History of Union and Middlesex Counties, New Jersey with Biographical Sketches of many of their Pioneers and Prominent Men, Part 103

Author: W. Woodford Clayton, Ed.
Publication date: 1882
Publisher: Philadelphia: Everts
Number of Pages: 1224


USA > New Jersey > Middlesex County > History of Union and Middlesex Counties, New Jersey with Biographical Sketches of many of their Pioneers and Prominent Men > Part 103
USA > New Jersey > Union County > History of Union and Middlesex Counties, New Jersey with Biographical Sketches of many of their Pioneers and Prominent Men > Part 103


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On the northwest the clay district joins that of the red shale and sandstone, and the frequent outcrops of the latter make the location of the northern boundary


1 From " Report on the Clay Deposits of Woodbridge, South Amboy, and other places in New Jersey," etc., by George H. Cook, State geolo- gist, and John C. Smock, assistant geologist.


2 Geologically, this clay district extends over a part of the south end of Staten Island, and probably to Long Island also.


423


THE CLAY DISTRICT OF MIDDLESEX COUNTY.


of the clay easy and accurate. Towards the west the boundary is entirely arbitrary, the later geological deposits, over which the Old Bridge and New Bruns- wick turnpike runs, heing without any breaks, and effectually concealing the underlying formations. In- deed, it is probable that the equivalent of the clay is not limited by the boundary above given, but that, like all the other deposits of the cretaceous formation, it extends entirely across the State in a south westerly direction to the Delaware River and beyond. In the flat and sandy country south of the South River, and stretching east as far as Jacksonville, yellow sand and gravel drift reach down to tide-level, and so effect- ually discourage explorations for clay that this bound- ary must be considered the limit of the district in which clay can be profitably dug, rather than the end of the beds of clay. From Jacksonville to the bay shore the outcropping clay-marl accurately defines the southeastern margin of the clay district. The map accompanying this report shows the whole of this district which produces clay, including all the pits of the county and of the adjoining parts of Staten Island in which fire-clay or stoneware clay is dug ; but it does not exhibit the whole area of the county in which clay may possibly yet be found. The belt of country underlaid by the plastic clays extends en- tirely across the State, and includes an area of three hundred and twenty square miles. In this area it is possible much valuable clay land may yet be found which can be worked to profit. The area of the clay district of Middlesex County, within which is included all the clay pits at present worked, is only sixty-eight square miles.


The map of the clay district which accompanies this report exhibits the above-described boundaries and areas on a scale of three inches to a mile. It will be further described in its relations to topography and structural geology.


Although this district borders the tide-waters of ' Staten Island Sound and Raritan Bay, and is inter- sected by the tide-waters of the Raritan and South Rivers, and belongs in the general Atlantic slope of the country, it has not the flat surface or general long seaward slope which aresuch marked features of most of the land along our coast. On the contrary, the surface is uneven, and its average elevation is quite as great as that of the red sandstone country on its northwest border, or the mart region on its south- east. North of the Raritan River nearly all the up- land has an elevation exceeding thirty feet, and fully one-third of it is over one hundred feet above tide- water level. This area is subdivided by a series of hills or flattened ridges, which extend southeast from the Short Hills near Metuchen to Perth Amboy. The Perth Amboy and Metuchen road runs almost level high up on the side of this elevated ridge. From this elevated ground as the water-shed the drainage is northeast and east into Woodbridge Creek and Staten Island Sound, and southward into the Raritan River.


Poplar Hill is the highest point in this ridge or chain of hills, and the highest in the district, being two hun- dred and forty feet above tide-level. From Ford's Cor- ners westward to Bonhamtown, and thence southwest to Piscataway. the old road runs on high ground, most of the way about one hundred feet above tide. Bordering the Sound and along Woodbridge Creek there is a narrow fringe of tide marsh. The largest body of tidal meadow, however, is along the Rar- itan River. That on its north side extends the whole distance from Martin's Dock to the Crossman Clay Company's works, and is from a half-mile to a mile wide, and nearly five miles long. On the south of this stream there is but little tide marsh on the shore of the bay ; Chesquake Creek is widely bordered by tide marsh from its mouth to its head; there is a fringe of marsh along the south shore of the Raritan, between South Amboy and Kearney's dock, and smaller patches from there up to Sayreville, and a much larger tract above Sayreville about the mouth of South River, and . stretching up that stream nearly four miles. The area of the district which is tide marsh is as follows, in acres :


Townships.


