Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1873-08-04
Slate Quarries in Maine.

4 Brownyile correspondent of the Boston
Journal speaks of the slate quarries In SOM
erset and Piscataquis counties, as follows:-
The slate belt of Maine is located in the
central part of the State, and extends from
the Kennebec river at Carratunk east to near
| the Penobscot river, distance OF eighty
miles. The ordinary imperfectly fessile clay
states cover thousands of square miles OF the
| State surface, but in this belt are found in
unlimited supply and in an accessible and
| rkable form the varieties of this stone, of
economical value for roofing and other pur-
poses, and superior in quality to any others
wherever found. To this statement no ex-
| ception is made in favor of even the Welsh
states. As regards lustre, toughness, endur-
ance of weather exposure, evenness and rich
| ness of color, the products of the Maine slate
| district have, so far as known, no equals.
Vermont yields good states of variety OF
colors; but in 1872, when the Brownville
states brought $3.50 per square at the quarry,
the average price of the article was 81 per
square at the quarry. square, in the
parlance of stating, it may be observed, is
slate enough to cover ten feet square, or one
hundred square feet. The number of
''pieces" to cover a square varies from 90 TO
700. as produced here for common use. The
best qualities of Virginia and Pennsylvania
slate, some of them excellent, brought last
below the Maine slate in market value.
The Brownville quarries are located near
the east end of the slate zone. The vein
Welding the best article, and which alone is
here operated, is about 200 feet wide.- 1t has
been traced six miles east, and westward ex-
tends with variable quality to the kennebec
river. The supply of course is practically
beyond possibility of exhaustion. The quail
ty improves with the depth.
u v&lx,sn
| To begin with, it is coming to be understood
how miserable an economy it is to cover
houses, and permanent building of any sort,
| with shingles, which at the best are quickly
perishable, have to be speedily replaced at
| large cost for labor, and are mere touchwood
on exposure to fire. 1t is no slight matter,
too, that the water from the slated roof Is
free from the faint derived from wood. Slate
serves as good purpose for covering the
sides of structures as the roof. The residence
of VIM. Sparrow, Esq, the manager of the
Bangor and PiscataQuis quarry at Brownville,
| is underpinned with slate, shingled top and
sides with slate, the doorsteps are slate, and
probably the nantes, sinks, etc., are also
slate. Billiard tables, panels, floor tiles
troughs, fences, writing states, black
boards, imitation serpentines Iporphyries, are
other applications of this valuable stone In
fact it can be used for no small part OF the
purposes to which boards or pianks are now
devoted.
Production here can be indefinitely IN
creased. Nowhere in the world can the prep
aration be more cheaply conducted. water
gives no trouble. The incline OF the ledge IS
favorable for the convenient extraction OF the
sheets.
What is wanted sbave anything else, an
along this belt is railroad conveniences eiose
at hand The Pscataquis branch OF 1ne nu-
ropean North American RaiIroaa runs ,a. pas'
allel to the belt for considerable distance,
and six miles South oft. an Ina ieau,ns
slate towns accordingly, Brownviiie, VIZ
iiamsbnrr Barnard Howard, Monson. etc.,
ar, oblged to team their heavy product
Considerable distance by road. The out
turn of the Bangor and Piseataquis quarry
alone. is $4,000 squares per year, and its
freight. in a aud out, amounts TO some thou
sands of tons. us4a