66 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



Sandstone 



Under the head of sandstone are included the sedimentary rocks 

 which consist of quartz grains bound together by some cementing 

 substance. Among the principal varieties distinguished by textural 

 characters are sandstones proper, conglomerates, grits and quartzites. 



The wide distribution of sandstones in the geologic series of New 

 York State has given them great importance as economical sources 

 of structural materials and in point of annual output they rank 

 second only to limestone. Nearly all of the main formations above 

 the Archean contain these rocks at one or more horizons. The sand- 

 stones that are chiefly quarried in New York are the Potsdam, 

 Hudson River, Medina, and the Devonic sandstones. A few quar- 

 ries have been opened in the Shawangunk conglomerate and the 

 Clinton sandstone. Bluestone is a popular term for the fine grained, 

 evenly bedded sandstones found in the Devonic which have a special 

 application for flagging and curbing and to a lesser extent for build- 

 ing stone. 



Production of sandstone 



The total value of the sandstone quarried in New York last 

 year was $1,976,829 as compared with $2,043,960, the value of the 

 output in 1905. The output was distributed among 35 counties with 

 an aggregate of over 400 producers. Classified as to uses the total 

 was distributed as follows: building stone, rough, $343,077; build- 

 ing stone, dressed, $267,472; curbing, $553,085; flagging, $438,526; 

 paving blocks, $282,063; crushed for roads, $14,677; crushed for 

 other uses, $36,528; rubble, etc., $11,661; all other purposes, 

 $29,740. 



The following tables show the value of the production of sand- 

 stone in 1905 and 1906, distributed among the leading districts of 

 the State. 



