Memoirs of Georgia; containing historical accounts of the state's civil, military, industrial and professional interests, and personal sketches of many of its people. Vol. I, Part 30

Author:
Publication date: 1859
Publisher: Atlanta, Ga., The Southern historicl association
Number of Pages: 1294

USA > Georgia > Memoirs of Georgia; containing historical accounts of the state's civil, military, industrial and professional interests, and personal sketches of many of its people. Vol. I > Part 30

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On J. M. Garrison's property, one and a half miles southwest of the Patterson property, marble is found near Cutcane creek, a small stream flowing parallel with Hamestring creek, but in an opposite direction. The marble lies here in a narrow valley, about five feet beneath the alluvial soil. Only one excavation has been made, at which the marble can be examined. The color and general appear- ance of the stone are quite similar to the marbles above described, being, how- ever, of a somewhat coarser texture. This property has not been prospected sufficiently to reveal anything definite as to the extent or soundness of the stone.

In the immediate vicinity of Cutcane postoffice, on the property of D. L. Gray, marble occurs in the creek bottoms, overlaid by four or five feet of alluvial soil. This marble has been used to a limited extent for making lime for local con- sumption, but no regular quarrying has been attempted. Two miles farther down Cutcane creek, on the property of Mrs. Dean, marble outcrops in the creek bottom. This has been used for making lime. In places the marble is quite cleavable, owing to parallel layers of mica; but the exposures are not sufficiently extensive to be able to tell whether this mineral extends throughout the deposit. Near the junction of Cutcane and Hemptown creeks, on what is known as the Park property, considerable prospecting work has been done for marble. A quarry was opened here, and many cubic yards of stone were removed, the work being finally abandoned, before any of the marble was marketed. The. texture of this stone is well suited for ornamental purposes; but on account of its unsound condition it is a question whether or not it can be quarried with profit. The prevailing colors are white and light gray, with an occasional band of black. Mica and tremolite are the principal accessory minerals, forming long masses of crystals, which are quite conspicuous on the weathered surface.

One mile east of Mineral Bluff marble is found in a somewhat hilly section, close to the road leading to Morganton. Two excavations, only a few yards apart, each about twenty feet square and ten feet deep, have been cut into the marble by channeling-machines, and large blocks have been taken out. The marble from one of these openings has a very fine texture and snow-white color, but mica occurs in some of the layers in such abundance as to cause them to split quite easily along certain lines. In the other opening the marble seems to be of pure quality, though of a dark color, but even this contains mica and tremolite. The white varieties of stone here resemble in texture and color some

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of the Italian marbles, and, were it not for the impurities, it would command a high price as an ornamental stone. However, the extraneous minerals in marbles are frequently quite local, and sometimes disappear in a few fect, when a stratum is being penetrated. The soundness, also, may vary at different depths.

On Weaver creek, about one mile east of Blue Ridge, marble occurs on the Cox property, outcropping at two or three places along the creek. The deposit covers quite an area in the creek bottom, lying only a few feet beneath the alluvium. The texture and color of the stone is similar to that found near Mineral Bluff, having the same impurities, with an addition of some crystals of chalco- pyrite. In the neighborhood of Sweet Gum postoffice, the western line of out- croppings enters Fannin county from North Carolina, occurring first near the state line, in a narrow valley along Rapier Mill creek, on lot seven, eighth district, first section. Just across the state line, near Culberson, N. C., a quarry is in operation, and a great amount of valuable stone has been shipped to eastern and western cities, where it always commands a high price, because of its superior quality. The marble at both these places is similar in texture and color, the crystalline grains being small and firmly united, forming a dense, compact marble, which admits of a brilliant polish. Ordinarily the color is dark gray, but black and light gray with black bands occur. Mica and other impur- ities are less abundant here than at other places, described above in Fannin county. At Arps' Spring, one mile southwest of Sweet Gum postoffice, on lot 42, eighth district, first section, marble again appears in the Rapier Mill creek valley, occurring in a depression about the spring, underlying an area of about half an acre. Drill-holes put down here a short time ago to the depth of thirty feet do not pass through the stratum. The core was generally sound and free from impurities. The stone differs but little in texture and color from that of lot No. 7. A similar marble is said to have been recently found on Youngstone creek, near Cole's crossing.

