ONONDAGA LIMESTONE. 
135 
In Herkimer county, it is quarried but in one place, on the farm of Nicholas Smith in the 
town of Stark. It is seen through the towns of Warren and Columbia, but not much is 
exposed, owing to the abundance of alluvion which has been thrown up into ridges through 
those towns. It forms rather an extensive terrace to the south of Cedarville, inclining as 
usual to the southwest. To the south of Gilman’s tavern, this rock contains flint in abun¬ 
dance ; but it is readily distiguished from the true corniferous limestone above it, by its fos¬ 
sils, its crystalline grain, its lighter color, and by the slight coating of green shale spread over 
the surface of its layers. 
It is exposed for some distance along the base of the hill, and at its north extremity, which 
forms the east side of Bridgewater valley, below Green’s quarry. It abounds with nodules 
of flint, and appears to be of greater thickness than is usual with this rock. 
South of Paris hill, on Mr. Eastman’s farm, it was quarried for field enclosures ; it is there 
remarkably abundant in nodules of flint, which makes it unsuitable for any other than rough 
work of that kind. The color of the limestone is unusually white. It forms the terrace 
which covers the Oriskany sandstone, which appears at the edge, and is itself covered by the 
corniferous limestone, which is quarried near the house. 
It is not quarried in any place noticed between Eastman’s and Perryville, but may be seen 
descending the ridge to Munsville, and also at Oneida falls; and it is readily found by its 
lighter color, resting upon the Oriskany sandstone, or in its absence upon the blue or brownish 
compact layers of the water-lime group, in every direction west of Oneida creek in the line of 
its outcrop. Its presence may always be suspected in ascending the range south of the 
gypseous hills, wherever a level surface or terrace of any extent exists. 
At Vannep’s near Perryville, the top of this limestone, which there forms a broad and 
extensive terrace, abounds, near the excavation for iron ore, in long parallel fissures in two 
directions, like those of Sugar river, the result of a like cause. The mass is about ten feet 
thick. The layer next to the bottom one contains nodules of flint, as at the falls of Perryville. 
The Cyathophyllum vermiculare, here as in most other localities, appears at the lower part of 
the bottom layer. The rock appears to be nearly level; but between there and Perryville, 
the inclination southwest is quite considerable for this rock. At Perryville, the waters of 
Canaseraga creek fall from this rock into a gulf of about one hundred and twenty feet deep, 
excavated in the water-lime group. So also to the north of Cazenovia, those of Chitte- 
nango creek precipitate over the same ledge into a like gulf, the limestone continuing upon 
the high bank on the west side of the creek, with an increase of breadth advancing towards the 
village of Chittenango, back of which it is quarried upon a small scale, but more largely on 
the east side of the creek near the falls. Where the ledge or terrace turns to the west from 
the creek, south of the village of Chittenango, it appears as a high cliff, but partially concealed 
by the thick woods in front. In all these localities the rock is of good quality, either for 
building or burning; but for the latter purpose, the compact dark blue oblique cracked lime¬ 
stone of the group below is preferred, as being more easy to break, and requiring less heat to 
obtain the same measure of lime, which is sold by measure and not by weight. 
