DESCRIPTIVE NOTES OF QUARRY DISTRICTS AND QUARRIES 28 1 



large amount Is cut Into floor-tiling, billiard-table tops, and 

 house trimming materials. These quarries are much deeper 

 than those of the Granville red slate range, and the slate 

 has a brighter red color, and Is more easily worked than 

 that of the latter range. 



Their product, mostly finished stock, has to be carted by 

 teams, six miles to Whitehall, or to Middle Granville, ship- 

 ping points. 



The green slate of these Washington county quarries is 

 almost all of the unfading variety, which is more durable 

 and more valuable than the sea-green slate. The variegated 

 (purple and green) also is durable, but is softer and less 

 valuable than the red, which is esteemed for roofing and 

 tiling purposes. 



The purple and green slates are more abundant, and are 

 used more for marblelzlng. 



A specimen of the red roofing slate of Washington county 

 was tested and found to have a specific gravity of 2.84, 

 equivalent to a weight of 177 pounds per cubic foot. It 

 contained 1.87 per cent of ferrous oxide and 7.36 per cent 

 of ferric oxide. Its absorptive percentage was 0.15. It lost 

 0.07 per cent in weight in the sulphuric acid solution test. 

 It remained unchanged in tests of alternate freezing and 

 thawing. 



The estimated production of red roofing slate in 1889, 



was 5,000 squares. The ruling prices per square were as 



as follows:"^ 



Red $8 00 to $10 00. 



Purple 3 50 to 4 00 . 



Unfading-green 3 50 to 4 00 . 



Sea-green 2 7 5 to 3 00 . 



Variegated .... 2 50 to 2 75. 



■^Letter of Hugh Williams of Middle Granville, January 22, 1890. 



Note. — A recent bulletin of the United States Census gives a list of firms produc- 

 ing slate, and the statistics of production, labor, wages, etc. According to this report 

 there are sixteen quarries in this State, which produced in 18S9, 17,167 squares of 

 roofing slate, and slate for other purposes valued at $44,877. making a total value of 

 $130,603. 



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