BUILDING AND ORNAMENTAL STONES. 417 



sional garnets, which in thin sections are always destitute of crystalline 

 form, appearing as rounded or oval nearly colorless bodies traversed by 

 many irregular lines of fracture. They are quite free from impurities, 

 though occasionally containing inclosures of biotite. As is usual in 

 muscovite-bearing rocks but little magnetite is present; in two cases 

 only grains of pyrite were noticed. 



This is one of the best working of the Maine granites, and is used 

 very extensively, not only for building and monuments, but is carved 

 into statues, like marble. The rock is properly a gneiss, but showing 

 no signs of stratification in the hand specimen is classed here as a granite. 

 As illustrative of the great extent of the quarries, it is stated that blocks 

 200 feet in length, by 40 feet in width and 8 feet in thickness, can be 

 broken out in a single piece if so desired. There is no gap between the 

 sheets, and little or no pyrite to cause discoloration. The sheets, as is 

 usually the case, increase in thickness downward, being about 1 foot 

 thick at the surface and 10 feet thick at the bottom of the present open- 

 ings, which are from 50 to GO feet deep. (See Plate viii.) 



This stone is in such demand for statuary and monumental work that 

 an Italian designer who served his apprenticeship in Roman studios 

 is employed constantly by the company. Many of the workmen are 

 also said to be Italians who worked on marble in Italy, but have learned 

 to cut granite since their arrival in Hallowell. Among the prominent 

 structures and monuments constructed, wholly or in part, of this stone, 

 are the new capitol, Albany, N. Y.; Bank of Northern Liberties, Phila- 

 delphia; State capitol, Augusta, Me.; Emory Block, Portland, Me.; 

 Odd Fellows 7 Memorial Hall, Equitable Building, and part of the old 

 Quincy Market, Boston ; Ludlow-street jail, the Tribune building, and 

 the old Tombs prison, New York City; the statues of the Pilgrim's 

 Monument at Plymouth, Mass.; soldier's and sailor's monuments at 

 Marblehead, Mass.; Portsmouth, Ohio; Augusta, Boothbay, aud Gar- 

 diner, Me.; Odd Fellows' monument, Mount Hope, Boston; Washing- 

 ton Artillery monument and Hernandez tomb, New Orleans, etc. The 

 statues on the Pilgrim's Monument are said to be the largest granite 

 figures in existence. The standing figure is 38 feet in height, while 

 the four in sitting posture are each 15 feet in height. 



Hornblende Granite. — This is rather a rare building-stone in 

 Maine, though extensively quarried in other States. Its production is 

 at present confined to Otter Creek, Mount Desert, where a coarse red 

 rock is quarried, which on a superficial examination somewhat resem- 

 bles the biotite granites of Calais and Jonesborough, though lacking the 

 cream colored feldspar and consequent speckled appearance character- 

 istic of these rocks. Orthoclase predominates over all other constit- 

 uents, and is deep-red in color. 



This rock is very compact and hard, but works well and takes an ex- 

 cellent surface and polish. It is of finer texture than the Scotch -red 

 granites, and bears a closer resemblance to red granite of the Bay of 

 H. Mis. 170, pt. 2 27 



