QUARRY MATERIALS OF NEW YORK 99 



expensive, as the jointing is irregular in regard to direction and 

 spacing. The principal uses of the stone appear to have been in 

 monumental and decorative work. It was employed in the trim- 

 mings of the Y. M. C. A. building in Burlington, and also in the 

 interior decoration of a Philadelphia church, but had the widest 

 sale for monuments, of which there are many specimens in the 

 cemeteries of that vicinity. A local example of its use in buildings 

 is found in the French Catholic church at Keeseville, which, how- 

 ever, was constructed mainly of the quarry waste. At the time the 

 quarries were worked, the branch railroad from Port Kent to 

 Keeseville had not been built and all the stone had to be hauled to 

 the lakeside by teams. 



G. P. Merrill in his " Stones for Building and Decoration " 

 speaks of the Keeseville stone as " admirably adapted for polished 

 columns, pilasters, and other decorative work." But he also re- 

 marks that the material in some places shows minute fractures 

 which may prove detrimental to its weathering qualities. 



Physical tests. The stone is credited by Smock with a crushing 

 strength of 29,000 pounds to the square inch, which is higher than 

 the average. The specific gravity is around 2.75, indicating a weight 

 of 175 pounds to the cubic foot. Ratio of absorption, .066 per cent. 



Empire State Granite Company's quarries 



The Empire State Granite Co. has been engaged recently in 

 the development of quarry lands to the west of Keeseville, near the 

 Clintonville road, on property owned by George W. Smith of 

 Keeseville. The company has also an area on the west side of 

 Augur lake which it has prospected to some extent. 



The anorthosite in this section shows more uniformity of char- 

 acter than that on Prospect hill and its structural features are better 

 adapted for quarry operations. It is traversed usually by two series 

 of vertical joints crossing at right angles. A horizontal series is 

 also present. It splits readily with plug and feathers in two direc- 

 tions which correspond to rift and grain in granite. Dimension 

 stone and paving blocks can be quarried without more difficulty 

 probably than with ordinary granites. The joints show very little 

 sap and the stone is practically fresh from the surface. 



Two openings have been made on the Smith property west of 

 Keeseville. At the more westerly one the anorthosite forms a ridge 

 with a nearly vertical rise on the north of about 50 feet. This is 



7 



