﻿76 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  STATE 
  MUSEUM 
  

  

  Along 
  the 
  Hudson 
  river 
  from 
  Orange 
  county 
  northward 
  to 
  

   Washington 
  county 
  various 
  beds 
  of 
  sandstone 
  occur 
  in 
  the 
  Hudson 
  

   river 
  formation. 
  They 
  are 
  quarried 
  for 
  rubble, 
  local 
  building 
  stone 
  

   and 
  crushed 
  stone 
  in 
  Albany, 
  Greene 
  and 
  Dutchess 
  counties, 
  and 
  in 
  

   former 
  times 
  were 
  taken 
  out 
  at 
  many 
  other 
  localities. 
  

  

  Minor 
  sandstones, 
  in 
  which 
  from 
  time 
  to 
  time 
  quarries 
  are 
  

   opened, 
  are 
  the 
  Oneida 
  conglomerate, 
  Clinton 
  and 
  the 
  Triassic 
  

   brownstones, 
  the 
  latter 
  now 
  practically 
  abandoned. 
  

  

  By 
  far 
  the 
  most 
  important 
  sandstone, 
  both 
  as 
  to 
  areal 
  distribution 
  

   and 
  annual 
  output, 
  is 
  the 
  variety 
  known 
  as 
  bluestone. 
  

  

  Bluestone. 
  This 
  variety 
  of 
  sandstone 
  constitutes 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  im- 
  

   portant 
  sources 
  of 
  wealth 
  of 
  certain 
  sections 
  of 
  the 
  State. 
  It 
  is 
  a 
  

   name 
  applied 
  to 
  certain, 
  usually 
  bluish, 
  evenly 
  bedded 
  sandstones 
  

   occurring 
  in 
  the 
  upper 
  Devonic 
  strata. 
  Its 
  importance 
  lies 
  in 
  the 
  

   fact 
  that 
  it 
  splits 
  in 
  thin 
  regular 
  horizontal 
  slabs 
  along 
  planes 
  

   known 
  as 
  lifts, 
  and 
  that 
  these 
  slabs 
  are 
  in 
  turn 
  intersected 
  by 
  two 
  

   sets 
  of 
  joints 
  lying 
  at 
  about 
  right 
  angles 
  which 
  facilitate 
  the 
  ex- 
  

   traction 
  of 
  blocks 
  of 
  convenient 
  size. 
  

  

  The 
  stone 
  taken 
  out 
  in 
  most 
  districts 
  is 
  classed 
  under 
  three 
  heads 
  : 
  

   (i) 
  "flagging," 
  the 
  thin 
  slabs 
  used 
  for 
  sidewalks; 
  (2) 
  ''edge" 
  

   stone, 
  or 
  thicker 
  slabs 
  which 
  are 
  used 
  in 
  curbing, 
  as 
  Belgian 
  bridge 
  

   in 
  crosswalks 
  and 
  as 
  sills 
  and 
  coping 
  in 
  construction 
  work,; 
  (3) 
  

   " 
  rock," 
  or 
  rough 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  square 
  blocks 
  which 
  may 
  be 
  dressed 
  

   or 
  sold 
  in 
  rough 
  condition 
  for 
  building 
  and 
  for 
  bridge 
  construction. 
  

   Among 
  the 
  minor 
  uses 
  are 
  for 
  crushed 
  stone 
  and 
  for 
  rubble 
  and 
  

   riprap, 
  for 
  which 
  purposes 
  the 
  waste 
  rock 
  is 
  almost 
  entirely 
  used. 
  

   As 
  a 
  flagging, 
  bluestone 
  is 
  suitable 
  because 
  of 
  the 
  even 
  surface 
  ob- 
  

   tainable 
  with 
  little 
  or 
  no 
  dressing 
  and 
  because 
  after 
  long 
  usage 
  it 
  

   does 
  not 
  assume 
  a 
  slippery 
  surface. 
  

  

  The 
  bluestone 
  quarries 
  are 
  usually 
  situated 
  upon 
  the 
  hillsides 
  and 
  

   the 
  waste 
  material 
  is 
  dumped 
  down 
  the 
  slope, 
  while 
  the 
  stone 
  is 
  

   hauled 
  in 
  wagons 
  down 
  the 
  slopes 
  to 
  the 
  shipping 
  points. 
  Flag- 
  

   stones 
  and 
  curbstones 
  are 
  usually 
  roughly 
  hand 
  dressed 
  while 
  build- 
  

   ing 
  stone, 
  sills 
  etc. 
  are 
  dressed 
  in 
  various 
  mills 
  situated 
  in 
  the 
  

   district. 
  

  

  The 
  area 
  from 
  which 
  bluestone 
  is 
  obtained 
  extends 
  roughly 
  from 
  

   Albany, 
  Greene 
  and 
  Ulster 
  counties 
  on 
  the 
  east, 
  due 
  westward 
  

   through 
  Sullivan, 
  Delaware, 
  Broome 
  and 
  Chenango 
  counties 
  and 
  

   so 
  on 
  to 
  Lake 
  Erie. 
  

  

  There 
  are 
  four 
  main 
  districts 
  in 
  the 
  area: 
  (i) 
  the 
  Hudson 
  river 
  

   region 
  comprising 
  Greene 
  and 
  Ulster 
  counties 
  and 
  having 
  for 
  its 
  

  

  