16 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



Market 



The stone from the quarries is sold to the wholesale dealers, 

 ivho make a business of collecting the stone and shipping it to 

 the place of consumption. The stone is paid for by the load, 

 or each week or month. Usually the cartage is deducted and 

 paid directly to the teamster. Rent also is deducted from the 

 value of each load, if the dealer owns the quarry ledge. 



The stone is sold by the square and linear foot. Flagstone 

 is always sold by the square foot, while curb and crosswalks 

 are sold by the linear foot. What is known as " rock " (the 

 thick large stone) is sold at so much an inch per square foot. 

 That is, a stone 10 inches thick, 10 feet square at 2^c an inch, 

 would sell for $25. 



At one time there was a combination of the dealers along the 

 Hudson river to control prices; but this has been broken up now, 

 and the competition between the buyers has resulted in a rise 

 of prices paid to the quarrymen. The largest dealers along the 

 Hudson river have New York or Philadelphia offices, which are 

 selling agencies. Along the Erie and Ontario and Western rail- 

 road a few dealers combine and pay an equal share of tne 

 expense of a selling agency in one of the large cities. The stone 

 from the Hudson river is sold mostly in New York and New 

 England cities and villages. This stone is loaded on barges, 

 which are towed to the different cities on the seacoast. The 

 stone from Delaware and Broome counties is sold very little 

 in New York city, the high cost of freight and lighterage pro- 

 hibiting competition with Ulster county stone. This stone is 

 sold in New York and inland towns, such as Binghamton, ElmiraJ 

 Rochester, Johnstown, Syracuse, Utica. Some of the stone from 

 this district goes to Philadelphia. 



The time available for this investigation did not permit the 

 author to visit the quarries of Albany county, consequently the 

 quarry descriptions are not complete for the entire state. For 

 Albany county see Nason, N. Y. state mus. 47th an. rep't, p. 457. 



