8 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



frost, they tighten and close up, while, if it is quarried during 

 the winter, the reeds will open. Again, it is true that, with a 

 thick lift, if the stone is split to a thickness of 6 inches, there 

 is no danger of the reeds opening, while, if it is left thicker than 

 this, the danger of the reeds opening from exposure is great. 

 Some reeds will not open at all, even when the block is 

 " pointed '' all around, and others will open only partly. As- 

 before stated, each quarry has its characteristic reeds, which 

 have to be found by the quarrymen by experience. 



The seams in the quarry are a source of trouble and at times 

 loss. A seam will " shift and grow " or " double," that is, on 

 the front edge of a block the thickness of a lift may be 2 inches 

 while on the back the thickness will be 4 inches. Two seams 

 have run together, not gradually, but by a sudden jump, leaving 

 the two faces of the stone parallel. iVll these considerations 

 affect the commercial value of f quarry. 



When a quarry is first opened, the lifts are always thin, not 

 over J inch to 2 inches thick. As each tier of blocks is taken 

 out, the lifts are thicker. Also it is a common occurrence ta 

 find that the lifts in the lower part of the bed are heavier than 

 those at the top. All thin lifts are used as flagstone, while the 

 thicker lifts are worked into edge stone or left in the rough 

 and sold as " rock." As a rule, a good " rock " quarry is the 

 most profitable, as the stone requires no dressing of any kind. 

 But, on account of the sizes and weight of the stone, derricks 

 are required. 



Between the lifts, a thin bed cf shale may occur, 3 to 4 inches 

 thick. Shale is known to the quarrymen as "pencil." A 

 " rough streak " in a quarry bed is a common occurrence. This 

 is a streak of stone, of varying thickness, in which the seams 

 are very irregular. There are varying degrees of " roughness " ;. 

 part of the streak may be worked into salable stone, with extra 

 labor, or it all may have to be dumped on the rubbish pile. 



A bed of stone is said to be " bottomed " when a thick rougn 

 streak or pencil is encountered. A rough streak is not always 

 permanent. With each new tier of blocks taken out, the con- 



