﻿i 
  

  

  BUILDING 
  STONE. 
  35 
  

  

  Ft. 
  

  

  Massive 
  brown 
  sandstone, 
  exposed 
  25 
  

  

  Limestone 
  and 
  shale, 
  partly 
  exposed 
  50 
  

  

  i 
  Green 
  and 
  blue 
  argillaceous 
  shales, 
  mostly 
  beneath 
  a 
  covered 
  slope 
  70 
  

  

  •/•nr^z-t-c 
  Massive 
  gray 
  sasc 
  totono 
  , 
  with 
  partings 
  of 
  green 
  and 
  blue 
  shales, 
  exposed 
  80 
  

  

  The 
  prison 
  buildings 
  and 
  yard 
  are 
  located 
  on 
  the 
  lower 
  limestone 
  

   of 
  the 
  foregoing 
  section, 
  which 
  is 
  probably 
  more 
  than 
  a 
  hundred 
  

   feet 
  in 
  thickness, 
  and 
  extends 
  below 
  the 
  low-water 
  level 
  of 
  the 
  river, 
  

   and 
  to 
  the 
  height 
  of 
  sixty 
  to 
  eighty 
  feet 
  above 
  low- 
  water 
  mark. 
  The 
  

   quarry 
  in 
  the 
  prison 
  yard 
  has 
  a 
  perpendicular 
  face 
  of 
  about 
  forty 
  

   feet 
  of 
  solid 
  limestone 
  in 
  beds 
  from 
  one 
  to 
  four 
  feet 
  in 
  thickness, 
  

   and 
  presents 
  considerable 
  variety 
  of 
  color 
  and 
  texture. 
  Its 
  prevail- 
  

   ing 
  color 
  is 
  a 
  light 
  gray, 
  passing 
  sometimes 
  into 
  buff, 
  and 
  again 
  

   into 
  a 
  dark 
  bluish-gray. 
  The 
  rock 
  is 
  sufficiently 
  compact 
  to 
  receive 
  

   a 
  high 
  polish, 
  and 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  beds 
  would 
  make 
  a 
  handsome 
  mar- 
  

   ble. 
  The 
  upper 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  bed 
  is 
  semi-oolitic 
  in 
  structure, 
  while 
  

   other 
  portions 
  are 
  almost 
  entirely 
  made 
  up 
  of 
  minute 
  bryozoans, 
  and 
  

   the 
  other 
  low 
  forms 
  of 
  organic 
  life. 
  

  

  These 
  quarries 
  afford 
  material 
  adapted 
  to 
  all 
  the 
  ordinary 
  uses 
  to 
  

   which 
  limestones 
  are 
  usually 
  applied, 
  and 
  from 
  the 
  favorable 
  loca- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  this 
  institution 
  on 
  the 
  Lower 
  Mississippi, 
  with 
  uninterrupted 
  

   navigation 
  at 
  nearly 
  all 
  seasons 
  to 
  all 
  southern 
  points, 
  and 
  with 
  

   transportation 
  by 
  railroad 
  to 
  the 
  interior 
  towns 
  where 
  building 
  stone 
  

   of 
  good 
  quality 
  is 
  always 
  in 
  demand, 
  a 
  ready 
  market 
  will 
  be 
  found 
  

   for 
  all 
  the 
  varieties 
  of 
  building 
  stone 
  which 
  the 
  prison 
  quarries 
  can 
  

   supply. 
  

  

  Dimension 
  stone 
  of 
  almost 
  any 
  desirable 
  size 
  may 
  be 
  obtained 
  

   here, 
  and 
  the 
  foundation 
  stone 
  for 
  the 
  monument 
  to 
  be 
  erected 
  at 
  

   Chester 
  to 
  the 
  memory 
  of 
  Gov. 
  Bond 
  had 
  just 
  been 
  completed, 
  and 
  

   was 
  awaiting 
  transportation 
  to 
  the 
  cemetery 
  at 
  the 
  time 
  of 
  my 
  last 
  

   visit 
  to 
  this 
  locality. 
  This 
  was 
  a 
  single 
  stone, 
  7£ 
  by 
  7| 
  feet 
  square, 
  

   and 
  30 
  inches 
  thick, 
  and 
  estimated 
  to 
  weigh 
  about 
  12 
  tons. 
  

  

  The 
  prison 
  buildings 
  are 
  mainly 
  constructed 
  of 
  a 
  fine 
  brown 
  

   sandstone, 
  obtained 
  from 
  the 
  upper 
  bed 
  of 
  the 
  foregoing 
  section. 
  

   The 
  quarries 
  from 
  which 
  this 
  rock 
  was 
  obtained 
  are 
  about 
  half 
  a 
  

   mile 
  north 
  of 
  the 
  penitentiary, 
  but 
  on 
  the 
  lands 
  belonging 
  to 
  the 
  

   institution. 
  The 
  quarries 
  present 
  a 
  perpendicular 
  face 
  of 
  about 
  25 
  

   feet 
  of 
  evenly-bedded 
  brown 
  sandstone, 
  the 
  beds 
  varying 
  in 
  thick- 
  

   ness 
  from 
  four 
  inches 
  to 
  four 
  feet 
  or 
  more. 
  It 
  breaks 
  evenly 
  across 
  

   the 
  lines 
  of 
  bedding, 
  and 
  blocks 
  of 
  any 
  desirable 
  size 
  can 
  be 
  readily 
  

   obtained. 
  When 
  freshly 
  quarried 
  the 
  rock 
  is 
  soft, 
  and 
  can 
  be 
  

   easily 
  dressed, 
  but 
  it 
  hardens 
  on 
  exposure, 
  and 
  forms 
  a 
  handsome 
  

  

  