﻿Report 
  of 
  the 
  State 
  Geologist. 
  581 
  

  

  probably 
  several 
  workable 
  beds. 
  In 
  some 
  quarries 
  the 
  stripping 
  

   is 
  very 
  light 
  over 
  a 
  large 
  area. 
  Especially 
  is 
  this 
  true 
  where 
  the 
  

   dip 
  seems 
  to 
  be 
  very 
  slight, 
  and 
  where 
  erosion 
  has 
  carried 
  away 
  

   fie 
  worthless 
  slates. 
  In 
  this 
  case 
  working 
  is 
  continued 
  until 
  the 
  

   Witer 
  becomes 
  troublesome, 
  when 
  the 
  quarry 
  is 
  abandoned. 
  

   Occasionally 
  hand 
  pumping 
  is 
  resorted 
  to, 
  in 
  other 
  places 
  drain- 
  

   age 
  by 
  siphon 
  is 
  used 
  As 
  a 
  rule, 
  however, 
  no 
  pumping, 
  except 
  

   for 
  small 
  accumulations 
  after 
  a 
  shower, 
  is 
  resorted 
  to. 
  As 
  will 
  

   be 
  inferred 
  from 
  former 
  statements, 
  the 
  quarries 
  are 
  nowhere 
  

   deep. 
  The 
  depth 
  can 
  be 
  given 
  in 
  the 
  following 
  manner: 
  Strip- 
  

   ping, 
  four 
  to 
  fifteen 
  feet; 
  workable 
  beds, 
  three 
  to 
  ten 
  feet; 
  depth 
  

   of 
  quarry, 
  seven 
  to 
  twenty-five 
  feet 
  In 
  working 
  the 
  quarries 
  

   the 
  following 
  method 
  is 
  pursued. 
  The 
  soil 
  is 
  first 
  removed, 
  gen- 
  

   erally 
  by 
  barrows. 
  Then, 
  if 
  the 
  quarry 
  be 
  new, 
  the 
  loose 
  

   sJate 
  is 
  stripped 
  and 
  wheeled 
  away 
  and 
  dumped 
  opposite 
  the 
  face 
  

   of 
  the 
  quarry. 
  The 
  soil 
  and 
  slate 
  are 
  thus 
  stripped 
  down 
  to 
  the 
  

   bed 
  of 
  workable 
  stone. 
  The 
  length 
  of 
  the 
  stripping 
  is 
  usually 
  

   twenty 
  to 
  fifty 
  feet. 
  The 
  width, 
  from 
  face 
  back, 
  depends 
  largely 
  

   on 
  the 
  jointing 
  in 
  the 
  stone, 
  and 
  is 
  from 
  five 
  to 
  twenty 
  feet. 
  

  

  First, 
  alter 
  the 
  stripping, 
  there 
  are 
  usually 
  thin 
  flags 
  from 
  

   one 
  to 
  two 
  inches 
  thick; 
  thes< 
  j 
  are 
  generally 
  saved, 
  though 
  the 
  mar- 
  

   ket 
  for 
  such 
  thin 
  flags 
  is 
  very 
  limited. 
  Then 
  come 
  the 
  heavier 
  and 
  

   more 
  valuable 
  flags 
  from 
  three 
  to 
  six 
  inches 
  or 
  more 
  thick. 
  

   These 
  are 
  loosened 
  from 
  the 
  beds 
  by 
  means 
  of 
  gads 
  (thin 
  steel 
  

   v* 
  edges). 
  After 
  loosening 
  these 
  beds, 
  the 
  stone 
  is 
  marked 
  out 
  in 
  

   such 
  sizes 
  as 
  have 
  been 
  ordered. 
  Along 
  the 
  lines 
  marked 
  out 
  are 
  

   drilled 
  small 
  holes. 
  The 
  stone 
  is 
  then 
  broken 
  by 
  wedges 
  and 
  

   feat 
  iers. 
  After 
  breaking, 
  the 
  stones 
  are 
  tiimmed 
  by 
  cutting 
  off 
  

   the 
  jagged 
  edges 
  and 
  by 
  chipping 
  off 
  any 
  little 
  bunches 
  or 
  

   irregular 
  surfaces. 
  Heavier 
  pieces 
  of 
  stone, 
  eight 
  to 
  twelve 
  

   inches 
  thick, 
  are 
  broken 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  way. 
  This 
  dressing 
  in 
  the 
  

   quarry 
  rapidly 
  litters 
  the 
  floor 
  with 
  spalls 
  and 
  broken 
  fragments. 
  

   This 
  material 
  is 
  piled 
  up 
  in 
  layers, 
  leaving 
  driving 
  spaces 
  

   between 
  the 
  piles. 
  Ihere 
  are 
  comparatively 
  iew 
  quarries 
  where 
  

   derricks 
  are 
  used 
  The 
  reasons 
  for 
  this 
  are 
  the 
  initial 
  

   cost, 
  the 
  expense 
  of 
  setting 
  up 
  and 
  also 
  to 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  the 
  

   greater 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  workings 
  are 
  temporary 
  and 
  soon 
  

   hive 
  to 
  be 
  abandoned. 
  Large 
  stone 
  are 
  loaded 
  on 
  wagons 
  by 
  

   main 
  strength. 
  There 
  are 
  usually 
  two, 
  three 
  or 
  even 
  eight 
  or 
  ten 
  

  

  