The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-08-07
AMERICAN STONE FIELDS,
The Mountain OF Pure White Marble q Few
Miles From Helena.

The Mountain of Pure White Marble y Few
Miles From Helena.
The development Of American stone in
terests is wonderful, and their possibilities
are even more so in view of the enormous
extent and general distribution Of the stone
fields, says the Northwestern Architect.
The labors of DR.. John G. Branner, state
geologist for Arkansas. nave disclosed the
existence in that state of large bodies of
limestone, and marble, and shown their
availability for building and other pur-
poses, while Wyoming. and Colorado are
developing every Imaginable variety of
stone in enormous quantity. Indeed, the
entire Rocky mountain sy stem contains
every variety in endless amount. The
Mullan pass, but a few miles from Helena,
Montana, is through a mountain Of marble
of the purest whitsness, and in the Yellow
stone district the formation is for many
miles a solid concretion or verigated mar
bles. From its very profusion small por-
tionS are likely ever to be developed, and
costs of long transportation and lack of
facilities will TEN to confne their use to
immediate localities.
From the Rockies eastward by the Lake
Superior region and on over parts of
Canada to Nova Scotia, and which includes
the we'll known quarries of New York, YER
mont and Maine, arc enormous %posslbili-
tlos. huO tu6u koutuWaIu hlOuR Lu0 Ap-
palachian system are all the varieties of
stone in great quantity extending far into
Georgia. In the intermediate regions are
the oolites and sedimentry rocks of later
formation. In truth there is no considera-
bic section of the United States deficient in
certain that the use of stone for building,
road and bridge making is hardly begun,
and hat it certain to be the material of the
future. DIR. Branner in his report mentions
u sacharine sandstone, in many places clear
of impurities and beautifully white, e1.
miles in length from Lawrence and
Independence counties m the east to
Carroll and possibly Benton county on the
west. In other parts of the country, nota-
bly, at CRYSTAL City, Missouri. this same
stone is utilized for the manufacture of
parts of the United States for similar pur-
poses. This deposit in Arkansas ia availa-
BILE for the same uses.
Many of the sundstonss of northern Ar
kansas are we'll adapted to architectural
purpose. The Batesville sandstone. so
much used at that place. which has been
shipped to st. Louis, crops out across the
state from Independence county to Carroll
county.
Limestone of the best quality for the
manufacture of good lime is common
throughout the greater part of tho state ly-
iAs 1 VI tio AuouLlthiles JoDle
poor limestonss have been used in that re-
Gion for the production of lime, but this
has been due rather to a lack of knowledge
of the best limestones than to tho lack of
the rocks. With tho exception of
n small area in tho southwestern
part Of Arkansas, the soils of the state
south of the Boston mountains and east
of the Black river are all more or less de-
ticient in limo. If there were railway. ia
oilities through the region in question, it is
reasonable to suppose that u demand would
be created for lime for agricultural pur-
poses as we'll MS for use in buildings.
Marble exists in great quantities skirting
the hills and mountains in outorops hun
dreds OF miles in length, traversing indie
pendence. Stone, lard, Searcy, Marion,
Boone. Newton, Madison. and Carroll
counties. and probably extending into Ben
ton and Bexter counties. This marble is Of
two varieties. q light gray and pink or
flesh colored variety, which il also occa-
R%ionRlly motled. II occurs in almost un-
broken beds across the region mentioned.
the outcrop winding in and out about the
hills and valleys. These marbles vary
greatly in those qualities which render
marble valuable in the market. At a
great many POINTS. indeed mt
most of them. the rock
contains in it's bedding small patches OF
earthly shale. These spots render the mar
BILE fssile Mt the points where they occur,
md mt the same time maj the beauty OF tho
stone somewhat for ornamental purposes.
Where the beds are massive those hlotchcs
will not injure the stone for general atchi-
~tsctural purposes. while ita color IL cRlou-
lated to make 1t u very attractive ono for