74 * NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



interior it is shipped by rail. A statistical canvass of such small 

 enterprises is a matter of great difficulty and is likely to afford 

 very unreliable results. Consequently, it has been the practice in 

 the compilation of this report to secure the information so far as 

 possible from dealers who purchase the stone for shipment to the 

 large wholesalers and consumers in the cities. 



The production of sandstone during the last two years is shown 

 in the accompanying tables which give its distribution also among 

 the leading districts. 



The combined value of all the sandstone quarried in 191 5 was 

 $890,411 against $1,056,990 in 1914, indicating a decline of about 

 16 per cent in the amount of sales for the year. This was a smaller 

 output than in any recent year previously and is largely accounted 

 for by the falling off in the bluestone industry. The totals are 

 exclusive of sandstone quarried by contractors for use on the state 

 highway system, for which it is impossible to assign any accurate 

 value. 



Of the combined value given, considerably less than one-half 

 was returned by the quarry companies operating in the bluestone 

 districts, whereas in previous years this branch of the industry 

 was much the more important. The reported value of the bluestone 

 actually was $339,779, as compared with $546,314 in 1914. Most 

 of the decline may be attributed to the conditions in the curb and 

 flagstone trade which has had to meet increasing competition from 

 other materials, notably concrete and granite, in street work. This 

 is indicated by the fact that the total value of curb and flagstone 

 made from bluestone was only $155,288 as compared with $337,488 

 in 1914. A small decrease may be noted also in building stone, the 

 value of which was $178,577 in 191 5, against $191,239 in the pre- 

 ceding year. 



Sandstone other than bluestone represented a value of $550,632, 

 a gain over the figure for 19 14 which was reported as $510,676. 

 Orleans county by itself accounted for a value of $449,620 as com- 

 pared with $439,635 in 1914. There was a good demand for paving 

 blocks which constitute the principal product of this district. 



Altogether the general situation last year was not very favorable 

 for the quarry companies in the sandstone districts. Only a few 

 new operations were reported, the more important being quarries 

 for crushed stone production in Albany and Ulster counties. On 

 the other hand, several quarries that were active in former years 

 were closed without any prospect of immediate reopening. 



