CEMENT  RESOURCES  OF  WASHINGTON. 
By  Henry  Landes. 
GENERAL   STATEMENT. 
A  decade  ago  the  amount  of  cement  used  in  the  State  of  Washington  was  less  than  25,000 
barrels  annually.  In  1905,  264,982  barrels  of  cement  were  imported  into  the  Puget  Sound 
district.  These  came  chiefly  from  Germany  and  Belgium.  In  addition,  about  150.000 
barrels  of  cement  manufactured  in  California  were  shipped  to  Washington.  The  increasing 
demand  for  cement  has  led  to  many  inquiries  in  regard  to  the  possibilities  of  its  manufacture 
in  Washington,  and  it  is  the  purpose  of  this  article  to  describe  very  briefly  the  more  impor- 
tant districts,  so  far  as  known,  where  the  raw  materials  are  found  in  sufficient  quantities  to 
make  such  an  industry  profitable. 
Limestone,  the  principal  ingredient  necessary  in  the  manufacture  of  cement,  is  found  only 
in  the  northern  counties  of  the  State  from  Puget  Sound  to  the  Idaho  boundary,  that  is,  in  San 
Juan,  Whatcom,  Skagit,  Snohomish,  King,  Okanogan,  Ferry,  and  Stevens  counties.  Clays 
occur  much  more  widely  than  the  limestones,  but  in  this  article  only  those  will  be  referred  to 
which  lie  conveniently  near  limestone  deposits.  A  brief  account  of  the  clays  of  the  State  was 
given  by  the  writer  in  Bulletin  No.  260,  pages  550-558.  In  regard  to  fuel,  Washington  is  well 
supplied  with  coal  suitable  for  use  in  cement  manufacture.  In  the  counties  west  of  the 
Cascade  Mountains  coal  may  be  had  at  a  very  reasonable  cost  wherever  cement  is  likely  to  be 
manufactured.  In  the  counties  of  the  northeastern  portion  of  the  State  it  will  be  found 
that  the  freight  charges  on  coal  will  be  a  serious  hindrance  in  the  manufacture  of  cement. 
In  a  discussion  of  the  cement  possibilities  of  Washington  it  seems  best  to  take  up  the  mat- 
ter by  counties,  from  the  coast  eastward. 
SAN  JUAN   COUNTY. 
In  San  Juan  County  the  only  deposits  of  limestones  and  clays  worth  considering  are  at 
tide  water  on  San  Juan  and  Orcas  islands.  The  principal  deposits  on  San  Juan  Island  are  at 
Roche  Harbor,  and  are  the  property  of  the  Tacoma  and  Roche  Harbor  Lime  Company.  The 
largest  lime  works  on  the  Pacific  coast  are  located  at  this  point.  This  lime  has  an  established 
reputation  because  of  its  purity.  The  limestone  has  been  rendered  entirely  crystalline  by 
metamorphism,  and  any  fossils  which  it  may  have  contained  have  been  destroyed.  The 
limestone  is  one  of  a  series  of  metamorphic  rocks  which  have  been  greatly  contorted  and 
faulted  and  its  geological  age  has  not  been  accurately  determined.  It  is  without  doubt  older 
than  the  Cretaceous  rocks  which  form  the  bulk  of  the  small  neighboring  islands  a  few  miles 
to  the  north. 
At  Roche  Harbor  the  limestone  occurs  as  two  large  ledges  with  a  strike  a  little  east  of 
north.  In  outcrop  they  extend  from  north  to  south  about  one-half  mile  and  from  east  to 
west  about  1,000  feet.  The  height  of  the  limestone  above  tide  water  averages  200  feet;  its 
depth  below  the  ocean  level  has  not  been  determined.  The  fact  that  the  limestone  is  much 
broken  and  that  but  little  stripping  is  required  makes  it  possible  to  quarry  the  stone  and 
deliver  it  to  the  crusherat  a  minimum  expense.  The  quarry  at  this  place  has  been  in  opera- 
tion since  1882  and  the  manufacture  of  lime  amounts  to  about  300,000  barrels  per  year.  The 
limestone  varies  but  little  in  composition  and  is  very  uniform  in  character. 
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