GREY SANDSTONE OF OSWEGO. 
69 
mon also to the red sandstone and to the sandstone shale of Pulaski, more especially as it 
appears in the quarries to the south of Rome. The layers on Mad river dip with the river. 
At Cropper’s mill, which I did not visit, there is stone of a good quality for building. 
The grey sandstone is quarried about three miles below Mexicoville, in the bed of Salmon 
creek, and in the flat adjoining it, the rock rising but a feAv feet above the water. It is a hard 
stone, in layers from the size of flags to a foot in thickness, separated by a dark olive-colored 
coating, the surface of the sandstone frequently presenting fantastic forms, and some fucoids. 
The dip of the rock is very slight. The grey sandstone, judging from the streaks in the red 
sandstone which forms the ledge in the creek at Mexicoville, must be within a short distance 
of that place, these streaks only appearing where the two rocks join each other. 
On Catfish creek, near to New-Haven, the grey sandstone is exposed; also in the creek to 
the east of Oswego river, and on the lake shore upon both sides of the river at its mouth. It 
is quarried on the lake, upon the west side of the village. Its color is greenish grey, showing 
here and there red spots, and also light streaks of red. Occasionally thin portions of the rock 
would appear like a conglomerate, being formed of red and green shale with sandstone, the 
shale in flat or compressed forms rounded at its angles and edges, and the grain extremely 
fine. They bear no marks of attrition, but are evidently the product of accretion. The red 
mottled appearance of the green sandstone when first seen, showed that the red sandstone was 
not far off; the number of spots, etc. increasing near the line of the junction of the two rocks, 
the red sandstone being found a few hundred yards to the south up the river, at a high level, 
both above and below the dam. The greater part of the red sandstone used at the village 
shows greenish spots, the two rocks each presenting spots of the color opposite to their own. 
The grey sandstone may be traced in the river on the west side to within a few yards of 
the spot where the red sandstone appears above it, both ranging nearly horizontally. The 
surface of many of the red and grey sandstone layers at the point of junction, contains fucoids, 
and appearances of a singular kind, some of which resemble the forms which a surface would 
present if slightly viscous, subjected to various movements, and then suddenly become fixed 
or solid. 
The greatest exposition of grey sandstone is on Salmon river, commencing about four to 
five miles above Pulaski; continuing up above the high falls, where the rock ceases, and then 
again on its north branch, also called Mad river. 
At Salmon falls, the lower part of the rock is like that elsewhere observed, consisting of 
rather irregular alternations of sandstone shale, and frequently showing accretions and con¬ 
tortions of its parts, but upon a small scale. The upper part contains less shale, the sand¬ 
stone is in thicker layers, and the color is of a lighter grey, that of the lower being a dark blue 
or green. I saw but one impression of a shell in the upper part of the rock, and a few imper¬ 
fect ones in the lower part. 
The configurations upon the surface are numerous in the layers of the lower part of the 
falls, particularly on those that are very solid and fine-grained. Many of them are Highly 
curious. 
