Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1891-09-27
POPULAR SCIENCE.
THE FINE BUILDING STONES OF
TEXAS.
Stones Of East TeSas-Like the French
Caen Stones-Caprina Limcstone-Rich
Sandstones-The Finest OF Marbles.

rose, Jr., says: Though the beds under
| lying the whole of East Texas are charac-
terized by their soft and more or less inco-
herent nature, yet there are very often
! found spots in these strata that have be-
come hardened by local chemical action.
Such places, though limited in area, ara
very numerous, and supply most valuable
source of structural materials for local use.
They are at present rarely used except for
foundations, chimneys and other purposes,
but many of them are capacie OF being ap-
| piled 10 much more extensive structures.
These rocks may be divided into Two
| classes: /. SandstOnes and ciaysJOues;
and 2. Limestones. - First Anuua! Es-
| port. page St. -.
| In his contribution TO the same report
| page 1927 Professor Robert T. Hill saws u
the cretaceous rocks of the state tina; the
basal, or alternating beds abound in mate
rials useful TO mankind, and especially in
| valuable building materials, among which
may be mentioned building stones for do
mestic use and for expectation Some OF
| these stones have rich magnetism buff yel-
low colors, while the limestones often re
| semble in every detail the famed stone OF
Caen, France, which is imported into tho
non challly regions of the East for the pur-
pose of adding brightness TO the somber
colors. They are especially used in int
| riors, while the ease with which they can
be carved renders them of great value"
-
Again. on page 126. Professor Hill says
the Caprina limestone of the cretaceous
formationl is also productive of many rara
building stones and other structural rate
! rails. The Caprina limestone is
the material used in the manufacture of tho
Austin lime, which has wide celebrity for
its purity" The regions of the limestone
may be readily distinguished b. the darh
| red, sometimes nearly black, everything soil,
.'as seen in the country between Florence,
Williamson county, and Leander, III tbs
Jollyvile peighborhood of Travis county,
1t also r,Es il. Bell, Coryell, Hamilton,
Bosque and Hood counties.
-
On page 121 of the report already men
toned Professor Hill tells US of fiag-stone
deposit near Austin Immediately west,
that is of special interest The stone is in
thin layers, and is of almost pure white
chalky limestone. the layers varying from
one to three inches in thickness. These
beds are from eight to ten feet in thickness,
and the stone is quarricd for paving and
building purposes. As yet no other deposit
of this character is known to exist in the
state.
Immediately above these flag-stones is
massive stratum of limestone often met
amorphosed into marble, which has been ex-
tensively quarried as building stone, and
may be seen in the foundation of the post.
office building at Austin. 1t furthermore
takes a fine polish, and hence has been
more or less used for ornamental purposes.
In his paper furnished for the same geo.
logical report as referred to above Pro-
fessor w. f. Cummns says of the coal
field region that there is an abundance of
fine building stone in all the counties lying
along it's southern border. '.In nearly
every neighborhood good stone for building
purposes may be had within convenient
distance. Very few quarries have been
opened to any extent, and those only to
supply a loca, demand; and besides every
builder has opened his own quarry, and its
location was determined more by the rear
ness of the quarry to the edifice to be con-
structed and the convenience for quarrying
than anything else"
-.
of m prnfascor JJilI'. Gamma
limestone Professor Cummins says there
are two grades of it quite extensively quar-
ried near Lampasas; one is harder and
winter than the other, and therefore is the
most desirable. 1t is easily quarried aud
very soft when taken out, but soon hardeus
on exposure to the atmosphere. So COM
pact is this hardest stratum on exposure,
and so very durable, that it is extensively
used for bases of tombstones and mouu-.
ments, for which purpose it is shipped
long distances. 1t works well for and is.
largely used in facings for buildings erected
of other materials. The stone is easily
dressed when fresh from the quarry, hav-
ing no siliceous material in it whatever.
The same stone is found on the top of
4
where 1t has been quarried and shipped TO
various localities. 1t is also found il Nc
Culloch and Tom Green counties.
-.
Professor Cummins states that there ara
extremely fine building sandstones in Nc.
Culloch county. The courthouse at Brady,
county seat of McCulloch, is built Of it
The same excellent stone is found and
worked at San Saba There is also the
very finest of blush limestone suitable for
building purposes to be found near Lam
pasas and San Saba. A similar stone Is
very abundant at San Angelo.
-.
The stone called Texas marble, says
Professor Cummins, page 165, is nothing
more than partly metamorphosed shaly
limestone There are, however,
several good quarries of marble that in
beauty will rival the best. The most nota-
BILE deposit is few miles southeast Of San
Saba, and only short distance from the
Fleming springs, where there is sufi-
cient w;t'r to run machinery for working
the ~ The marble in this vicinity
has eolors, ranging from pure white
to sil.,tr 4, red or flesh color. These beds
are at the base of the carboniferous for