Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1890-12-24
ABOUT olL-sTohEa.
Washita Rock. In Arkansas, lAa so1roe
supply For America. 1ss =


Washtea Rock. In Arkansas, he Source e
supply For America. ,azs
Weshita oil-stone rock b 'crystalise6
siliciA The crystals are very small.
and are formed into clusters with the
point ends interlaceds leaving nunereas.
cavities These minute crystalaoasa
hexagonal In shape. with sharp pnints
and can be seen under microscopa
when magnifled about one hundred
times They are harder than steel and
that Ii why whetstones, cut from this
rock will never wear away and sharpen
eteel tools Washtts whetstones arS
called oil-stones becaose oil nusS be
used to all the cavities and float away
the steel PARTICLES that are cut On ne
tools" eeSs saa 81 sssd :
The peculiar geological fornation
from which these rocks are taken h not
known to exist outside of the Etata of
Arkansas, where 1t occurs In many Of
the mountains of Saline, Hot SprinR.
Garland and Montgomery Counties
These strata are in vertical position.
varying from nearly perpendiculsr to
nearly horizontal, and had been consid-
erably broken by uphesval or folding of
the earth's crust 14a
There are many grades in the quality
OF this rock. from very hard and yftreous
mint to the softest whetstone grit.
Nearly all of 1t is very hard and vitre-
GUS or contains some impurity. One
grade. Of dull white color, full of
cracks and having but little Rrit,
called bastard stone, Is plentiful
throughout this formation, but is not
used for whetstones Some Of the
Washita rock quarried Is not uniform
In its texture, but contains hard spots
and soft streaks that make uneven grit
in the whetstoneS Sound blocks, com.
posed Of perfect crystals. uniform In
hardness and having sharp grit are
only found in 0 few quarters In Garland
County, near the city of Hot SpringA
The different grades of Wsshita rock
that are used for whetstones weigh from
126 to 1e5 pounds per cubic foot The
best grades for good oilstoneS weigh
from 1S6 to las pounds per cubic foot,
The hardness and weight and the
sharpness Of the grit in any Washita
oilstone depend entirely upon the char.
acter OF its Capitalization; and no nna
polish or nice finish on the surface no
fancy name, will change the Rrikt
Nature made and arranged these crys.
tails mysteriously. and man can NOT
change them. The oilstone manufsct-
urer only cuts the rock into whetstons
shapes ahd sizes; nothing more. He
can not make the grit in whetstones
better than it is in the rock, and he can
not make good oilstones Of WashitA
rock that is impure or vitreous. or Of
unequal hardness
The softest Washita rock contain
many grains OF sand among the crys.
talA This quality has sharp Rrit Eua
slight cohesion, 90 that the crystSih
separate readily and the stones wear
away too fast Such whetstofIes contsin
many sand holsGI The iightest-weifA9
rock that has perfect and uniform oFyDs
talizations without any grains Of sand
Is the best quality TO sharpen all wood
workers toolA and it makes the ncet
durable oilstone. The nRhteweigh4
whetstones generally have the shksp1sS
grit because they are the most Sorcoa
In them the crystals are intexlSc6a a
such manner as to leaye naanFs navik
ties, and each cavity presents :. great
number OF crystal points The hard
and heavy rocks are not sufficisntiy
porous, being too compact In thst,
many OF the crystals intefpenetrste
/ each other In . manner that leaves IASb
cavities and fewer crystal points LEn-
gineering and Mining Journal aa ssu Ii =