On the Dickey property, at Toccoa river, a large pit about thirty feet square and fifteen feet deep has been sunk near the railroad bridge, exposing the marble. It here appears to be in large bowlders, though on the opposite side of the river the marble is said to underlie a considerable area about the mouth of Youngstone creek. No attempt has been made to develop this. Specimens from this deposit contain numerous cutters and seams, being generally unsound. Further development, however, might bring to light a better quality of the stone.

On the poorhouse farm, one mile southwest of Blue Ridge, near the Marietta & North Georgia railroad, marble occurs along a small stream, showing at two exposures a dark gray marble of coarse texture with less mica than is usually found in the marbles of Fannin county.

GILMER COUNTY.

Gilmer county, while containing extensive beds of marble, has not produced any either for building or ornamental purposes that would be of consequence from an economic standpoint. The stone has been used to a limited extent for making lime, but no quarries of any kind are at present in operation. Pros- pecting has been carried on to a limited extent, and a few pits and drill-holes have been sunk, but not to an extent sufficient to give very definite information as to the deposits.

On Rock creek, near Cherry Log postoffice, on the property of J. L. Lacey, it is found in the bed of the creek and in the adjacent bottoms, covering an area of less than an acre. One or two pits have been sunk, but no attempt, by I-14

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boring or otherwise has been made, to ascertain the thickness or general sound- ness of the stone. Specimens from this deposit are usually of a light or dark gray color, and are of fine texture. Weathered surfaces show but little mica or other impurities. The water-power of Rock creek and the closeness of the rail- road would be special advantages in the development of this property.

Near White Path marble is found on the property of P. B. Whitaker, out- cropping along White Path creek below the railroad trestle and on both sides of the railroad, underlying an area probably of three acres. The cores taken from two or three drill-holes ten to thirty feet in depth are said to have been generally sound throughout their entire length, though the stone taken from the creek was somewhat laminated, on account of the considerable amount of mica it contained. In color and texture the character of the stone is similar to that found on the Lacey property, though some of the layers on the east side are quite black, and likely to be taken for slate. On the Holt property adjoining there are several out- crops of marble about the junction of Big and Little Turniptown creeks, and it is said to underlie a number of acres in the immediate vicinity. The property is practically undeveloped. The general appearance of the stone is similar to the lighter varieties found on the Whitaker property, though a pale-blue variety also occurs. The texture is fine, and the grains are difficult to distinguish with the unaided eye. The outcroppings at some places show somewhat laminated struc- tures, while at other places the stone seems to be apparently free from impurities. The appearances indicate an extensive deposit at this place, and much valuable stone is likely to be found. Big Turniptown creek is a stream of considerable size, and would furnish fine water-power for operating quarries on this property.

Near the headwaters of Tolona creek, five miles south of Ellijay, on John Ray's property, a series of outcroppings extend along the creek for about six miles, with only one or two interruptions. The stone is fine-grained, and light-gray or white in color; but no work has been done in testing the extent or the quality of the stone. On lot 260, tenth district, second section, a few hundred yards south of the last exposure, a somewhat extensive outcropping occurs near the creek, as a twelve-foot bluff. A small quarry for lime making was opened here some years ago; but has since been abandoned. Much of this marble seems to be quite solid and free from mica, weathering evenly on the exposed surfaces. Its color and texture are similar to the texture and color of the stone found on the Ray property. On lots 142 and 143, eleventh district, second section, one and a half miles south of Tolona postoffice, marble forms a line of cliffs as far south as Price's creek, being mostly light colored and fine grained, though a dark or mottled variety, closely granular, occurs, both varieties containing more or less mica, especially the fine-grained variety. Quartz in the form of veins and nodules appears on the weathered surfaces, though the marble which has been exposed in the cliffs for a long period ordinarily shows even weathering. An eighty-foot drill-hole was put down into this marble near the railroad trestle on lot 142, two or three years ago, without passing through the marble. This property has not been sufficiently developed to reveal its character as to soundness or freedom from impurities.

