DESCRIPTIVE NOTES OF QUARRY DISTRICTS AND QUARRIES 255 



places variegated with red ; dense, solid, and made up of 

 comminuted crinoidal stems and coralline masses. The 

 fine-cut surface does not differ greatly in shade of color 

 from that of the rock-face stone. These quarries were 

 opened when the Erie canal was dug, in 1825, and the Car- 

 penters began work here in 1829. The production has di- 

 minished greatly, owing to the general use of sandstones. 



It has been used in Lockport for common wall work ; for 

 house trimmings and monumental uses it has had a wide 

 market. The various buildings in the town show how well 

 it has withstood the action of the weather for years. 



The Lenox Library building. Fifth avenue and Seven- 

 tieth to Seventy-first streets, New York, is an example of 

 its use, but one in which the stone shows crevices and holes, 

 due to unequal weathering of coralline masses and the 

 more fossiliferous portion. The improper position of the 

 stone in the walls (more than forty per cent being set on 

 edge) may explain the serious defects seen in this example."'* 



West of Lockport the Niagara limestone is quarried at 

 Niagara Falls, for building in the town. Across the river, on 

 the Canadian side, the same formation near Queenstown, 

 furnishes some stone to Buffalo which is in much favor 

 with some architects and builders. 



II. Fragmental Rocks 



Sandstones 



Fort Ann, Washington County.— A gray sandstone is quar- 

 ried two miles north of the village, and at the side of the 

 canal. It is used in Whitehall. 



Whitehall, Washington County.— The cliffs of Potsdam 

 sandstone, east of the town, yield stone for local use. The 

 stone is hard and strong, and is valuable for foundations, 



* See loth Census of United States, Vol. x, page 369, Durability of building stones 

 in New York city and vicinity, by Alexis A. J u lien. 



