Geology of Se^s'eca Couxty. 117 



avenues. 'No deliberate and well-conducted experiments upon 

 the value of this very common material seem to have been made ; 

 if successful they would confer a great benefit ; but the probabil- 

 ity seems to be against success. 



Shale, the refuse of quarries of Portage sandstone, has been 

 applied to roads near Trumansburg by Mr. King, but, as he 

 informs me, with no great success. It grinds up to sand and 

 mud. 



The sandstone of that region is expensive to quarry ; nor is 

 sandstone recommended as a, road material. 



Certain parts of the Hamilton formation consist of a heavy 

 rock intermediate between shale and limestone. Such rock is 

 found at one or two points along the northern border of the 

 formation ; it is what has been termed the " basal Hamilton lime- 

 stone." At or near Bearytown, I am informed, this material has 

 been employed successfully in mending roads. The experiment 

 deserves to be repeated. Failure at one locality need not dis- 

 courage a trial at another, as the amount of lime in the rock 

 doubtless varies from point to point. The material is much 

 firmer than the common black shale or " slate." Exposures are 

 marked H on the map. 



The belt of quarries in " Seneca " stone would furnish excel- 

 lent material. The "stone road" between Geneva and Ovid is 

 roughly macadamized with this stone, and is certainly a fair 

 road. In the quarries which have been discontinued, owing to 

 distance from transportation, a limitless supply of serviceable 

 material is ready to the hand, which at present is practically 

 worthless. For road metal, blasting answers as good a purpose 

 as the slow and expensive use of bars and wedges. A plant for 

 stone crushing would be absolutely necessary. 



The Willard Hospital has constructed on its own premises, at 

 practically no expense, a mile and a half of Telford road, using 

 as sole material the Tully limestone quarried in the ravine, a few 

 hundred feet from the lake. This bit of road is of importance 

 in several ways. It illustrates the value of hitherto unused and 

 wasted forces — the work, both of quarrying, transportation and 

 road-building, having been performed by the patients, with the 

 aid and direction of the hospital assistants, it forms a perma- 



