Brarr.—On the Building Materials of Otago. 135 
exist in large quantities in the vicinity of Port Chalmers, and throughout 
the Peninsula, and, in most cases, the quarries are easy of access by rail or 
water. The Port Chalmers stone, which was the first utilized, still holds 
the first place in point of strength and durability, and in the facility presented 
for getting it in large blocks. It is, however, inferior to some of the others 
in colour and smoothness of grain, which are essentials in architectural 
work. The Port Chalmers stone is a true breccia of a bluish-grey colour, 
with the rock fragments of all sizes, up to six inches. It is hard and 
tough, but yields readily to the pick. The Port Chalmers Graving Dock— 
one of the finest structures in New Zealand—is built entirely of this stone ; 
the quarry, from which it is obtained, being within 200 yards of the work. 
All the kerbing used in Dunedin and Port Saakmark is from the same 
locality. 
Most of the quarries now worked yield stone of a fine texture, easily 
dressed, and altogether well-suited for any architectural works of a sub- 
stantial character. Although the labour of rubbing this stone to a perfectly 
smooth surface is greater, there is not much difference between it and the 
hardest sandstone, when worked with the chisel and fine axe. Some good 
specimens of this class of work can be seen at the Mercantile Agency 
’ Store, the Union Bank, and Messrs. Sargood’s new warehouse. 
After that used at the Dock, the next good building stone discovered 
was at Sawyer’s Bay ; with the exception of colour, this stone is, to all in- 
tents and purposes, the same as the former. The colour is a light grey, 
about the same shade as Portland cement, but with a slightly orange 
tinge. In consequence of its better colour, and the proximity of the quarry 
to the railway, this stone soon became a favourite in Dunedin. It has been 
extensively used, both as ordinary rubble and dressed ashlar-work ; the 
facing of St. Matthew’s Church, Messrs. Ross and Glendinning’s ware- 
house, Messrs. Cargill’s store, and a large number of private buildings, are 
of this material. It may be interesting to note that the railway now in 
progress through Wales’ Quarry, at Sawyer Bay, has revealed the fact that 
the white stone is only on the outside of the cliff. On penetrating a dis- 
tance of thirty yards, the colour gradually changes to blue, as found in the ~ 
other quarries about Koputai Bay. On the other hand the Deborah Bay 
Tunnel, so far as it has been pierced, twenty-five chains at the south and 
ten chains at the north end, is almost entirely through Sawyer Bay stone, 
the same colour, but much softer than in the quarry. It should be noted 
that the Sawyers Bay stone does not retain its color when exposed to the 
weather. Although there is no symptom of decay, the stone in some of 
the older buildings is already considerably defaced by large stains. 
The quarries and railway cuttings show that the breccia rock extends 
