minneapolis and other cities of the state. 

 Machinery (steam) is employed at Frontenac for sawing and rubbing the 

 stone. It has been put into the Lindeke & Shurmeier block in St. Paul as 

 trimmings, also in the state capitol, and composes the entire wall of the Bar- 

 ney block. In Minneapolis the Wood block is built of it. According to the 

 tests of general Gillmore (see the general table)* this stone has greater 

 strength to resist crushing when set "on edge" than when ''on bed", which 

 is an unusual peculiarity, and one which adds considerable to its desirability 

 for use in columns that are to be subjected to great weight. The future 

 supply of this stone is practically unlimited. The same vesicular texture 

 which pervades it at Frontenac, and the same ease of quarrying, extends 

 over many square miles in southeastern Goodhue and northern Wabasha 

 counties, in some cases passing into an oolyte. The quarries at Florence 

 were opened in 1855. 



At Winona the firsfc quarrying was done in 1854, at the quarry now 

 owned by John O'Dae. That of C. H. Porter was begun in 1870. E. 0. 

 Wallace also has a quarry in the same bluff. Generally throughout Winona 

 county the uppermost 75-90 feet of the St. Lawrence formation are cherty 

 and concretionary, and wholly worthless for building purposes, and nearly 

 so for lime-burning. There are hardened masses, or tors, projecting from 

 the face of the bluffs in numerous instances, some of which may be seen 

 in the valley followed by the Winona and St. Peter railroad, and others 

 near Homer, which are due to the concentration of this siliceous and con- 

 cretionary structure, rendering the rock more capable of resisting the 

 attacks of the weather. The lower layers are the most valuable for con- 

 struction, and they are wrought at Winona and at Dresbach. The rock is 

 fine-grained, homogeneous and compact, of a light-buff color, some of it 

 also being stained like the Kasota rock, but in stripes horizontal with the 

 beds. See the general table, No. 15. 



At Winona, blocks eight by nine by seven feet have been taken out by 

 Mr. O'Dae. Indeed there is no trouble at any of the quarries in obtaining as 

 large blocks as may be needed for any purpose. Yet the most of the pro- 

 duct of the Winona quarries is used for quicklime. As a building stone, 

 it has been sent to Minneapolis, St. Paul, and to Deadwood, in Dakota 



"The same result was reported in 1875, by general Gillinore. Report oftHe chief of engineers, 1875, Part II. p. 851. 

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