376 REPORT On NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1886. 



inch or more) must be used in order to appear to advantage. The stone 

 is found, as I am informed by Mr. J. S. Diller, of the U. S. Geological 

 Survey, in a narrow seam in the gneissoid rocks of the region, and there 

 is very little probability of its ever being obtainable in pieces of more 

 than a foot or so in length. 



Prof. H. G. Hanks, in a paper recently read before the San Francisco 

 Microscopical Society, describes, under the name of "Inyo" marble, a 

 pure white crystalline dolomite occurring in the White and other mount- 

 ains of the Inyo range in this State. It is regarded by him as an ex- 

 cellent stone, and one promising of future usefulness. Besides this he 

 mentions a yellow brecciated marble found at Tehachipi, in Kern County, 

 and a black marble found near Colfax. The author has seen none of 

 these stones. 



Colorado. — No marbles are as yet quarried in this State, but the Mu- 

 seum collections show a small piece of a black white- veined breccia from 

 Pitkin that might rival the imported "Portoro" from the Monte d'Arma 

 quarries in Italy, if occurring in sufficient abundance. Concerning the 

 extent and character of the formation the author knows nothing. In the 

 marble yards of Denver the author was shown during the summer of 1886 

 a fine chocolate-colored stone, somewhat resembling the more uuiform 

 colors of Tennessee marble, which was stated to have been brought 

 from near Fort Collins, in Laramie County, where it occurred in great 

 quantities j also a fair grade of white blue- veined marble from Gunni- 

 son County. A beautiful breccia marble is stated* to occur in abun- 

 dance a few miles north of Boulder City. 



Connecticut — In the northern part of Litchfield County, near the 

 Massachusetts line, in the town of Canaan, East Canaan, and Falls 

 Village, there occur massive beds of a coarsely crystalline white dolo 

 mite, which have in years past furnished valuable building marbles, 

 though recently they have been but little worked. The stone is said 

 to weather well and to be obtainable in large blocks eminently suited 

 for building, but like the Lee dolomite it frequently contains crystals 

 of white tremolite, which weather out on exposure. It is therefore not 

 so well suited for finely finished or monumental work. The State-House 

 at Hartford is the most important structure yet made from this material. 



As already noted (ante, p. 288), it was at Marble Dale, in the town of 

 Milford, in this State that marble quarrying was first systematically 

 undertaken in this country, and at one time (1830) not less than fifteen 

 quarries were in active operation in the vicinity. So far as can be 

 learned not a single one of these is now being worked. 



Delaware. — ISTo marbles are at present quarried in this State, but a 

 coarse white dolomite is found near Hockessin, New Castle County. 

 This, so far as can be judged from the single specimen examined, might 

 be used for general building, though not well suited for ornamental 

 work. 



*Bien. Rep. State Geol. of Colo., 1880, p. 33. 



