Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1885-01-01
OUR QUARRY WEALTH.
BUILDING STONES, COAL FIELDS,
AND LINE PRODUCTIONS.
those Valuable and I'M
portant Resources.

Prepared for the New Years RECoRD-USIoS.l
When city springs into existence in {
new locality, stimulated by circumstance:
into rapid growth, it is found necessary tt
utilize convenient materials, generally
wood, in the construction of buildings fol
temporary and immediate use. History
informs US that wood was extensively use6
in the construction of houses in ancient
cities These afterwards were replaced with
brick, and then of marble and similar stone
A similar experience has been noticed il
Chicago and San Francisco. The Older
a city grows the more substantial be
comes her buildings, and the greater
amount of stone enters their construction
Within few years the elegant cities o.
this delightful State will have to be
almost entirely rebuilt, as the buildings
nearly all are of pine and are now falling
rapidly into q condition of decay. The
short lived wooden buildings must and will
be replaced by those of a better and more
durable character Building stones of eX-
cellent quality are abundant in California
1t is mistaken idea that some entertain
that the hardest stones are the most endur-
able, or that any stone is indeStructible
Soft building stones in New York City
show decay in five and do not last oyeI
thirty years. Granite begins to decay in
fifty years Building stones on this coast
owing to climatic influences, last much
longer than on the Atlantic side. The
rocks usually employed in building are
granite, syenite, porphyry, freestone OF
@, IL n or G. Nr1A
including basalt and trachyte; limestones
including marble, tufa, dolomite. slate, SER
pentine, etc
Granite is quite common and abundant
in California. The great belt of the Sierra
Nevada is composed of this rock 1t is also
quite abundant in the Coast Range. ii oc-
ours near San Francisco, at Tomales Point
Marin county, Bodega Head and Punta dc
los Reyes, at Point Carmels and at Cypress
Point, near Monterey. where it has been
quarried. 1t has also been extensively
quarried at Folsom, in Sacramento county
where the branch State Prison has been
located in order to work the convicts in the
quarries; in Amador county, near the town
Of Volcano; near Grass Valley, Nevada
county; in the Temescal range, and at Tc-
hachipi and TETON.
The first stone building erected in the
State was in 1851, near the corner Of Cali
fornia and Front streets-Nos. 204-2lC
California street It is built OF granite
uuarried in China, and was erected by Chi
nese workmen. The building still stands
apparently in as good a condition to-day as
it was when erected by EbbettS & Co. 81
years ago.
PARROTS building, corner of California
and Montgomery streets, long occupied by
Wells, Fargo & Co., was constructed of Chi
nese granite in 1852.
The marble building at No. Ga Washing
ton street was erected by Mr.. Truebody in
1854. the material used being marble i'm
ported from New York.
The first California quarry opened in the
State was that at Folsom, in Sacramento
county. In 1853 g. Griffith furnished
from that quarry the granite for the Wells.
Fargo building in Sacramento and for tbs
Government works at Fort Point and Alca-
traZ. The Penryn quarries in Placer county
were located by the same gentleman il
1864. This quarry is practically mex
haustible. The present demand of TO-
600 tons per year is constantly increasing
and the orders come from every portion
of the State As general thing it is
used in its simple hewn form, but latter.
" there has set in quite a demand fol
the polished material, more particularly
for sepuchral urns, obelisks and monu-
the places of the wealthy. So great has
become this demand that Mr. Griffith has
erected at his quarry a polishing mill
the only one on the caast. 1t is a build
ing l00x40 feet and has polishing capac-
ity of 100 cubic feet per day, which can be
largely increased. The machinery is SC
constructed that stone of ten tons weight
can be easily handled while being polished
The machinery is varied, embracing all the
newest inventions. The derricks are new
of the most improved pattern, and the six
largest are capable of lifting a weight oil
twenty tons with ease.
Sandstone, or freeStone, marble, slate
and green stone are largely used for build
ing purposes.
CALIFORNIA COAL MINES.
California possesses important and valuable
minerals in greater variety and abundance
than any other State in the Union, vet she
has not shown such wealth in coal as is L
be desired, or As it is to be hoped the future
will reveal. Deposits of mineral coal ar,
found at many places throughout the State
some Of them quite extensive, but none o
those so far discovered are OF the better elias:
of fuel Nearly all the coal so far dis
covered in fine State is y Ignite and doe
very well fo. making steam and for Iones
tic i1ses M anthracite or first-class hi
luminous coal has been found ON the coast
The Mount Diablo mines were opened III
in 1850 and since then has turned out 81
an average of 100 600 tons per arnun IN,
Mt Diablo are the only coal mines in IN,
| state that have been worked t. any c,r,siE
| eroble extent and with even the .-naIlcs
nrofir This coal field is 2 belt eytendip,
| fnr ten or twelve miles along the uor,l,rrl[
slope of Mt. Diablo. All of the mines
however. that have here been protitabI,
worked are included in q section of thi.
belt, reaching not over two and oue-bal
miles along It's western portion. and ey
tending from the WORKINGS of the BIacl
Diamond to those of the Pittsburg Com
nanv There are two PRINCIPAL vei6s-tb,
| RIack Diamond having forty inches -
coal and the clark. having tbirty-fou
| inches Considerable money has been ex
nended in that repion nroSpectino fo
| coal hut only in a few instances hay,
! denosjts sufficiently LARGE been developed t,
warrant their being worked The troubl,
with the Mount Diablo mines is twofoId-
thc inferior oualitv of the coal and tb,
cost IF evtraction
In Ione valley Amodor rountv % had q
Ii,,,,;to - fo,I,,d near Tho s,,rfarc con h,
III -. ! - c. =.