Acres.


Perth Amboy.


403


Woodbridge.


690


Raritan ...


2067


East Brunswick


673


Sayreville


1797


South Amboy


40


Madison ...


1568


Total 7238


The surface of the quadrilateral area bounded by these streams and Raritan Bay is nearly all forty feet and upwards above tide-level, and a large part of it is about one hundred feet high, while a number of hilltops are from one hundred and forty to one hun- dred and eighty feet in height. These hills are irregu- larly grouped. One ridge of one hundred to one hundred and eighty feet high can be traced from Sayreville southeast, east, and again southeast nearly to Chesquake Creek. The Burt's Creek and Jackson- ville road runs a little east and northeast of the crest line of this ridge. West, southwest, and south from South Amboy most of the surface is between one hun- dred and one hundred and forty feet high. The Camden and Amboy Railroad cuts through this high ground near the Sayerville road, ascending from the depot at South Amboy to an elevation of one hundred feet near this road, and descending a little near the clay pits of W. C. Perrine and E. R. Rose, and again running up to one hundred feet across the ridge near the Burt's Creek and Jacksonville road. It runs for over three miles on the water-shed between the streams flowing north and west into the Raritan and South Rivers, and those flowing east and south into the bay and Chesquake Creek. The slopes of the upland towards the Raritan and South Rivers are compara- tively gentle, and terminate, except in a few cases, in tide marshes. South of South Amboy, along Raritan Bay and up Chesquake Creek, the upland is high


424


HISTORY OF UNION AND MIDDLESEX COUNTIES, NEW JERSEY.


quite to the water or marsh, and forms bluffs that mark clearly the upland from the marsh. The New York and Long Branch Railroad runs at the base of these bluffs from South Amboy to the Chesquake Creek at Morgan Station.


Table of Elevations in the Clay District of Mid- dlesex County, taken with an Engineer's Level .- The following table of elevations, ascertained by level- ing, gives the heights at many easily identified points. The figures give the elevation in feet above mean high-water level :


VICINITY OF WOODBRIDGE.


Fset.


David Flood's clay bank, floor of platform scales. 75.0


David Ayres' clay bank, floor of office. 88,0


Floor of bridge, near D. Shotwell'a honss, old Woodbridge and Detucheu road 90.7


Surface of water in brook under the bridge. 85.0


Floor of bridge, above-mentioned road, aod one mile northeast of above bridge, 73.0


Summit of hill, Naw Brunswick and Woodbridge road, near E. Stackpole's hun188 ... 165,0


Same road, near I. Liddle's house. 162.0


Sama road, bridge over brook from Mutton Hollow, top uf atone Abutinent, northwest corner ...... 55.0 Surface of road, David Flood's tenaot-house, north of Mutton Hollow ... 103.0


H. Cutter's platform scales, on road to his pits .. 37.0


Woodbridge and Perth Amboy road, Spa Spring Bruok bridge, top of northwest parapet ... 8.4


Perth Amboy road, corner of road to Cutter's Dock, surface. 20.0


PERTH AMBOY AND WESTWARD, NORTH OF THE BARITAN AIVER.


Track, E. and A. R. R. and N. Y. & L. B. R. R. crossing ... ... 50 0 Supimit on E. & A. R. R., near Ford's Corners. 94.0 E. & A R. R. track, crossing New Brunswick and Woodbridge straight road .. 89.0


Metuchen and Perth Amboy and New Brunswick and Woodbridge roads' intersection, surface. 105.0 Bridge fluor on Florida Grove road over the E. & A. R. R 101.0 Surface at Benjamin Valentine's gate, near Flurida Grove. 67.0 Summit, New Brunswick and Perth Amboy road near the Eagles- wood road. 104 0 Surface, corner of road north-northwest of Manning House (hos- pital) 122.0


Surfaca, At MADning clay shaft. 103.0


98.8


Railroad track over small culvert at entrance to Phillip Neuku- met's clay bank ..


38.4


Rail at end of track, E. F. Robert's pits ..


84.4


Surface, west end of grinding pit-honse at old brick-yard, Raritan Clay Company .. 40.6


Frog of switch at junction of railroads from pits of Charlea A. Campbell & Co ...