Marble bluff, the property of Henry Gartrell, joins lot 142, and lies along the east side of Tolona valley, just below the mouth of Price's creek. An eighty-foot bluff, almost perpendicular, is exposed along the Marietta & North Georgia railroad. This is one of the most extensive natural exposures of marble in the state; but, so far, it is practically undeveloped. The thickness at this place is about 175 feet. The stone varies greatly in texture and color, pink, white and dark- gray prevailing. The white, however, is most abundant. The gray is rather coarse

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in texture, but the grains are so firmly cemented as to form a very solid marble. The white and pink have a very fine texture, and when free from mica they admit of a fine polish. A small quantity of chalcopyrite and quartz occur as inclusions, but they are not present in sufficient quantities to be injurious. About a year and a half ago, a company began quarrying, but the work was afterward temporarily suspended. No previous work of development had been done on this property, except the digging of one or two pits in the creek bottoms to ascertain the extent of the stone. This property is more favorably located for the production and shipping of marble than any other in Gilmer county, having all the advantages of railroad facilities, suitable grounds for the location of mills and marble yards and a mountain stream of considerable volume to furnish the necessary water-power. This stream for the first two miles above where it enters Tolona valley, has a fall of nearly 100 feet, and the narrow valley becomes so contracted that retaining dams could be constructed with little expense.

PICKENS COUNTY.

While there are possibilities in the marble deposits of Fannin, Gilmer and Cherokee counties, yet the real value of the Pickens county deposits has been proven by their successful working. Large plants have been established, and large quan- tities of marble of good quality have been shipped to market. These marbles, which are in the same belt as those of the counties above mentioned, enter Pickens from Gilmer on lot 140, fifth district, second section, adjoining the Gartrell property. The bluffs here are almost as high and precipitous as those on the lot adjoining; the only apparent difference in the character of the stone being the absence of the flesh-colored layers. A few hundred yards farther down the creek, on lot 139, a considerable quantity of marble has been quarried for lime- making. The capacity of the mill, which is located on the east side of the railroad on a siding, is about 1,000 barrels per month. A drill-hole has been put down thirty feet in the marble on the opposite side of the railroad from the lime-kiln, and the core is said to have been quite solid, throughout its entire length.

On the Godfrey property, near the mouth of Fisher's creek, is an extensive exposure of marble which seems to be the southern terminus of the deposit in Tolona valley. Between this property and the lime-kiln the marble continues throughout lot 138, forming high bluffs. A small quarry, long since abandoned, was opened on the Godfrey property more than forty years ago in order to secure marble for tombstones. These stones, which are to be found throughout the country in various graveyards, are little affected by atmospheric agencies after so long an exposure. The color of the marble is usually light or dark-gray, and its texture varies from coarse to fine-grained. The coarser, which predominates, is sounder than the fine-grained, and contains scarcely any mica. About half a mile south of this exposure, running parallel with it, is another line of marble out- croppings, belonging to an entirely different stratum. It is an impure, dark- colored stone with a somewhat slaty cleavage, forming a bluff thirty or forty feet in height near Fisher's creek. The same stratum seems to outcrop opposite . Tolona school-house, and is found near the state line in Fannin county; but only in the vicinity of Ball Ground and Canton, in Cherokee county, is it likely to be of any economic value.

On the headwaters of Fisher's creek, four miles northeast of Talking Rock station, several hundred dollars were spent a few years ago in prospecting for inarble, on the Eager property; but no quarry was opened. The prospecting consisted mainly in stripping the earth from the marble, with the view of determining the extent and character of the deposit. The crystalline grains

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making up the stone are somewhat irregular, though usually small. The coarse and fine-grained varieties, however, generally lie in different strata, the light colors on top.

