Buck Mountain Quarries.-The work on Buck mountain has been confined principally to the southern end, in the northern part of section 5 (Tp. 33 N., R. VI E). Development began a dozen years ago. Later, much quarrying was undertaken and soon a large number of paving blocks were taken out and shipped. The rock has proved to be one of the best grades of granite in Missouri. From Syenite southward to the Buck Mountain area the quality is found to become better and better. The stone is easily dressed, receives a high polish and contains no deleterious constituents. A little quarrying is carried on here from time to time but extensive work has not been prosecuted for the past few years. Over 250,000 blocks were gotten out from the several openings.

Bald Mountain Quarries.-Bald mountain lies to the north. west of Skrainka. The first quarry was the Skrainka & Simp. son, which was opened about eleven years ago. It is near the top of the mountain. Other quarrying has been done, mainly on the southwest flank, but no rock has been taken out here for nearly two years. There is but little stripping and the granite is of such a character as to make it a very desirable block stone. It fractures smoothly and wears well. The product was transferred on a long switch to the Belmont branch of the Iron Mountain railway.

Fredericktown Quarries.-In the vicinity of Fredericktown a number of openings have been made. About 300 yards north of the station east of the railroad track there is a small quarry. An excavation twenty feet square and twelve feet deep has been quarried out and worked into paving blocks. The rock is a fine-grained grayish pink stone, with easy fracture.

In the southeast quarter of section 6 (Tp. 33 N., R. VII E.) several small quarries have been opened up in a red granite; and from time to time the output of blocks is quite large. The blocks are of first-class quality and are easily made. At present no work is done in the locality.

In addition to the great number of quarries and "motions" in the granite, of which descriptions have already been given, there are numerous others which have been worked and which

have afforded a large number of paving blocks. Around Syenite and Knob Lick as far west as the eastern edge of section 5 (Tp. 34 N., R. VI W.) much quarrying has been done outside of the places particularly noted. They are perhaps not less important in extent, but not being in operation at the present time no definite information could be obtained regarding them. Many were filled with water and debris. The "blue" granite area, which lies between Knob Lick and Syenite has been worked into on the south as well as the north side of the road by many "motions" but none have taken out dimension stone, and work is now abandoned at the greater number of them. There are several" motions" in the granite near the center of section 3, west of Syenite.

QUARRIES IN PORPHYRY.

In those districts were there is a great abundance of granite, porphyry can never be quarried to advantage, principally for the reason that it is so difficult to work. For paving blocks, which at present form a very considerable part of the quarry output, porphyry is not popular. The blocks, aside from being difficult to make, become very smooth and slippery after being down a short time. Only one quarry of importance exists in the district.

Wells Quarry-This is a "motion" near the top of Knob Lick mountain. Work in a compact porphyritic rock progressed for about a year, and 3000 pavers were made. The rock was found to be too hard for first-class blocks and was condemned. A few hundred porphyry blocks have also been taken out near this place but the work lasted only for a short time.

QUARRIES IN BLACK GRANITE.

The principal quarries of diabase are in the vicinity of Skrainka. The product is entirely paving blocks. The locality is about five miles northwest of Fredericktown (Tp. 33 N., R. VI E., Sec. 3). A dark green rock occurs here and is well exposed in a ravine at an abandoned quarry. It can be definitely traced almost to the divide to the eastward, southward for 100

yards or more, and northward for a greater distance. It is reported that the same rock was met with in a well one-fourth mile to the northeast. Branches from the main mass doubtless extend in various directions and although the exact connection has not been traced there are good evidences that some of them are either extensions of the principal one or else separate dikes. At several places along the headwaters of Frizelle branch (section 4) just west of Bald mountain, dike rocks are also very numerous. One and one-half miles south of Skrainka there are bowlders of the same rock. To all appearances there is no difference between the Skrainka diabase and that of neigh. boring localities.

