Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1881-11-16
THE MARBLES OF EAST TENNES-
SEE
A Visit to Knox County Quarries.


From the North and South, Buffalo, N Y
In company with MIR. Brown, of
the Knoxville CHRONICLE, and Mr..
McMullen, l recently visited the
marble quarry owned and worked by
the latter gentleman, five miles west
of Knoxville, in Knox County, Ten-
nessee. This quarry was opened
near the base Of a considerable ridge,
running from northeast to south
west, and rising to the height of per
haps two hundred feet above the val.
ley below. The entire northwestern
face of this ridge is thickly
strewn with boulders of marble,
some of them Of several tons
weight The same is true as to the
southern end of the ridge, which
terminates somewhat abruptly on the
border of a narrow valley, which lies
to the south. These boulders are
generally partially imbedded in the
ground.
Beneath the surface the marble is
found in broken strata, retaining
much of the boulder form and with
dip of about twenty degrees to the
southeast. Near the apex of the
ridge the stone is of beautiful pink
ish hue, mingled with lighter shades,
giving what is called strawberry
color. Descending the hill to the
point where the quarry is opened,
the color gradually changes, till it
becomes beautifully variegated; the
ground color being dark red or
brown, upon which are shown nu-
merous white spaces of irregular
form and size. Still lower down the
hill the color again changes and be-
comes light gray.
This marble is susceptible of fine
polish and possesses great brilliancy.
Fossils are numerous, especially in
the variegated bed. These fossils
are Of marine origin; some specimens
are quite perfect. Two varieties of
Orthis haze been identified in some
specimens in my possession. Blocks
Of this stone from the variegated bed
weigh $50 pounds to the cubic foot,
and command, when placed on the
cars at Knoxville, 81 so per foot.
Blocks of pinkish color are worth
$3.50 to 81 per foot. Marble from
this quarry is in much request for
ornamental purposes. The proprie
tor, Mr.. McMullen, is gentleman of
Intelligence and energy, and is en-
thusiastic in his conceptions of the
wealth which lies buried in the hills
OF East Tennessee.
Mr.. McMullen also accompanied
me to the quarry of Messrs. Morgan,
Frierson & Co., located some two
miles east of Knoxville. The out
crop at this place also occurs ON the
northwestern face of ridge. The
upper strata are of the same pinkish
hue observed in McMullens quarry,
succeeded by dark chocolate color,
and still lower down, by light gray
stone, which, when bush hammered,
looks nearly white. From this gray
bed, which is solid ledge of great
thickness, blocks of any desired di-
mansions may be quarried. 1t is
much used as building stone
and from this quarry stone is now
being taken for the construction of
the Custom House at Memphis. I
much regretted that 1 did not have
the company of Mr.. Morgan in this
visit, as [ am informed that he is an
old marble worker and has, perhaps,
more practical knowledge of the
marble of East Tennessee than any
other individual.
There sre six other quarries in
Knox County of perhaps equal inter
est aud importance, but circumstan
ces, greatly to my regret, prevented
my vi iting them, which, however, I
hope to be able to do at no distant
day.
The marbles of East Tennessee be-
long to what is known to biologists
as the Trenton formation, and are
tensively dlffased throughout quite
number of counties in that division
of the State. Many of your readers
have doubtless seen and admired the
beautiful Hawkins County marble, SO
freely used for the adornment Of
the National Capitol at Washington.
The quarrying of this beautiful stone
now furnish employment to large
number of laborers and yields a
| large prOfit on the canital ;nyosto5
The quantity is practically mex
haustible, and as its great beauty
and excellence becomes more widely
known, the demand for it must con
tinually increase. In my humble
judgement there is no better open
ing for the investment of capita
anywhere to be found than is Offered
in the development of the marble
interests of East Tennessee.