544 SERPENTINE. 



mass of serpentine at Hazen's Notch. We have had no opportunity to visit the locality. Connected with 

 the steatite in Montgomery and Richford, serpentine also occurs. 



Prof. Adams has the following respecting the serpentine in Lowell, Westfield and Troy : 



" Lowell. Two ranges of serpentine commence in this town, near the head waters of the Missisco, and 

 extend nearly into Canada. For the richness and number of the varieties, it would not seem possible that 

 they can be surpassed, while their extent, amounting to twenty or thirty square miles, is beyond the possible 

 demand of all future ages. They are exhibited in several precipitous ledges, which are easy of access and 

 of being worked. 



"In this town we examined three of the principal of these ledges ; one a mile and a half east, and 

 another one-third of a mile west of the village, and a third in the north part of the town, which may be 

 called respectively the east, west and north ledges. 



" The east ledge the west side of a hill east from the village, whence it appears as a mass of pale ash- 

 colored rocks, for such is the color of weathered surfaces. The number of varieties of great beauty, which 

 may be found here, is remarkable ; more than a dozen may be found within a few rods, consisting of the 

 intermixture in veins, irregular masses, and grains of various shades of light and blackish-green with each 

 other, or with brown spar, and the surfaces of the joints are very frequently covered with a thin coat of 

 delicate amianthus, so as to resemble velvet, and are spangled with the brilliant surfaces of the brown spar. 

 Of the uniform varieties there will be no difficulty, probably, in obtaining blocks of sufficient size for the 

 ordinary demands of internal architecture. This ledge has recently been made more conspicuous by being 

 burnt over, and probably has not before been visited. 



" The west ledge has been well known to mineralogists, although the change of the name of the town, 

 from Kellyvale to the less poetic name of Lowell, may occasion some confusion in the ' localities ' of miner- 

 alogical treatises a consideration which possibly may not have had due weight in the legislative decision on 

 this change of aame. This ledge has a western mural face, of one hundred and fifty to two hundred feet high, 

 the lower two-thirds being covered with a debris, consisting of large fragments, which themselves might 

 furnish many blocks for the saw. The varieties are rather less numerous and elegant than those of the east 

 ledge, but blocks of good size and much beauty may be obtained with great facility. This locality has been 

 much visited for asbestus. The north ledge is not far from the Troy line, and has a western mural face within 

 five rods of one of the best roads in the State. It furnishes varieties similar to those of the west ledge. 



" Westfield. One-half mile west of the Troy line, and two and one-half miles north from the south line of 

 the town, a road crosses a ledge of serpentine and soapstone. The weathering of the serpentine here has 

 revealed a jointed structure, which much resembles stratification in some parts, but for the most part they 

 variously intersect as usual. This serpentine appears to be less beautiful than that of Lowell, although 

 further examination would doubtless detect elegant varieties. 



" Troy. The ledges of serpentine in this town are numerous and extensive. A little north of tha north 

 village we found soapstone and serpentine in junction, and at the junction we found a rock composed of 

 rounded fragments of serpentine, mixed with soapstone, which, although not of economical value, may be 

 of scientific interest. Within the north village, towards the west side, is a ledge of dark green serpentine, 

 variegated with light green, and with pilose amianthus on the jointed surfaces. 



" Between the furnace and the great vein of magnetic iron ore, the serpentine again appears, constituting 

 the west side of a lofty hill. Here enormous ledges are easily approached from a good road, which runs 

 along their base, while the Missisco is but a few rods to the west. But the ledge in which is the vein of 

 iron ore, is, not only on account of the ore, but on account of the varieties of serpentine, an object of much 

 interest. Elegant varieties are numerous, among which are most conspicuous the very bright-green noble 

 serpentine, which covers most of the numerous jointed faces with a coat of one-eighth to one-half of an inch 

 thick, and the spotted varieties.- Numerous seams may render it difficult to obtain large slabs, but smaller 

 pieces suitable for a great variety of ornamental purposes may be obtained, of great beauty, in any quantity." 



This western range also passes through the east part of Jay, but there is nothing of additional interest 

 concerning it to be related except that it contains large veins of chromic iron. There is said also to bo 

 serpentine in Cambridge, accompanying the steatite on Sterling Mountain. 