Two miles east of Jasper, on Longswamp creek, is the property of the Perseverance Marble company. This is an almost continuous series of bluffs forty or fifty feet in height and nearly a mile in length. Four quarries have been opened, one of which was extensively worked a few years ago and produced much marble. For lack of suitable railroad facilities the greater part of the machinery of these quarries was moved to the Piedmont works. The stone of these quarries is of a snow-white color, and has a fine texture. However, seams are of frequent occurrence, making it difficult to quarry large blocks. Some of this stone weathers uniformly, and some, containing more mica, has rough and irregular weathered surfaces. The texture is fine and close, admitting of a brilliant polish, and making it valuable for ornamental purposes. Two diamond-drill holes, one III feet and the other 130 feet deep, respectively, failed to pass through the stratum of marble, the cores showing the character of the stone to be similar to that exposed in the outcroppings. The thickness of the deposit is about 200 feet. Longswamp creek, which divides on this property, has a good fall, and could be easily utilized in furnishing water-power for an extensive quarrying plant, at a comparatively small outlay of money. The marble continues south from these quarries, along the east bank of the creek for about two miles, to a point near Tate's mill. Some prospecting has been done at two places along the bluff where the stone very closely resembles in color and texture that which is found farther up the creek.

Marble occurs on both sides of the east branch of Longswamp creek, on the Disheroom property, one mile east of Marble Hill postoffice. The outcropping on the south side of the branch runs west until it reaches the junction of the two branches of the creek, where it turns abruptly to the south, following the east side of the main stream for nearly two and a half miles, finally disappearing in the overlying gneiss. It is along the east and west line of this series of out- croppings that the Southern marble quarries, the Kennesaw quarries and the Piedmont quarries lie, in the north side and at the base of Marble hill. There are only two natural exposures of marble on the Disheroom property, and these are so limited as to admit of only a very imperfect idea of the general character of the stone. However, the indications do not seem to be very good. On the lot owned by William Pool, adjoining this property, the marble seems to be much more ex- tensive. The stone, which has been slightly prospected, is very similar to that found at the Southern marble quarries. These quarries are located on the north side of Marble hill, four miles east of Tate, with which it is connected by a branch road from the main line of the Marietta & North Georgia railroad. Four large quarries have been opened here, each of which has been extensively worked. Quarry No. I, lying farthest to the east, is situated on the hillside and is connected with the mill by an incline railway, about 100 yards long. An excavation, eighty feet square and thirty feet deep, in the upper part of the stratum has been made, and a great deal of stone has been taken out at this point. The stone taken from this quarry is very solid, rarely showing any seams or lines of stratification, and, as a consequence, blocks of almost any size can be secured. The natural out- croppings show a remarkably uniform mode of weathering. The crystalline grains making up the stone are usually large and semi-transparent, giving the surface of the marble a somewhat mottled appearance, rather than a uniform white. In places a number of accessory minerals are found, the most common being mica, which seriously interferes with polishing. The marble attains at this place a

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thickness of nearly 200 feet, dipping to the south at an angle of about 20 degrees. Quarries Nos. 2 and 3 are a short distance farther down the creek, on the same hillside, but nearer the valley, each about the same size as quarry No. I, and producing a similar marble, though not of such uniform white color. Quarry No. 4, which is the only one worked at present, is still farther down the creek, and well up on the hillside, in the upper portion of the stratum. The marble here appears to have less mica and other impurities than that from the other quarries, but it retains about the same texture and color as that from quarry No. I.

The mill, located in the valley near quarry No. I, is connected with the quarries by an incline railway, so graded that the cars, when loaded, run by reason of their own weight, directly to the mill. The company has an excellent plant, with a capacity for turning out a large amount of marble at a comparatively small expense.

The Kennesaw quarries, owned by the Georgia Marble company, are located three-quarters of a mile west of the Southern company's plant, at the base of the hill. Two excavations, near each other, have been made on this property, one 72x90 feet at the top, gradually increasing in size by channeling, to a depth of eighty feet. The other one, recently opened, is 110x90 feet at the surface. The stone is snow-white, with an occasional blotch of black or dark gray, resembling very closely the marble from the Southern quarries in texture, being generally sound and free from impurities. There is a large annual output of stone for monuments, furniture, interior decorations, etc., from these quarries.

The Piedmont quarries are only about 200 feet west of the Kennesaw quarries, on the same portion of the stratum, the amount of marble found here being practically inexhaustible, its thickness, while difficult to determine with any degree of accuracy, being at least 200 feet. The color and texture of the stone are practically the same as the Kennesaw marble. Seams frequently occur in the stone, however, and cause considerable waste. Otherwise it is comparatively free from defects. One of the best equipped marble mills in the south is owned by the Piedmont Marble company, and is located at these quarries. The company is now turning out a large quantity of marble, under a $240,000 contract for the building of St. Luke's hospital, in New York city. This is probably the largest single contract which has been secured by any of the marble companies in Georgia.

