ELTZABETHTOWN AND PORT HENRY QUADRANGLES I5I 



is no doubt that should road metal of this character be needed m 

 the movement for miproved highways, this particular stratum 

 should receive careful attention. While it appears near Port Henry 

 chiefly in the two faulted blocks along the lake, it is present in 

 great amount in Westport, and to the south in Crown Point it 

 covers a rather 'large area. As it appears, moreover, in the regions 

 of the Champlain clay, where the roads are particularly bad in wet 

 weather, it may be worthy of investigation. Being a hard and as 

 a rule silicious variety it would seem to be best adapted of all the 

 local stone for macadam. 



As a natural material for use upon the highways the calcareous 

 sand or gravel, which results from the surface decomposiLion of 

 the Grenville limestone, has been dug to advantage. It is occa- 

 sionally available in pockets of sufficient size to yield borrow pits 

 of moderate capacity, and it packs under traffic to a very .excellent 

 surface. 



b Limestones for building and ornament. The Paleozoic 

 strata could furnish limestone suitable for structural purposes if 

 desired, but except in the barracks of the old fort on Crown point, 

 they have not been extensively utilized. The Chazy is the best 

 available for these purposes, because of its heavy bedding, and 

 more uniform character. The remains of the old Crown Point 

 quarry can still be seen, but it has not been much if at all utilized 

 in later years. The Beekmantown is also a rather heavily bedded 

 stratum but is irregular in character and harder for tool treatment. 

 The Trenton strata are as a rule too shaly for extended use. 



The one ornamental stone within the area here described is the 

 serpentinous marble which appears in several localities in the 

 Grenville series. It has also been used for walls in the village of 

 Port Henry. The more abundant white crystalline limestone is 

 occasionally replaced by beds which are mottled with green ser- 

 pentine, affording when the mottling is regular and not too coarse, 

 a very beautiful ornamental stone which was formerly placed on 

 the market as verd-antique or Moriah marble. The difficulty in 

 the industry is the irregularity of the serpentine, which at times 

 is in large masses and again in small, shotlike disseminations. 



There are three points at which the stone has been taken out. 

 One, the Tread way quarry, is on the brook which flows into Craig 

 harbor, just north of Port Henry and near the point where the 

 fork is shown at its headwaters. A ledge lo or 15 feet thick was 

 here channeled out in former years but has not been worked for 



