462 GEOLOGY OF NORTHWESTERN TEXAS. 



extensively than they have but for the fact that at almost every locality where 

 they occur, and where there is a demand for building material, there are also 

 beds of sandstones that work much more easily than do the limestones, and 

 as a consequence have been used in preference to them; and not from any 

 inferiority in the material for durability or color, but because the thin texture 

 rendered them more difficult to put into the desired shapes. 



SANDSTONES. 



The sandstones of the Carboniferous are abundant, and are found in all the 

 beds of the formation. They have been used more extensively than any 

 other stones in this part of the State. For their great uniformity of texture 

 and color, and for their known durability, they are very desirable for build- 

 ing purposes. They are easily quarried and admit of a good finish. The fa- 

 cility with which they can be dressed is another quality that has added to 

 their value. 



It would be a matter of impossibility to even mention the beds where good 

 quarries of this stone could be opened, and the quality of the different beds 

 is almost the same. As a matter of course some of the beds will be different 

 in quality from that of others, and there will be changes in the quality of the 

 sandstone in the same bed, but by proper selection good stone may be found 

 in all of them. 



The following localities are some of the places where the sandstones of the 

 Carboniferous have been used: The quarries that have been worked most 

 are in the southern part of Palo Pinto County, along the line of the Texas 

 and Pacific Railway, near the Brazos River. Stone taken from this place 

 was used in constructing the United States government building and the 

 Grand Windsor Hotel in the city of Dallas. Stone from the same quarry 

 was used in the construction of the large Joe Brown grocery house as well as 

 others in the city of Fort Worth. The stone is there in unlimited quanti- 

 ties, and is within easy reach of the railroad. This stone was thoroughly 

 tested by the United States architect before it was allowed to be used in the 

 building at Dallas, and determined to be a very superior stone for building, 

 as has been mentioned elsewhere. The court house in the town of Mon- 

 tague is built of sandstone from a quarry a few miles west of that town. 

 At Bowie, in the same county, some of the business houses are built of the 

 same material. 



At Mineral Wells some of the business houses are built of sandstone found 

 in the vicinity. At Ranger, along the line of the Texas and Pacific Railway, 

 is a stone that has been used extensively not only for building houses but for 

 construction of piers for the railway bridges. 



At Eastland is a bed of stone that furnishes a good building material. 