The Herndon property, owned by James P. Harrison and others, is located in the valley south of Marble hill, opposite the Piedmont quarries. There are two or three places of natural exposure, but the deposit lies under alluvial soil, at a distance varying from two to six feet from the surface, and more than an acre in extent. At one point a quarry has been opened and large blocks have been taken out, of very superior quality, being white, almost free from blemish, and of texture much the same as the marble of the Southern Marble company's quarry No. I, except that the accessory minerals, especially mica, are not so abundant. The dip here is near 12 degrees southeast, indicating only a slight change from the original perpendicular position of the marble. For this reason, the stone will probably be found to be generally sound. Nearly half a mile below this opening, toward the northeast, where the valley becomes contracted, marble outcrops at several points on the south side of Marble hill. A few narrow bands of flesh-colored marble have been observed here, but otherwise it is similar to that found at the quarry just described. A branch road was begun in 1893, to connect this property with the Piedmont quarries. When finished, the company proposes to begin work on an extensive scale.

The Griffin property, at present controlled by the Georgia Marble company, lies immediately west of the Piedmont quarries, on the same line of outcroppings.

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A number of exposures occur on this property, extending along the east side of the creek, and on the hillside for about two and a half miles. The lower part of the stratum, near the creek, is, at places, of a flesh-color, while that on the hillside is white, with blotches of dark gray. At a number of places along this line of out- croppings a limited amount of prospecting has been done, but no regular - quarrying has been attempted.

Two miles northwest of the Piedmont works, and on the opposite side of a high ridge, marble occurs on S. A. Darnell's property. This is an entirely different line of outcroppings from the one above described, though the structure of the marble and the character of the associated rock both show that it belongs to the same stratum. For nearly two miles these two lines of exposures run almost parallel with each other, but they seem finally to unite in the lower end of Tate's bottom .. The marble found on the property above mentioned, near the juncture of the two branches of Longswamp creek, is of a somewhat finer texture than that found at the other exposures in the vicinity, yet in color and structure it is quite similar. Very little prospecting has been done here, though across the creek, on the adjoining lot, owned by Dr. Tate, a number of drill holes have been put down to a depth of eighty or ninety feet, the cores showing the marble, it is said, to be generally sound, with a texture and color much like the Creole from the Georgia works. Some prospecting has been done, by boring and sinking pits, on a third line of outcropping, a few hundred yards west of the Darnell property, separated from it by a narrow ridge. This marble does not seem to form so thick a stratum as the other exposures farther west, but the general appearance of the stone remains the same

The quarries of the Georgia Marble company are located in the valley of Longswamp creek, one and a half miles east of Tate station, on a fold in the stratum of marble, whose upper portion has been removed by erosion. The Creole and Cherokee quarries are located on the east side of this fold, while the Etowah is on the west side.

Of the Creole quarries, there are two within a few feet of each other, designated. respectively, as Creole No. I and Creole No. 2, the former, which was the first opened, being 80x85 feet at the surface, and gradually increasing by channeling to a depth of 130 feet, where it is 11OXI15 feet; and the latter 80x90 feet at the surface and ninety feet deep. The marble from these quarries is a beautiful white, mottled with blue and black, and is quite free from impurities and seams. The texture is quite coarse, and the bluish-gray clouding and banding gives variety to the white, and affords striking contrast. This stone, on account of the pleasing mottled effect and the brilliant polish it takes, is extensively used throughout the country for monuments and interior decoration.

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Memoirs of Georgia; containing historical accounts of the state's civil, military, industrial and professional interests, and personal sketches of many of its people. Vol. I, Part 30

Author: Publication date: 1859 Publisher: Atlanta, Ga., The Southern historicl association Number of Pages: 1294

Author:
Publication date: 1859
Publisher: Atlanta, Ga., The Southern historicl association
Number of Pages: 1294