Los Angeles herald., 1906-06-17
NATIVE BUILDING MATERIAL OF CALIFORNIA
Marble Abundant Clay Many
ouarles Plentiful
by aIoss Aubury

OF the adoption Of local building ma
terials In prominent California struc-
lures 1t is instanced that the postoffice
building at Seventh and Mission streets.
San Francisco, has an exterior OF Ray
mond granite. The three lower floors
OF the Fairmont hotel, on Mob hill, are
OF Raymond granite. The first two
stories of the W. II. Hellman building
in Los Angeles are of Riverside granite.
The buildings Of the Stanford unlver-
sity are constructed of sandstone from
quarries In Santa Clara county The
Kohl building, at the northeast corner
of California and Montgomery streets.
san Francisco, is of Colusa sandstone.
The st. Francis hotel in San Francisco
is of Cous@ sandstone The Dewey
monument on Union square is Ray
mond granite. Colusa sandstone ls the
material of which the exterior of the
James L. Food building, at the north
east corner of Market and Powell
streets, is constructed.
The public library building at Pasa-
dena, handsome structure Is of Nile
green sandstone from Kern county.
Sandstone from Los Gatos, Santa Clara
county, was employed In the Carnegie
library at Santa Cruz. Many other
prominent buildings can be mentioned
"
of California building stone, practically
all types of which were tried by fire In
this city recently and emerged with a
small percentage of injury.
The deposits of granite, sandstone
and other building stones are prac-
tically inexhaustible. The slate belt
runs through El Dorado and Amador
counties and the outcroppings are vis-
ible for distance of many miles. At
tention of the outsider Is called to the
fact that the materials for the manu-
facture of artificial stone are abundant.
Brick clays are found in many locali-
ties and the manufacture Of bricks
alone constitutes large California in
dustry. Lime is also abundant. In an
interesting chapter the growth of the
California cement industry Is Indicated.
The quantity of Portland cement
used in California" remarks the state
mineralogist, 'is far in excess of that
manufactured in the state. With large
deposits of limestone and clay quite
widely scattered through the state and
a large fuel supply, it would seem that
the cement industry ought to increase
quite rapidly. The state should be ex-
porting rather than importing cement.
For many years the development of the
cement industry like many other man
ufacturing industries in California, was
hindered by the high price of fuel.
With the opening of great oil fields
this difficulty has been overcome"
Cement Factories of State
Three cement factories are reported
to be in operation, located respectively,
at Napa Junction, Napa county; Cotton,
San Bernardino county, and at Cement,
near Suisun Solano county. The oldest
factory Is at Cotton. The one at Suisun
began operations in 1902 and the one at
Napa Junction in 1903.
The clays and the clay industries of
this state also figure Importantly in
the present connection. Large works
exist and are operating In Alameda,
San Joaquin, Amador, Calaveras. Con-
ira Costa, Kern, LOS Angeles and other
counties. Immense deposits of clay
were discovered by the San Francisco
and San Joaquin Coal company in the
opening up Of coal deposits at Tesla.
The mines will supply fine grade of
pottery and fire clays.
In the area about Carbondale, Anna
dor county, and between Carbondale
and lone are extensive deposits of high
grade clays Clay is found In massive
bed, eighteen to twenty feet thick, on
the one-Sacramento road, two and a
half miles north of lone.
There are many clay deposits of
varied character in Butte county. Fire
clay was discovered in Calaveras
county In beds that overlie groupings of
copper ore. Stewartsville, Contra Costa
county, is the source of supply for large
works at Antioch, of which Senator c.
NJ. Belshaw is the owner.
On the south side of the Antelope
valley, at the end of one of many fell
site porphyry buttes, clay is taken out.
Clay suitable for the manufacture of
pottery occurs in large beds on the
south bank of the Merced river, near
the Merced falls, in Merced county
Kaolin has been uncovered in three
places in Placer county. Fire clay has
been found in the foothills OF the
southwest slope of the Santa Ana
mountains, Orange county.
A great belt of clays of superior
quality extends in a general direction
west OF north and east of south from