182 Report on Building Stone of New York. 



stone, mainly for the Buffalo market. They are small and are not 

 deep, as the rock is near the surface. The stone is light-gray, 

 fine-crystalline and dresses well. It is used in Buffalo for cut stone 

 trimmings. The quarries are six miles from the N. Y. C. R. R. line, 

 but nearly all the stone is carted by teams to Buffalo. The geolog- 

 ical formation is Corniferous. 



Buffalo. — In the city of Buffalo, a great part of the stone used 

 in retaining walls, common walls, foundations and basements, as 

 well as inside walls, has been obtained from quarries within the city 

 limits. A group of these quarries is in the north-east part of the city, 

 on the east side of Avenue A. The most northerly opening is that 

 of the Buffalo Cement Company. At this quarry the Corniferous 

 limestone is six feet thick, and rests upon an even-bedded, gray lime- 

 stone, which may be eight feet thick, and underneath which, the 

 cement rock is found. The limestone from this quarry is sold 

 for building purposes in the city. The average price is $6.00 per 

 cord. The main group of quarries is south of East Forest avenue, 

 The first one at the north, and near the street, is that of Emilie 

 Sutter ; the next, south, is that of Joseph Armbruster, and adjoining 

 it is that of John Gesl. These quarries really make one opening, the 

 dividing line being simply that of property. Armbruster's quarry is 

 nearly worked out, as this property has nearly all been quarried 

 over. At the south side the face shows 18 to 20 feet of strata, ex- 

 tending from Avenue A to Gesl's line. A very plain system of joints 

 runs east and west, vertically. There are two derricks, and the 

 quarry is worked in a small way. 



Gesl's quarry covers an area of two or three acres. The quarry 

 beds are overlain by drift earth, varying from a few inches to four 

 feet thick. They are even-bedded, horizontal, and from nine inches 

 to two and a half feet thick ; and the total thickness averages 20 feet. 

 The stone is dark-colored, dense, hard, and contains much chert, par- 

 ticularly near the bottom. The top beds are generally thin, and the 

 stone from them is used for common walls, selling at $6.00 per cord, 

 delivered in the city. The heavy beds are cut into stone for locks, 

 bridges, etc. There is very little water, and the drainage is natural. 

 Two derricks are in use. A main system of joints run vertically 

 east and west at spaces about 20 feet apart, on an average. The 

 other seams or joints are vertical, but run in an irregular course. 



