BLUEiSTONB AND OTHER SANDSTONES 11 



line following the side seam, while in Delaware and Broome 

 counties the stone breaks best in an east and west direction. 

 The quarrymen say that the stone ^' works " best north and 

 south or east and west as the case may be. This same system 

 IS used in breaking lifts of large area to smaller sizes. 



Generally, very little powder is used in blasting out the bed 

 of the stone. The joints are usually free or open for working. 

 When powder is necessary in the bed the " Knox " system of 

 blasting is used, a short description of which follows. The 

 holes are first drilled to the desired depth in a line then 

 ^'reamed" out, making the hole elliptic in section, the longer 

 axis being in the line of the holes. A small amount of 

 explosive is put in each hole with little or no tamping. Within 

 a foot or so of the top of the hole a plug is put in and the tamp- 

 ing placed on top of this. The holes are fired simultaneously 

 by electricity. The greater part of the force of the explosion 

 is taken up by the air cushion and, as a result, the block is not 

 shattered or split. 



In the larger quarries in Ulster county district, hand and horse 

 power derricks are used, but in no case are there any steam 

 hoists except at the docks. In Delaware and Broome counties 

 there are a few steam derricks, and all the larger quarries are 

 equipped with hand or horse power derricks. A blacksmith 

 shop for sharpening and tempering tools is usually part of the 

 equipment of all the quarries. The tools consist of hammers, 

 points, drills, wedges, plugs and feathers, crowbars and shovels. 

 In a very few instances does the equipment include steam drills 

 or pumps. 



When water is troublesome a siphon is used, if a sufficient 

 fall can be had, or a horse or hand power pump is used when a 

 •siphon is not available. In the few cases in which the steam 

 pump is used tht^ " pnlsomeier " seems to bs a favorile. 



The following from Stone is of interest as showing the 

 peculiarities of bluestone quarrying: 



The quarrying of bluestone probably requires as much skill, 

 if not more, than jinv other kind of stone, a fact often over- 



