448 
GEOLOGY OF THE FOURTH DISTRICT. 
surfaces. The position of this stratum, or bed, has already been noticed as occurring in the 
midst of the red marly sandstone. 
The limestone, particularly in the lower strata, furnishes a superior stone for building. It is 
only at intervals, however, that the same strata furnish a similar material; for at one point we 
may obtain regular blocks of almost any required dimensions, and often at a short distance the 
the same stratum is divided into thin laminai. The best material of this kind in the county, 
and indeed far the best I have seen in the district, is obtained at the Coldspring quarries 
near Lockport. These quarries are at three points within a mile of each other, and within 
three miles of Lockport. Two of the quarries belong to Mr. W. D. Shuler, and the other 
to Messrs. Skinner and Day. Mr. Buell has since opened another quarry near the village of 
Lockport. The stone is of a light grey color, generally compact, or sub-crystalline, though 
often exhibiting a porous surface. They are among the most durable materials for construc¬ 
tion, as may be proved by examining the locks of the canal at Lockport, where the same kind 
of stone has been exposed to all changes of temperature, and to freezing water, and still remains 
firm. Wherever this stone has been used in buildings, it remains unchanged by the action of 
atmospheric agents. It is extensively used at Buffalo, Lockport, Rochester, and many of the 
villages along the canal. The quarries are favorably situated, being on the brow of the 
mountain ridge. 
Variegated Marble of Lockport. 
At the village of Lockport, we find the same strata as at the Coldspring quarries; but here 
they are more compact in texture, and contain abundance of fragments of crinoidal columns. 
These columns, and a few other fossils in the rock, are of a reddish brown color, giving to the 
surface a beautifully variegated appearance. The rock is sufficiently compact to be polished ; 
it has been used for some ornamental purposes, and is known as “ Lockport marble.” 
The variegated strata are from five to eight feet thick, and extend over an area of many 
acres. This marble will doubtless become valuable at some future time, when the demand is 
greater than at present. 
Flagging Stones. 
Flagging stones of the finest quality are obtained from the Medina sandstone. The princi¬ 
pal quarry belonging to Mr. Whitmore, is one and a quarter miles northwest of Lockport. The 
stone quarried for flagging occupies about five feet in thickness, of the upper part of the strata; 
the stone separates into thin laminsg or layers commonly of the thickness of two to four inches, 
but often not more than the eighth of an inch. 
The slabs are frequently obtained twenty feet square, and no more than four inches thick. 
One in the collection of the State, is six feet long, four feet wide, and little more than an inch 
thick. From its even surface this stone is admirably adapted so the purposes for which it is 
used, and the purely siliceous texture renders it extremely durable. It is now much used in 
Buffalo, Lockport and Rochester. 
