﻿Report 
  of 
  the 
  State 
  Geologist. 
  587 
  

  

  anything 
  more 
  than 
  local 
  use. 
  Their 
  distance 
  from 
  transporta- 
  

   tion 
  facilities 
  would 
  preclude 
  competition 
  with 
  deposits 
  along 
  the 
  

   tide 
  waters 
  of 
  the 
  Hudson. 
  

  

  Millstones. 
  

  

  Three 
  States 
  in 
  the 
  Union 
  produce 
  these 
  stones, 
  New 
  York, 
  

   Pennsylvania 
  and 
  Virginia. 
  In 
  this 
  production, 
  however, 
  there 
  

   has 
  been 
  a 
  steady 
  decrease 
  since 
  1883. 
  In 
  this 
  year 
  the 
  above- 
  

   named 
  States 
  produced 
  stones 
  to 
  the 
  value 
  of 
  $150,000. 
  In 
  1890 
  

   this 
  was 
  reduced 
  to 
  $23,720. 
  

  

  The 
  reason 
  for 
  this 
  great 
  decrease 
  can 
  be 
  ascribed 
  entirely 
  to 
  

   the 
  general 
  adoption 
  of 
  the 
  roller 
  process 
  in 
  flour 
  mills. 
  The 
  use 
  

   of 
  buhrstones 
  is 
  now 
  almost 
  wholly 
  confined 
  to 
  the 
  grinding 
  of 
  

   cement, 
  paint, 
  gypsum, 
  etc. 
  

  

  The 
  French 
  buhrstone 
  is 
  said 
  to 
  be 
  superior 
  to 
  the 
  American 
  

   by 
  men 
  who 
  grind 
  gypsum, 
  baryta, 
  etc., 
  as 
  it 
  is 
  tougher 
  and 
  

   wears 
  longer. 
  

  

  The 
  Shawangnnk 
  grit, 
  from 
  which 
  the 
  Ulster 
  county 
  millstone 
  is 
  

   quarried, 
  is 
  a 
  light 
  gray 
  quartz 
  conglomerate. 
  The 
  quartz 
  pebbles 
  

   are 
  usually 
  of 
  a 
  milky 
  white 
  color. 
  They 
  vary 
  in 
  size 
  from 
  that 
  

   of 
  a 
  small 
  pea 
  up 
  to 
  that 
  of 
  a 
  butternut. 
  The 
  matrix 
  is 
  a 
  gritty 
  

   silicious 
  paste. 
  

  

  . 
  The 
  grits, 
  beginning 
  at 
  High 
  Falls, 
  extend 
  in 
  gradually 
  increas- 
  

   ing 
  height 
  to 
  Ellenville 
  and 
  into 
  Pennsylvania. 
  The 
  grits 
  occur 
  

   in 
  beds 
  of 
  varying 
  thickness. 
  They 
  are 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  general 
  char- 
  

   acter 
  throughout 
  the 
  entire 
  length 
  of 
  the 
  county. 
  

  

  The 
  method 
  of 
  quarrying 
  the 
  stone 
  is 
  very 
  simple. 
  A 
  large 
  

   block 
  of 
  stone 
  is 
  separated 
  by 
  means 
  of 
  its 
  natural 
  lines 
  of 
  bedding 
  

   and 
  jointing. 
  It 
  is 
  then 
  roughly 
  shaped 
  by 
  means 
  of 
  wedges, 
  

   holes 
  being 
  drilled 
  and 
  wedges 
  driven 
  in. 
  The 
  stone 
  is 
  then 
  

   dressed 
  into 
  shape. 
  

  

  The 
  rock 
  lies 
  very 
  near 
  the 
  surface 
  along 
  the 
  line 
  of 
  the 
  Dela- 
  

   ware 
  and 
  Hudson 
  canal, 
  being 
  covered 
  generally 
  by 
  only 
  six 
  

   inches 
  to 
  one 
  foot 
  of 
  grit. 
  It 
  is 
  along 
  the 
  line 
  of 
  this 
  canal 
  that 
  

   the 
  greater 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  stones 
  are 
  dressed 
  and 
  shipped. 
  Ker- 
  

   honkson 
  and 
  Kyserike 
  are 
  the 
  two 
  principal 
  points 
  of 
  shipment. 
  

   From 
  these 
  two 
  points 
  are 
  shipped 
  about 
  350 
  tons 
  a 
  year. 
  These 
  

   figures 
  include 
  the 
  stone 
  that 
  is 
  carted 
  to 
  Rosendale 
  station 
  

   on 
  the 
  Wallkill 
  Valley 
  railroad. 
  

  

  