202 
STATE AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
furnishes the thickest stone found in the eastern portion of 
the State. It is very similar to that of the Joliet stone of 
Illinois, which occurs in the same formation. The quarries 
north of Milwaukee, in the bed of the river near Ilumbolt, are 
in the Devonian or Old Red Sandstone formation. The rock 
is in thin regular strata of a light blue color, with numerous 
fossil impressions stained by oxide of iron, and sometimes con¬ 
taining crystals of spar and pyrites of iron. The strata are 
divided by numerous cross-joints, so that they may be quarried 
with bars and picks, without drilling. These quarries furnish 
only rough stone. Several quarries in this formation have 
been opened in the vicinity, but no valuable building stone 
has yet been discovered in it. 
WAUKESHA QUARRIES. 
These quarries rank among the most extensive and profita¬ 
ble in the State. They are located Geologically in the mid¬ 
dle or flag-beds of the Niagara limestone, and resemble those 
beds as seen near Wauwatosa in color, texture, and stratifica¬ 
tion. They furnish better flags, but not quite as good stone 
for building, where considerable thickness is required. Flints 
also occur in great quantity in some layers, completely 
destroying their utility. They are traversed by clean smooth 
seams, which greatly facilitates the process of quarrying. 
Great quantities of flagging are exported from these quarries. 
They can be laid down in Milwaukee at 12J cents per foot* 
The principal quarry is in the village, about a half mile from 
the depot. It presents a face of 25 to 30 feet, and can be 
readily drained whenever a greater depth is needed. The 
encrinal beds are seen at this quarry, densely charged with 
shells, trilobitc crinoids and other fossils, reposing upon the 
flag beds at the back of the quarry. Great quantities of that 
singular class of fossils, the chambered shells, often mistaken 
for petrified snakes and reptiles, are found in some of the thin 
layers. In walking the streets of Waukesha the casts or 
impressions of strange petrified shell fish are encountered 
every few r steps on the stone side-walks. The thicker strata, 