Surface, New Brunswick and Perth Amboy road, at " Half-way House"


86.0


Surface, New Brunawick and Parth Amboy road, at west and of pits of Samuel Dally. 77.4


Surface, pits of Samuel Dally, near red house at pite of N. J. Clay and Brick Company .. 73.0


Top of post near corner of road leading to pits of R. N. & H. Valentine 108.2


Top of platform of David Flood, side of N. J. Clay and Brick Co.'s railroad. 45.4


Platform of scales near offica of R. N. & II. Valentina. 78.5 Railroad track, at the scales of N. J. Clay and Brick Co ... 41.0


New Brunswick road, surface in front of David Mundy's house, east of Bonhamtown .. 112,0


New Brunswick road, aurface in front of Martin Schofield's house, half-mile east of Bonhamtown 103.0


Railroad track, entrance to graval-pit of P. R. R. Co., north of Boohamtown. 67.0


WASHINGTON TO SOUTH AMBOY.


Brick pavement (west end) in front of Methodiat Episcopal Church, Washington ....


Lower rail on curve of track entering Willett & Yates' brick-yard, Washington ....


15.6 Sayırville, surface in cantre of road io front of Methodist Epis- copal Church .....


41.4


Sayreville, surface at frame barn of Sayra & Fisher, near the fire- brick worka.


20.0


Surface, Washington and South Amboy road, Such's railroad crossing


Summit, Washington and South Amboy road, between Such's gate and Roberts' west pits ....


Summit, on road from Roberts' pits to Kearney's Dock.


Such's railroad track, at clay-works. 13.8 Ph. Neukumet'a bank, top of fire-clay.


Faat.


Strest in front of R. C. Church, South Amboy 47.0


Surface, southeast corner of R. C. cemetery, Main Street, South Amboy. 122.6 Sumorit of hill south of the village. 144.0


Floor of bridge over C. and A. R. R., Washington road. 115.0


MADISON TOWNSHIP.


Surface, Sonth Amboy and Jacksonville road, at coroar of road to


Theodora Smith's clay pita ... 80.0


Surface in front of E. Disbrow's house, on road to Theo. Smith's elsy pits. 45.0


Surface, north corner of - Fitznack'a hunde, at Theo. Smith's clay pits. 38.4


Otto Ernst's clay-mines floor at top of shaft of 1868. 31.3 Otto Ernst's clay-mines, floor at top of sbaft of 1874. 27.6


Elevations of Each of the Clay-Beds at Various Points in the District. RARITAN CLAY-BED.


Geo. W. Ruddy's pits, south end, surface of clay. 35


Geo. W. Ruddy's pits, naar house, surface of clay. 36


Wm. B. Dixon's clay, top. 31


New Jersey Clay and Brick Company, top 44


David Flood's fire-clay, southeast of Bonhamtown, top of clay


47


David Flood's southwest pits, top of clay.


43 Geo. Phoenix'a clay pits, north of Bonheurtowo, top of clay 76 W. C. & E. Mundy's pite, north of Bonhamtown, top of clay 77 Carman's brick-yard, north of Bonhamtown, top of clay .. 78 Charles M. Dally's pits, south of Bonhamtown and north of the


Raritan River, top of clay (below tide). -11


WOODBRIDGE FIRE-CLAY BED.


WOODBRIDGE AND VICINITY.


Wm. P. Edgar'a bauk, top of clay 83


W'm. P. Edgar's bank, 120 feet east of above (top) 89


Wm. H. Berry'a pita (east), top of clay 73


Wm. H. Barry's pits, northwest of farm-house, top of clay. 81 David Flood'a bank, near his residence, top of blue clay, at north- east end of the bank ... 76


David Flood's bank, top of sandy clay, 100 yards uorthwast of Abova ..


89


J. H. Campbell's estata, top of best clay


78


David Ayers' bank, top of clay.


80


Charles M Dally's bank, top of fire-clay


65-77 79


Longbridge & Powers' pita, top of white clay.


73


Longhridga & Powers' pits, bottom of fira-clay (deepest)


48


Mellick Brothere' pits, top of fire-clay ...


57


B. Kreischier'a pita, top of sandy (stoneware) clay


59


B. Kreischer'a pite, top of fire-clay


53


William II. Berry'a bank, adjoining New Brunswick road, on the south, top of black-clay.


88


S. A. Meeker & Son'a pits, " Mutton Hollow," top of fire-clay. ...


56


J. R. Watson & Sou's bank, top of (stuneware) clay .. 59


J. R. Watson & Son's bank, bottom of fira-clay 41


A. Hall & Son's bank, top of fire-clay.


67


A. Hall & Son's bank, southwest end of bank, top of fire-clay


74


BANKS SOUTHWEST AND SOUTH OF WOODBAIDOE.


