8 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



of the descriptive matter of the earlier report but also contained 

 chapters on the use of stone in cities, on the durability of stone, 

 and the physical and chemical testing of stone ; it was one of the 

 first important quarry reports in this country to treat the subject 

 from the scientific standpoint. The physical determinations as 

 carried out for the report have little practical application at present, 

 as the theory and tedhnic of laboratory tests have been almost 

 revolutionized in the last few years. Naturally, there have also 

 been great changes in the economic situation of the local industry. 



Reports of more restricted compass have been issued at different 

 times. A brief account of the New York State quarry industry 

 was given in the volumes of the Tenth Census.-^ A paper on the 

 quarries of southeastern New York, of descriptive character, by 

 E. C. Eckel," was published in the report of the State Geologist 

 for 1900. The limestones were described rather fully in 1901 by 

 H. Ries,^ and the bluestone industry by H. T. Dickinson in 1903.* 



With few exceptions, all the quarry localities described in this 

 bulletin have been personally visited, the field work occupying parts 

 of the summers of 1912 and 1913. The samples obtained in the 

 field have been used for optical, physical and chemical investigations 

 in accordance with recent practice in the testing of quarry stones. 



The writer has received valuable assistance in both the field and 

 laboratory from R. W. Jones of the Museum stafif, who is re- 

 sponsible for much of the chemical work undertaken for the report, 

 and from H. Mattimore of the bureau of research. State Depart- 

 ment of Highways, who carried out physical tests on many samples 

 of granites. To them and also to the individual quarry operators 

 who have extended numerous courtesies, the writer desires to ex- 

 press his obligations. 



THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE QUARRY INDUSTRY IN 



NEW YORK 



The extraction of stone for building and other purposes in this 

 State has gained prominence as an industry only within relatively 

 recent years. The use of stone in structures, however, goes back 

 to the colonial period. As the most available of the permanent 

 structural materials, it was employed by the early settlers in walls. 



IV. 10, Washington, 1884. 



2 Albany, 1902. Also printed separately. 



3 N. Y. State Mus. Bui. 44, Albany, 1901. 

 * N. Y. State Mus. Bui. 61, Albany, 1903. 



