The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1920-12-13
GRANITE QUARRIES.
A Paper Read at the Late Meeting of
the State Board Of Agriculture
at Montpelier.


In speaking of the granite of Wash
ington county, it will not be expected
that should enter upon any discussion
in regard to its geological position; il
is enough for our present purpose to
ascertain its locality, its quantity and
quality, its commercial value and the
ease with which it may be quarried.
The granite of this county, like that
of all other localities, is composed of
quartz, feldspar and mica indiscrimi
nately mixed together; it is coarse ortir G
according TO the state of its constitu-
ent minerals; it is of every shade Of
color but the most esteemed for mon
umental and building purposes is of a
light gray shade.
vi sGranite is one Of the lowest rocks
with which the geologst is acquainted,
and yet it forms the SUBMITS of the
highest mountains, and is found in
veins varying from a few inches in
thickness to those that are several
yards in width.
From its crystalline structure, and
the position it occupies, there is no
doubt but that granite has been melt
cd, and ii is also certain that many
varieties are the results of remelting,
and reconciliation of the stratifed
rocks. In this way only, can geologists
recount for the fact, that, while some
quarries are found among the oldest
rocks. others are more recent in their
origin than some of the stratified for
nations. It is evident that the gran
tie of Washington county Is thus
formed. BY some commissions, or
change in nature, the mica slate for
nation in which the granite of this
county is found, was rent and the
melted matters was forced into and
Rflled the crevices, engulfing at the
same time fragments of limestone and
mica slate.
In the northern part of this belt of
granite these detached fragments are
so promiscuously scattered through it,
that the granite is nearly useless for
building purposes. II is, furthermore,
evident from the situation of these
blocks of limestone, and fragments Of
slate, that they must have been asso
rated with the granite while in a state
Of fusion.
The granite in this county outcrops
In Berlin. Plaiufeld. Marshfeld, Calais
and Woodbury.. That found in Berlin
Is Of fine grain, and valuable for
building and cemetery purposes, the
amount quarried at Berlin is about
1000 cubic feet per annum.
The granite in Plainfield, Marshfeld,
Calais and Woodbury. is not, as | un
derstand quarried very much, and ow
ing to the seams of quartz and frag
ments Of limestone and slate il is
sery little used except for underpin
ming. Though the granite in these
towns is generally Of a coarse grain and
imperfect in its formation. still, in
MANY places it is found suited for all
architectural purposes.
Tn Barre, granite forms two eleva-
tions estimated at 500 to GOO feet hirh
and containing an area Of about 100
seres. On both these outcrops the
granite lies in tabular sheets, the out
Pr edges of which have been worn by
drift agency, 50 as TO form the contour
n the hills In the emergency of the
melted granite. the debris everything
the slate was thrown together and
formed a barrier between the two out
sroppings: this having been removed
by the action Of water. a deep valley
now separates the two granite hills
The space between them is not far
from two miles. These quarries are
also situated about two miles from