Isaac Inalea'a pita, top of clay


52


14.5 Isaac Inslee'a pits, bottom of fire-clay.


38


Jamea Valentine's pita, tup of clay.


James Valentine's pita, bottom of fire-clay


Hamptoo Cutter & Sons, northeast pits, top of white fire-clay


34


Hampton Cutter & Sona, south pits, bottom of fire-clay 20


Hampton Cutter & Sons, west bank, top of black clay' 63


Ilampton Cuttar & Sous, weat bank, top of blue clay


41 20


Isaac Flood, clay pits, top of (stoneware) clay .. 38


E. Cutter's estate, old pipa- clay bank, top of clay 25 W. H P Benton's pits, top of clay (below tide). -7


Charles Antess & Son'a pita, top of clay (below tide). -5-10


CLAY ALONO THE NORTH SHORE OF THE AAAITAN RIVER.


Woudbridge Clay Company's pits, east of Crowa' Mill Creek, top of the fire-clay (below tide) -18


-3.6 Woodbridge Clay Company's pits, near Crossman Clay and Manu- facturing Company's worka, top of fire-clay (bolow tide) .. .... Woodbridga Clay Company's pits, bottom of fire-clay (below tide) ..- 11.5 Augustine Campbell's pits. near Crows' Mill Creek, bottom of fire- elay (average).


-20 20 6


67.5 A. Weber's bank, top of fire-clay ...


A. Weber'- bank, bottom of fire-clay


Crossman Clay and Manufacturing Company's aast back, tup of fira-clay


21.5


Crossman Clay and Manufacturing Company'a east bank, bottom of fire-clay


10.5


Crossman Clay and Maonfacturing Company's middle hank, top of fire-clay


26


11.5 Crossman Clay and Manufacturing Company's west bank, tup of fire-clay ...


37


44.4 Crossman Clay and Manufacturing Company's west bank, bottom


26


61.8 of fire-clay ..


38


Surface, Washington and South Amboy road, corner of rond tu Whitehead'a dock 45.0 Crossman Clay and Manufacturing Company's middle bank, bot- tom of fire-clay


17


Hampton Cutter & Sona, west bank, bottom of bive clay


48 36 32


Hampton Cuttar & Sons, south pits. top of clay-had ..


Centre of New Brunswick road, opposite entrance to Eagleswood .. Flooring of culvert, New Brunswick road at corner of road on the west line of Perth Amboy 108.7


Salamandar Works' bank, top of white clay.


425


THE CLAY DISTRICT OF MIDDLESEX COUNTY.


Feet.


Ph. Neukumet'a bank, bottom of fire-clay .... 29-32


Chas. A. Campbell & Co.'a north or blue clay bank, top of fire-clay 40 38


Chas. A. Campbell & Co.'a south or white clay bank, top of fire-clay


Isaac Flood & Son's bank, east end, top of fire-clay .. 56


Isaac Flood & Son's bank, west end, top of fire-clay .. 61 R. N. & H. Valentine's bank, top of fire-clay ....


51-54


R. N. & H. Valentine'a southwest pite, tup of fire-clay 50 Samuel Dally's pita, north of New Brunswick road, top of clay ... Samuel Dally'a pite, south of New Brunswick rond, top of clay ... 66


74


New Jersey Clay and Brick Company, northeast pit, bottom of fire- clay ...


64


KAOLIN AND FELDSPAR BED.


Forbes' farm, feldspar bank, top of sandy clay.


Forbea' farm, top of feld-par ..


104 96


Forbes' farm, bottom of faldepar


90


Charles ADDes8 & Sona' feldspar bank, top of feldspar.


91


Charles Aunsss & Sons' feldspar bank, east end of the bank, top of feldspar.


99


Charles Anness & Sons' feldspar bank, top of saiuly rad clay ..... Edgar Bros', feldspar bank, top of feldspar ..


104


Knickerbocker Life Insurance Company's farm, fire-sand hank,


top of black clay ..


50


Knickerbocker Life Insurance Company's farm, fire-sand bank, top of fire-sand ..... ...


71


Knickerbocker Life Insurance Company's south pit, top of kaolin James Valentine's kaolin, N. Y. & L. B. R. R. cut, bottoni of kaolin. Mrs. Merritt's kaolin pits, top of kaolin ..


