Part I. Report of progress in 1869, by J. S. Newberry, chief geologist. Part II. Report of progress in the second district, by E. B. Andrews, assist. geologist. Part III. Report on geology of Montgomery County, by Edward Orton, assist. geologist.

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namentation. The thinness of its beds, its hardness and brittleness,
stand- in the way of its improvement by dressing, and its color is too
dark to please the eye when it is exposed in large surfaces of masonry.
The Clinton rock, in all of its beds, but especially in its upper ones,
affords a building stone that would be highly valued were it not for the
close proximity, in most instances, of the quarries of the Niagara group.
A similar statement can be made in regard to the products of the Blue
Limestone quarries of the county.
When the Clinton stone is first raised from the quarry, it is frequently
so soft as to be easily worked; but when the water has escaped from it
it becomes a measurably firm and enduring stone. Some of its beds, indeed, are crystalline or semi-crystalline in structure, and leave nothing
to be desired as far as durability is concerned. As already remarked,
the Clinton group exhibits a great variety of colors, and some of these
shades are very pleasing to the eye-a fact which makes this stone susceptible of fine architectural effects, as can be seen to good advantage in
the Porter's Lodge at the Soldiers' Home, west of Dayton. This building is constructed of Clinton rock that was quarried upon the grounds.
The greatest objection to this series is, that it is not generally evenbedded. The lower strata are very seldom so.
The Niagara group furnishes, however, the best building stone, not
only of Montgomery county, but of the whole Miami valley as well. Indeed, for many purposes it is inferior to none. Occurring, as it does, in
even-bedded layers of from four to twenty inches in thickness, it is
adapted to the purposes of both light and heavy masonry. It is homogeneous in structure, has a beautiful color, takes ornamentation quite
kindly, and is durable to any required degree. The value that is attached to it can be judged from the fact that, in some of the quarries
nearest to Dayton, the stone sells in the ground at $17.50 per rod, or
$2,800 per acre-the title to the land not being alienated. In these
quarries there is less than five feet of workable stone, and this can only
be reached by removing from five to twenty feet of Drift clays and
sands. Five firms in and about Dayton are engaged in quarrying the
stone, and the aggregate of their operations is very large. The firm of
Webber & Lehman handled more than 9,000 perches during 1869. The
same firm is largely engaged in sawing and dressing the stone, and with
admirable results.
The supply of the rock, even in this its best estate, is inexhaustible;
but the expense of transportation shuts out at present from the general
market all the quarries that are more than three or four miles distant
from Dayton. The quarries that lie outside of these limits, however, are
invaluable for neighborhood supplies.
The quality of the stone, when perfect in every other respect, is some