The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-05-25
INDIANA SANDSTONES
THEY CONsTITUTE A VAST STORE OF
UNDEvELoPED WEALTH.
Absence OF Railroad Facilities to Mar
ket the stone-Lack OF UNI
formity I'm Color.

Advance sheets OF the twentieth annual re-
port OF the State Geologsst. which will soon
be issued. give report on the sandstones OF
Western Indiana, prepared by Il. c. Hop
kins, last year an assistant on the geologic
survey of Indiana, now professor of geol-
ogy at State College. Pennsylvania. Mr..
Hopkins, who was graduated from DePauw
University nearly ten years ago, has since
that time made special study of building
stones and other economic geologic products,
having spent several years in this work on
the geologic survey OF Arkansas, one year
at Stanford University two years at the
University of Chicago, and last year in In
diana He will probably accept an offer
from the State Geologist and remove to In
diana to assist Professor Blatchey in the
economic geologic survey OF the State dur
ing the remainder of his tenure of Office.
The report above mentioned shows a vast
store or undeveloped wealth in the sand
stones OF the State, but, great as it is, 1t
Is of minor Importance compared with the
limestones OF the. State. Mr.. Hopkins, along
with Mr.. Siebenthal. of Bloomington, will
begin work on the oolitic limestone OF the
State this summer. The oolitic limestone
OF Indiana ranks among the very best build
ing stones in the United States, and the
State Geologist is taking steps to properly
investigate and advertise this great source
Of wealth to the State. 1t is unfortunate
that he has such q limited appropriation
for this work, which is of such vital i'm
portance in making known to the industrial
world the vast resources of Indiana. Be-
sides the report on the sandstones there are
reports on other economic products In the
forthcoming volume. The report is well H.
Illustrated and contains good geologic maps
OF the sandstones area The following ex-
tract from the final chapter OF the Sand
stone Report shows the scope ana nature
OF the work:
PLENTY OF COMMERCIAL STONE.
The investigation shows that sandstone OF
good quality and I'm commercial quantities
occurs at several different horizons in the
carboniferous system in western Indiana. 1t
also shows that along with the good stone
in each of these beds there is much that is
inferior and that care is necessary in Sc
lecting the product In the chapter on local
details, far as possible, all the points
where good stone for local use occurs are
designated. and in a less degree the defective
stone is described and the defects pointed
out. that it may be avoided.
The most important bed of sandstone is
that termed the Mansfield, which lies at the
base of the coal measures, unconformably
on the lower carboniferouS lfmestones, and
Is supposed to be the equivalent of the mill
stone grit of adjoining States and extends
IN strip varying from two TO ten miles or
rem county IN an east OF south direction
TO and beyond the Ohio river. a distance Of
more than us miles in the State of Indiana
over all the north part OF this area, all
Shat is shown on the, two accompanying
map sheets Is belt OF glacial drift ma teriai
varying in thickness from zero TO two hun
dred feet or more. The great mass. probably
nine-tenths, OF the formation is made I'D of
medium to coarse-grained massive sand
stone, which Is associated with o. patches Of
ccngsonierate, varying from few inches TO
several feet in thickness and from a few
feet TO hundreds of yards in lateral extent,
~ shaly sandstone, CD shale, I'd coal and
60 fire-clay. a4r
1.-THE source of part of the coarse material
or the conglomerates and the sandstone is
shown to be from, the cherts and goodies
or the underlying ilmestones. The remainder
IS probably from he crystalline areas Of
the lake regions
While the Mansfield sandstone is soft.
friable and easily worked, it is at the same
time one of the most durable rocks in the
state This Is proven by It's topographic fea-
lures and its use in buildings and bridges.
1t consists essentially of quartz grains in a
cement of iron oxide, with some silica and
minute quantities OF clay 1t Is locally mica
ceous and contains small quantities OF fed
spar and other minerals in places The
tendency OF the iron oxide 10 segregate in
jures much otherwise good stone The
grains are mostly angular, but in the coarser
varieties some Of them are rounded and
THE many varieties In color are grouped
under the two general heads of: % Brown
stone including the red-brown, purpl.sh-
brown and chocolate-brown, and (2) buff
and gray stone, variegated stone, occurring
in each class. Commercial stone is obtained
in both classes but is less abundant and
more valuable In the first than in the Sec
ond class. trnrst
DRAWBACKS TO DEVELOPMENT.
THE greatest drawbacks to the more
rapid development of this stone are: q
The absence of railway facilities at some of
the best deposits; CD the occurrence Of the
so-called iron 'blisters' or kidneys that
injure the brownstone in many localities;
CD the presence Of much cross-grain or false
bedding; (D lack Of uniformity in color; %
inferior stone having been quarried and put
on the market, thus injuring the reputation
of the good stone. Throughout large por-
ton of the area much Of the stone is in
jured by one or more OF these causes. yet
in many places the stone is so far free from
these defects that 1t could be worked with
profit is done in few places. The stone
is deserving of more ex-
tended use than it has at present
yet the poorer stone that will be put
| quarrymen will always be a drawback tc
the development of the stone.
"Quarries in the Mansfield stone are In
active operation at st. Anthony CDrown-
| stone), Wiilamsport tbuf), Attica and
| Kickapoo (bufD. Fountain duff and brown)
and numerous small quarries throughout
| the area One brownstone quarry has been
| opened this year $3.50 at Portland Mills
| There are idle quarries at Mansfield, Hills
boro Attica. Greenhil and elsewhere
| throughout the area Undeveioped deposits
| occur at different points, the most promis-
/ ing being in Parke and Green counties
| 'Interstratifed beds of coal and shale
| sandstone OF good quality occurs in num-
| Der of PAGES in the coal measures at hori
zon above that of the Mansfield stone. These
were not examined in detail, but notes made
| at a number of different points show much
| valuable stone.
| THE so-called Portland stone at Worthy
| Vermillion county, IS one of the best build
i ing stones of the State and is taken from
/ one OF the most productive Quarries. The
| buff near the surface 1t occurs in a mas
| sive bed more than fifty feet in thickness:
| oyerlain by shale coal and glacial drift /
| is highly cilicious, CONSISTING largely o.
quartz grains in complex cement Of clay
| silica. and iron and Time carbonates. 1t Il
| not so durable the Mansfield stone. bu
| judging from the outcrop and the compost
| ton 1t is equal TO the average in this re-
spect.
.'At Cannelton, on the Ohio river are ex
| tensve quarries of carboniferous sandstone
| Immediately OVERLAPPING the Mansfield stone
| II is not so attractive in color as the Port
! land stone and will not command as higf
| a price for building purposes, but 1t is ac
| ceSSible in larger ouantities-~fS equally al
durable. possibly more SO. is easily worked
and is we'll adapted 10 use in heavy mason
ny. These quarries have been productive FOL
/