PIKE COUNTY. 627 



of the county, however, and their accessibility, take away all reason for 

 seeking out any other supply, so that these courses have not been worked 

 to any considerable extent on the west side of the Scioto. The case is 

 different on the east side of the river. The strong easterly dip to which 

 the rocks are subjected carries the Waverly quarries below the surface 

 before the valley is fairly left, and the higher beds are then sought for. 

 The color which has been spoken of as characterizing the rock at the 

 Tar Spring marks it through all its northern exposures in the county. 

 Instead of being counted a disadvantage,- the variety which it adds to 

 the builder's resources constitutes a positive argument in its favor. To 

 the north and north-east of Waverly, for twelve or fifteen miles, this 

 Buena Vista stone is very abundant. The best quarry of it yet opened 

 within the limits of Pike county is on the farm of John Gregg, Esq., op- 

 posite the village of Waverly, where it occurs in a single massive course, 

 seven feet and two inches in thickness, and perfectly homogeneous in 

 color and character — at least for the limited extent which has thus far 

 been worked. The stone taken from the quarry has been mainly hand- 

 led by Morris Richey, of Waverly, who has brought it into market under 

 the name of the Waverly brown stone. It has been used for the con- 

 struction of several large buildings in Columbus during the last five 

 years, where it is coming to be looked upon as one of the most desirable 

 of the native building stones of Ohio. It is' to be observed, however, 

 that the brown color for which it is so justly admired is not a natural, 

 but a derivative color, formed from the conversion of a notable (fwa^^j^, 

 of protoxide of iron into sesquioxide. As in the true Waverly quarries, 

 where a, similar conversion of the outside portions has been effected, the 

 change does not extend more than twelve or fifteen feet beyond the sur- 

 face. The original color of the rock is blue, of a considerably darker 

 tint than the native color of the lower courses of building rock, viz., the 

 true Waverly quarries. Its composition is shown in the following an- 

 alysis made by Prof. Wormley for the Survey. The sample submitted 

 was taken from Gregg's quarries, and only the brown or weathered por- 

 tion of the layer was analyzed : 



Waverly Beown Stone. 



Silicic acid 73.90 



Protoxide of iron '•••• 



Sesquioxide o iron 13.44 



Alumina 8.56 



Lime trace 



Magnesia 0.46- 



Water, combined • 3.30 - 



99.66.. 



