BLUESTONE AND OTHER SANDSTONES 



87 



is chiefly in Oneonta and other towns along the Delaware & 

 Hudson railroad. 



Several other small quarries have been opened near Oneonta 

 for common building stone, but are worked only at irregular 

 intervals. 



Oxford, Chenango co. 



The largest quarry of bluestone in New York is situated 

 northwest of Oxford on the west side of the Chenango valley, 

 150 feet above the railroad. The quarry was first opened in 

 1874 and operated in a small way till 1880, when F. G. Clarke 

 (later F. G. Clarke & Son and F. G. Clarke bluestone co.) 

 took hold and began quarrying on a large scale. The bed of 

 stone has a total thickness of 18 feet, and the stripping, or 

 overburden, consists of 40 feet of drift earth, in which are im- 

 bedded large boulders and 25 feet of solid rock. The top 10 

 feet of bed is divided by horizontal seams 4" and upward 

 apart. The stone from this bed is used chiefly for platforms. 

 The bottom 8 feet is of two lifts 4 feet thick, and known 

 as " liver" rock. Liver rock is very dark blue and can be worked 

 ■equally well in all directions; and is used chiefly for house 

 trimmings and building stone. The stone is a good blue, fine 

 grained and softer than the Ulster county stone. The following 

 tests and analyses are interesting. 



Stone from the quarries of the F. G. Clarke bluestone co. 



TESTS MADE AT THE NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM, UNDER THE 

 DIRECTION OF PROF. J. C. SMOCK 



Specific gravity 2.7113 



Weight, per cubic foot 168.97 



Percentage of water absorbed 1.11 



Weight of water per cubic foot 1.876 



Percentage of gain in weight in C0 2 gas .0024 



Weight increased in lb (per cubic ft) .0041 



Percentage of gain in sulfurous acid .064 



Weight increased per cubic ft .108 



Freezing and thawing test No effect 



