﻿Report 
  of 
  the 
  State 
  Geologist. 
  471 
  

  

  foot 
  of 
  the 
  Helderberg 
  mountains, 
  is 
  largely 
  covered 
  and 
  as 
  the 
  

   near 
  supply 
  is 
  exhausted 
  the 
  more 
  distant 
  sources 
  will 
  be 
  drawp 
  

   upon. 
  

  

  Flagstones. 
  

  

  The 
  flagstones 
  quarried 
  in 
  Albany 
  county 
  come 
  wholly 
  from 
  

   the 
  Hamilton 
  group 
  of 
  rocks. 
  In 
  the 
  Helderbergs 
  they 
  are 
  

   found 
  nearly 
  two 
  thousand 
  feet 
  above 
  sea 
  level. 
  This 
  range 
  

   runs 
  in 
  a 
  northwest-southeast 
  direction 
  across 
  the 
  county. 
  The 
  

   localities 
  where 
  the 
  quarries 
  are 
  most 
  numerous 
  are 
  at 
  Keidsville, 
  

   South 
  Berne, 
  Dormansville 
  and 
  Alcove. 
  The 
  quarries 
  are 
  not 
  

   centered 
  in 
  these 
  particular 
  localities, 
  but 
  are 
  from 
  five 
  to 
  seven 
  

   miles 
  distant 
  from 
  the 
  immediate 
  vicinity. 
  

  

  The 
  method 
  of 
  working 
  these 
  quarries 
  is 
  explained 
  in 
  the 
  

   description 
  of 
  the 
  flagstone 
  industry 
  of 
  Ulster 
  county. 
  In 
  the 
  

   Helderberg 
  region, 
  however, 
  there 
  are 
  more 
  farmers 
  who 
  work 
  

   their 
  quarries 
  intermittently 
  than 
  in 
  Ulster 
  county. 
  The 
  reason 
  

   is 
  probably 
  twofold. 
  In 
  the 
  first 
  place 
  the 
  stone 
  is 
  not 
  nearly 
  

   so 
  convenient 
  to 
  shipping 
  points. 
  A 
  great 
  deal 
  of 
  the 
  output 
  is 
  

   hauled 
  to 
  Coeymans 
  landing, 
  twenty-four 
  miles 
  distant, 
  and 
  to 
  

   Albany, 
  nearly 
  sixteen 
  miles. 
  These 
  distances 
  are 
  reckoned 
  from 
  

   Keidsville. 
  Again 
  the 
  stone 
  here 
  does 
  not 
  appear 
  to 
  be 
  so 
  heavy 
  

   bedded, 
  and 
  thus 
  only 
  the 
  lighter 
  flags 
  are 
  produced. 
  The 
  best 
  

   idea 
  of 
  the 
  way 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  quarries 
  are 
  worked 
  may 
  be 
  gained 
  

   from 
  a 
  particular 
  description 
  of 
  the 
  quarries 
  of 
  Messrs. 
  H. 
  and 
  G. 
  

   Steward, 
  of 
  South 
  Berne. 
  The 
  quarry 
  is 
  located 
  on 
  an 
  easily 
  

   sloping 
  hillside 
  facing 
  the 
  west. 
  The 
  working 
  face 
  is 
  about 
  

   300 
  feet 
  long. 
  The 
  material 
  which 
  has 
  to 
  be 
  stripped 
  off 
  

   consists 
  of 
  shaly 
  or 
  slaty 
  material 
  which 
  is 
  worthless. 
  This 
  

   worthless 
  material 
  is 
  about 
  eight 
  feet 
  thick. 
  The 
  men 
  owning 
  

   the 
  quarries 
  do 
  not 
  work 
  them 
  ; 
  they 
  rent 
  to 
  any 
  one 
  who 
  wishes 
  

   to 
  quarry 
  stone. 
  The 
  renters 
  pay 
  five 
  cents 
  per 
  square 
  foot 
  of 
  

   surface 
  measure. 
  At 
  the 
  Steward 
  quarry 
  a 
  face 
  about 
  300 
  feet 
  

   long 
  and 
  50 
  feet 
  wide 
  was 
  about 
  worked 
  out 
  in 
  October, 
  1893. 
  The 
  

   rental 
  paid 
  to 
  Mr. 
  Steward 
  would 
  then 
  be 
  made 
  up 
  in 
  the 
  follow- 
  

   ing 
  way: 
  300x50 
  feet 
  = 
  15,000 
  square 
  feet. 
  Paid 
  for 
  at 
  five 
  

   cents 
  per 
  square 
  foot 
  equals 
  15,000 
  x. 
  05 
  feet 
  == 
  $750 
  amount 
  

   paid 
  for 
  the 
  above 
  block. 
  

  

  This 
  same 
  block 
  of 
  stone 
  would 
  average 
  about 
  five 
  feet 
  in 
  

   thickness. 
  Each 
  foot 
  thick 
  of 
  stone 
  will 
  yield 
  on 
  an 
  average 
  

  

  