﻿Report 
  of 
  the 
  State 
  Geologist. 
  583 
  

  

  Even 
  the 
  larger 
  dealers 
  in 
  blue 
  stone, 
  such 
  as 
  the 
  Ulster 
  Blue 
  

   Stone 
  Company, 
  Hewitt 
  Boice, 
  Eogers 
  & 
  Tappan, 
  and 
  others, 
  

   quarry 
  but 
  a 
  small 
  per 
  cent 
  of 
  their 
  stone. 
  The 
  Ulster 
  

   Blue 
  Stone 
  Company, 
  for 
  instance, 
  owns 
  about 
  2000 
  acres 
  of 
  blue 
  

   stone 
  land 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  Quarryville. 
  Yet 
  they 
  do 
  not 
  

   themselves 
  quarry 
  a 
  foot 
  of 
  stone. 
  Their 
  quarries, 
  so 
  far 
  as 
  

   worked, 
  are 
  leased. 
  At 
  Quarryville 
  a 
  long 
  face 
  of 
  stone 
  is 
  

   worked, 
  ar.d 
  derricks 
  are 
  put 
  up 
  for 
  the 
  convenient 
  handling 
  of 
  

   heavy 
  pieces. 
  Active 
  quarrying 
  of 
  the 
  stone 
  is 
  prosecuted°for 
  

   about 
  six 
  to 
  eight 
  months 
  in 
  the 
  year. 
  In 
  the 
  winter 
  months 
  the 
  

   stripping 
  is 
  done. 
  The 
  ground 
  is 
  then 
  frozen 
  hard, 
  and 
  the 
  slates 
  

   quite 
  firmly 
  cemented 
  by 
  frost. 
  Dynamite 
  or 
  some 
  other 
  high 
  

   explosive 
  is 
  used 
  to 
  loosen 
  the 
  rock 
  and 
  dirt. 
  This 
  is 
  found 
  to 
  be 
  

   better 
  and 
  more 
  economical 
  of 
  time 
  and 
  labor, 
  since 
  the 
  frozen 
  

   dirt 
  and 
  slate 
  can 
  be 
  handled 
  better 
  than 
  when 
  uncemented. 
  

   Then, 
  too, 
  this 
  work 
  can 
  be 
  done 
  in 
  cold 
  weather 
  when 
  the 
  cutting 
  

   would 
  be 
  quite 
  impossible. 
  

  

  As 
  regards 
  the 
  quality 
  of 
  the 
  blue 
  stone 
  the 
  following 
  notes 
  on 
  

   the 
  microscopic 
  structure, 
  made 
  by 
  the 
  writer 
  for 
  Prof. 
  Smock's 
  

   " 
  Building 
  Stones 
  in 
  New 
  York," 
  may 
  be 
  interesting 
  here. 
  

  

  " 
  Blue 
  stone, 
  Bigelow 
  Blue 
  Stone 
  Company 
  (now 
  Ulster 
  Blue 
  

   Stone 
  Company). 
  Minerals 
  : 
  quartz 
  and 
  feldspar. 
  The 
  quartz 
  is 
  

   in 
  grains, 
  which 
  appear 
  to 
  be 
  very 
  angular 
  in 
  shape, 
  more 
  like 
  a 
  

   breccia. 
  The 
  grains 
  are 
  clearer 
  than 
  those 
  of 
  other 
  sandstones 
  

   examined, 
  and 
  the 
  proportion 
  of 
  quartz 
  grains 
  to 
  the 
  rest 
  of 
  the 
  

   matter 
  is 
  smaller. 
  The 
  feldspar 
  observed 
  differs 
  very 
  materially 
  

   from 
  that 
  in 
  the 
  other 
  stone. 
  Grains 
  of 
  triclinic 
  feldspar 
  are 
  

   observed, 
  which 
  are 
  very 
  fresh. 
  Another 
  feldspar 
  is 
  almost 
  com- 
  

   pletely 
  decomposed. 
  No 
  carbonate 
  of 
  lime 
  appears 
  to 
  be 
  pres 
  

   ent, 
  and 
  very 
  little 
  oxide 
  of 
  iron. 
  The 
  long, 
  wavy, 
  crystal 
  like 
  

   dark 
  spots 
  in 
  the 
  stone 
  appear 
  to 
  be 
  decomposed 
  feldspar, 
  more 
  

   or 
  less 
  stained 
  with 
  iron. 
  The 
  cementing 
  material 
  is 
  probably 
  

   silica, 
  as 
  dilute 
  hydrochloric 
  acid 
  has 
  no 
  effect, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  not 
  

   stained 
  with 
  iron." 
  * 
  

  

  A 
  chemical 
  analysis 
  by 
  Prof. 
  Wilbur 
  (ibid.) 
  showed 
  4.62 
  per 
  cent 
  

   of 
  ferrous 
  oxide. 
  On 
  heating 
  the 
  stone 
  to 
  the 
  melting 
  point 
  of 
  

  

  * 
  The 
  test 
  was 
  as 
  follows: 
  A 
  thia 
  slice 
  of 
  the 
  ston* 
  one 
  one-hundredth 
  of 
  an 
  inch 
  thick 
  wa« 
  

   immersed 
  m 
  the 
  dilute 
  acid. 
  In 
  the 
  case 
  of 
  a 
  calcareous 
  sandstone, 
  or 
  of 
  a 
  ferruginous 
  s-d 
  

   stone 
  the 
  grams 
  of 
  silica 
  and 
  feldspar 
  would 
  have 
  been 
  loosened 
  into 
  sand. 
  The 
  slice 
  of 
  rTk 
  

   remained 
  practically 
  unaffected. 
  *** 
  

  

  