BUILDING STONE. 611 
NriaGArRA GROoUP.—The rocks of the Niagara period occupy that 
portion of Preble county in which quarries are extensively developed. 
The Niagara limestones in Ohio are very often called the Cliff lime- 
stones, because they stand in bluffs along the river valleys, and they are 
more esteemed as building stones than the rocks of the underlying Cin- 
cinnati group. 
The’following sketch by Professor Orton shows the arrangement of 
the rocks in this county : (6) 
f Guelph or Cedarville division. 
| Springfield stone. 
Upper SHURE Niagara group { Niagara shales. 
| Dayton stone. 
| Clinton limestone. 
Lower Silurian, Cincinnati group, Lebanon division. 
The approximate thicknesses of the divisions are aboutas follows: 
Feet. 
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Of these stones the blue limestone is quarried in the southern part 
of the county. and was formerly the main dependence in that region asa 
source of lime, but the Cliff limestone was brought subsequently into 
universal use as a substitute. 
The Clinton limestone has been largely in demand for chimney- 
backs, and has been found especially desirable for all those constructions 
which are exposed to fire or heat. It is an unevenly-bedded stone, often 
sandy in texture, but no quarries are so extensively developed in it as to 
merit consideration. 
The stone which is Hida near Haton is the geological equivalent 
of the building stone of Springfield and Yellow Springs. One of the 
largest and oldest of the quarries is 3 miles northeast of Eaton ; another, 
5 miles northeast of Katon, is smaller. A section of the first quarry 
shows 6 feet of so-called cutting stone at the bottom overlaid by 4 feet of 
a good building stone with 33 feet of drift material upon the top. A 
number of grades of material are quarried, and stone suitable for flag- 
gings and copings, as well as for fine and rough constructions, is obtained. 
It is stated that a stone 10 by 12 feet in superficial dimensions has 
been taken out, and that very much larger stones can be obtained. It 
is principally used for rough building purposes and is sent to Eaton, Ohio, 
and to Richmond, Indiana, by team and by rail. 
(b) Geological Survey of Ohio, Vol. III, Part i, p. 409. 