A quarry at Skrainka was opened about eleven years ago and worked about two years as the Skrainka & Simpson quarry. Then for a season it was operated as the Simpson quarry; after which it became the LaMotte opening. For nearly six years no work has been done. At times as many as 150 men were employed in getting out stone and making blocks which were shipped over a switch to the Belmont branch railroad. The principal quarry is now about one hundred yards long by fifty yards wide. "Motions" were also opened. In the southern end of the quarry the rock has decomposed to a depth of thirty to forty feet and has left only a coarse sandy, brown colored mass, in which an occasional solid bowlder is present. Hard rock doubtless exists to the southward. On the other side of the opening the depth to hard diabase is only a few feet. It is estimated that nearly 200,000 blocks were made of this diabase. It works very easily and is gotten out with little difficulty, since joint planes are quite abundant. The supply of block stone is practically inexhaustible.

Large diabase bowlders are found in great numbers along the county road one and one-half miles south of Skrainka. They are not decomposed and many have been worked into paving blocks. The character of the stone is almost identical with that of the Skrainka diabase.

Near the north and south section line, on the southeast extension of Knob Lick mountain, about 100 feet below the sum

The

mit, there are several small "motions" in green diabase. stone is fine-grained, but makes a very good paver. It is not difficult to dress; and if it were found in greater abundance and more conveniently situated would doubtless be utilized much more extensively. For several years the excavations have been abandoned.

MARBLES.

The marbles, as found in the district under consideration, are very fine, close-grained, throughly crystalline stones which have every appearance of having been metamorphosed by heat. They have rather a limited areal distribution and are confined to a few small areas in the southwestern corner of the sheet. There is a great variety of colors, ranging from nearly white, to pale straw, gray, pink, through all the reds, to dark chocolate. The effects are very beautiful and in many cases the colors are variegated and exquisitely blended. All the varieties take a brilliant polish and are suitable for all kinds of ornamental work. Little effort has yet been made to develop the marble beds, as the chief drawback has been the lack of shipping facilities. At the present time the quarries are so far from the railroad that in order to get the stone to market it must be hauled over rough roads for distances of five to twelve miles. Enough however has been done notwithstanding the various drawbacks to show clearly the character, adaptability and extent of the beds in the localities. With the proper transportation facilities at hand the marbles could doubtless be made the source of considerable wealth.

QUARRIES IN MARBLE.

Allen & Smith Quarry.-Formerly the opening was known as the Covert, or Cedar Bottom, quarry. It is located about three miles south of Silver mines and ten miles southwest of Fredericktown (Tp. 33 N., R. V E., Sec. 25, SE. qr). It lies in the largest deposit in the district, covering about one square mile. Most of the area is of very gentle slope, but in spite of the low surface relief but little debris has collected over the

greater portion of the marble deposit, and in places the thickness of the residual clays barely cover the hard layers. In color and texture the stone varies greatly. Some ledges are flesh-colored; others the same but clouded with, light streaks; others are of darker shades of red, either uniform or motled; while certain strata are of a very dark cherry red color. The texture is homogeneous. For the most part the stone has a compact, fine-grained matrix, through which are scattered small grains of more coarsely crystallized material either of marble or of pure calcite. Then there are thinner layers of semicrystalline rock of a uniform texture; others of either of those mentioned, with an occasional band more crystalline and sometimes thin broken streaks of dark red clayey material. The latter occurs in occasional layers and is not deleterious. The stone dresses readily. The ledges are from a few to twentyfour inches in thickness. Almost any desired sizes of blocks may be secured. Being the surface rock with little or no stripping and in a well-drained locality quarrying is carried on with almost no obstacle to intefere. The marble is hard and slightly brittle but takes a splendid polish and is suitable for monuments, mantles and oranmental work, and especially indoor trimmings and decorations.

Gale Quarry.-There are two small quarries on the Gale land, the principal one lying in the center of an old grant, corresponding to the south-central part of section 29 (Tp. 33 N., R. VI E.), and the other across the road about half a mile. There are about 160 acres of marble in the deposit. The openings were made fifteen years ago. A considerable amount of stone has been taken out for monuments and samples. The rock in the northern opening is exposed along a branch and in order to quarry it but little stripping is required. The princi pal ledge is eighteen inches in thickness, has a light grayish pink, clouded color and is quarried in large blocks. Earthy partings of greenish clayey material are occasionally shown, facilitating the getting out of the stone. The ledges are without joints except at wide intervals so that the stone in the ledge may be cut into thin slabs for indoor trimmings, man.