George Perkins Merrill

“ The quarrying of slate for roofing purposes is an industry of comparatively recent origin in the United States, few of the quarries having been operated for a longer period than twenty or thirty years. The earliest opened and systematically worked are believed to have been those at West Bangor, Pennsylvania, which date back to 1835. The abundance of slate tombstones in many of our old churchyards, however, would seem to prove that for other purposes than roofing these stones have been quarried from a much earlier period. ”

“ In value of total product, regardless of kinds, the leading States rank as follows: Ohio, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Massachusetts, Illinois, New York, Maine, and Connecticut, each of these producing upward of $1,000,000 worth of material. Massachusetts and Maine produce the most granite; Ohio, New York, Pennsylvania, and Connecticut the most sandstone; Vermont, Illinois, Ohio, and New York the most limestone, while Pennsylvania leads in the production of slate.
The larger portion of our granites are some shade of gray in color, though pink and red varieties are not uncommon. ”

“ In the majority of marbles those lines or spots that give to any stone its peculiar attractiveness are in reality flaws, and hence their presence must add greatly to the cost of working. It is safe to say that the beautiful breccia marble from the French Pyrenees, which has been used for wall-panels in the cash-room of the Treasury Building at Washington, would not be worked to any extent from quarries in this country, so long as the imported article can be obtained at present rates. ”

“ In Maine especially many of the quarries are situated on hill-sides close by the water's edge, where no artificial drainage is required, and but little carting of the stone is necessary prior to loading it upon vessels, by means of which transportation can be had to all the leading cities of the country without transhipment, an item of no small importance with material so bulky and heavy as stone. ”

“ In process of dressing such stone an exceedingly fine white dust arises and remains for a long time suspended in the air, to the great inconvenience of the workmen, who tell marvelous stories of its penetrating powers. ”

“ This rock is of fine and even grain, and very light gray, almost white in color. Its texture is such that it can be carved very readily, and it has been used in statuary work more than any other of our granites. The statues on the Pilgrim Monument, at Plymouth, Massachusetts, are of this stone. An Italian designer, who served his apprenticeship in Roman studios, is employed by this company, and many of the workmen at the quarries are said to be Italians who worked in marble in Italy, but have learned to cut granite since their arrival at Hallowell. ”

“ The Vermont slates are of a greenish or purple color, while those of New York are mostly purple and red, the latter color being found in extensive deposits near Granville, in Washington County.
Besides for roofing purposes, slates are used for billiard-tables, mantels, floor-tiles, flagging, and in the manufacture of school-slates. For the last-named purpose a soft, even-grained stone is required, and almost the entire supply is at present brought from Pennsylvania and Vermont.
Of late years, the business of marbleizing slates for mantels and fireplaces has become an important industry. ”

“ From the fact that Maine and Massachusetts lead in the granite quarrying industry, it does not necessarily follow that these States produce a greater variety or better quality of material than some others in which the annual product is far less. ”

“ The Rocky Mountain region contains an abundance, both in variety and quantity, of granites, sandstones, marbles, and the more recent volcanic rocks, as basalts, rhyolites, and trachytes. Some of these are very beautiful, excelling anything in this respect from the Eastern States. Red granites far excelling the red Scottish granites of Peterhead, or the celebrated Egyptian "Syenite," occur in inexhaustible quantities. ”

“ Two fine varieties of gray fossiliferous marbles are produced at Chazy and Plattsburg, in Clinton County, New York, and are known commercially as "Lepanto" and "French gray." The first-named is gray with pink spots, while the last-named is more uniformly gray in color. With the exception of the Tennessee marbles, the Plattsburg stone is more extensively used for furniture and inside decorative work than any other now in the market. The only first-quality black marble now produced in this country is also from New York State quarries at Glens Falls, furnishing a fine grade of this material. ”

“ Small chips of each rock were ground into films so thin as to be perfectly transparent, and submitted to microscopic examination in order not only to determine what the rock was, but also to ascertain if it contained any mineral constituents liable to unfavorable change on exposure to the weather. ”

“ The return of more prosperous times, however, created a local demand, and the export trade has been largely decreased accordingly, though considerable quantities are still sent out to the West Indies, South America, England, Germany, and even New Zealand and Australia. ”

“ Second only to the quarries at Vinalhaven are those at Gloucester, Massachusetts—the quarries of the Cape Ann Granite Company. This rock is coarser in texture than that of Vinalhaven, and often of a slight greenish color. The new Masonic Temple at Philadelphia, and the Butler House, on Capitol Hill, Washington, are good illustrations of the adaptability of this stone for general building purposes. ”

“ This leads us, in conclusion, to an important item in this connection that must not be overlooked, which is the fact that, with our present high rates of labor in this country, many of our finest grades of ornamental stones can not compete in the market with the imported article, even though greatly exceeding them in point of beauty. ”

“ It is said to occur in almost inexhaustible quantities and within easy reach of the Baltimore market, but for some unexplained reason little, if any, of it is now in use. A coarse serpentine used for general building purposes, but unsuited for any kind of ornamental work, is brought in considerable quantities from Chester County, Pennsylvania. The stone is dull-green in color, soft enough to work readily, and is capable of producing most excellent effects, particularly in rock-faced and rubble work. ”