420 
GEOLOGY OF THE FOURTH DISTRICT. 
Quicklime. 
The Niagara limestone runs in an east and west direction across Wayne county, through the 
towns of Butler, Rose, the lower part of Sodus, Marion and Walworth, upon which are situ¬ 
ated a line of kilns, which furnish an ample supply of lime of an excellent quality. The 
limestone is frequently of a dark color, and contains bitumen, which is, however, expelled 
in the process of burning, and a white lime is produced. 
Hydraulic Lime. 
One mile south of Newark there occurs a grey sandy limestone of a slaty structure, which 
resembles the hydraulic limestone of Onondaga county. Also, in the south part of Williamson 
there appears a slaty, siliceous limestone, similar to, and in the same range wilh the hydraulic 
limestone of Monroe county. The Williamson rocks are immediately under the Niagara 
limestone mentioned under the head of Building stones, while those near Newark are above it, 
and also superior to the gypsum. A similar rock occurs at Merrick’s mill on Van Awken’s 
creek, in the town of Rose. 
Firestones. 
Limestone, containing an abundance of shells and other fossil remains, is generally employed 
in this county for hearth stones, and in other situations exposed to frequent changes of tem¬ 
perature. Such stone occurs at Merrick’s mill, in the town of Rose; in the town of Sodus, 
south of the ridge, and in other parts of the county, in the range of shale under the Nia¬ 
gara limestone. 
The range of sandstone in this county is narrow, not exceeding two miles in width, and lies 
immediately along the lake shore. It does not appear to be used for architectural purposes; 
indeed, it is too soft, slaty and argillaceous, except in the town of Wolcott, where the upper 
layers are hard, siliceous, and occasionally pass into conglomerate or puddingstone. These 
upper layers have been quarried and used in the construction of furnaces, as at Wolcott. At 
the forge on Salmon creek, the sandstone contains abundance of the Fucoides Harlani. 
The sandstones of Beard’s creek and Little Red creek, in the town of Wolcott, endure the 
action of heat sufficiently well to answer for side stones of furnaces, and they are employed 
for that purpose at Wolcott. When exposed to a red heat, and beyond that, they do not ex¬ 
pand ; on the contrary, they appear to contract, so that when used for the hearth, the temp 
stone (which is like the key stone of an arch) has sometimes fallen out. 
At the Wolcott furnace, at present, they use and approve of the Oswego stone, viz. the 
red sandstone of Oswego falls, which is a part of the same formation as this in Wayne. The 
Oswego stone expands upon being healed, and is therefore well adapted for hearth stones. 
At the glass-house in Clyde, they have employed the Haverstraw sandstone; but they now 
use, in preference, the stone from Perryopolis, Penn., and from Vienna, Ontario county. 