58 65 38 53 50


Whitehead Bros' bank, Sayreville, top of kaolin ...


J. K. Brick estate, Burt's Creek, top of kaolin. 30


82


Whitehead estate, baok, Washington, top of kaolin.


SOUTH AMBOY FIRE-CLAY BED. NORTH OF THE BARITAN BIVER.


Maoniog shaft, top of the clay 100


E. F. Roberts' pits, Manning farm, top of fire-clay 80


E. F. Roberts' pita, Manning farm, bottom of fire-clay 69


E. F. Roberta' pits, Manning farm, east end, bottom of fire-clay ... 60


Jobn De Bow'a pite, top of red clay. 80-83


SOUTH OF THE RARITAN RIVER.


Kearney tract, E. F. & J. M. Roberts, north of Washington road, top of fire-clay .. 32-36


Kearney tract, E. F. & J. M. Roberta, north of Washington road,


bottom of fire-clay .. 26


Kearney tract, E. F. & J. M. Roberta, south of Washington road, top of fire-clay ..


29-35


Kearney tract, E. F. & J. M. Roberta, south of Washington road, bottom of fire-clay (deepest) 15


George Such'e pita, southern end, top of fire-clay ... 25


George Such'e pite, southern end, bottom of fire-clay 13


J. K. Brick estate, bank, top of fire-clay ... 28-36


Whitehead Bros' pits (old southeastern), top of fire-clay 54


Whitebead Bros' old Bolton pit, top of clay ... 70-72


Whitehead Bros' bank, near Sayreville, top of clay. 70-76 Whitehead Bros' bank, near Sayreville (south end), top of clay .... 59-62 Whitehead Broe' bank, near Sayreville (south end), bottom of fire-


clay.


51-54


Sayre & Fisher's bank, top of fire-clay


65


STONEWARE CLAY BEDS.


E. R. Rose & Son'a pits, near Camden and Atlantic Railroad, top of clay ..


Theo. Smith's pite, top of clay ..


Theo. Smith's pits, bottom of clay.


N. Furman's clay-mine, Chesapeake Creek, top of aloneware clay. N. Furman'a clay-mine, bottom of stoneware clay


N. Furman'e clay-mine western shaft, top of stoneware clay.


19


N. FurniRn'a clay-brine, western shaft, top of stoneware clay. Otto Ernst's clay-mines, 1868 shaft, top of good clay ..


12


Morgan estate, Raritan Bay, top of stoneware clay ..


4 25 Morgan estate, Raritan Bay, bottom of stoneware clay


MISCELLANEOUS.


Salamander Worka' fire-sRod pits, northwest of Woodbridge, top of sand.


72 R. N. & H. Valentine's fire-sand pit, at Baritau Sand Hilla, top of sand.


49


David Flood's kaolin pits, southeast of Bonhamtown, top (so called) kaolin. 49


Wm. H. Berry's bank, Woodbridge and New Brunswick road, top of the black clay.


88 Clay pit, across road from residence of Charles Anness, top of black clay. 22


W. S. Petit's brick-clay bank, Washington, South River. lottum of working fave of bank ... 18 Willett & Yates' brick-clay bank, Washington, S R., top of bank. 41 Everett & Fish, potters, clay bank, South Amboy, top of clay ....... 82-88


The drainage of this clay district has been already described in connection with its surface elevation. It is so limited in extent that there are no large streams wholly within its bounds, and yet it is re-


markably intersected by tide-water and navigable channels. Thus in this area of about sixty-eight square miles there are about thirty miles of shore fronting on navigable water; or, counting both sides of the Raritan as high up as Sayreville, and exclud- ing the more tortuous bends of the Raritan and South Rivers and Chesquake Creek, there are twenty-five miles of water-front. So that there is not a point in the district three miles from navigable water, and of the one hundred clay, kaolin, and sand pits none is more than two and a half miles away from such water- front. The advantages of this remarkable location for development of such a country are plainly shown by the rapid growth of its industries.


The tributaries of these rivers and creeks are small and unimportant, although most of them for short distances are small tide-water inlets, bordered in some cases by tide meadows, and some of them are capable of being improved as canals or basins.


The character of the surface and soil throughout this clay district is so varied that detailed description would fail to convey a distinct idea of its manifold phases. And yet nearly if not quite all the upland area can be described in two clearly characterized groups. These two groups of soils and superficial deposits mark two kinds of and two periods of the drift. These are (1) the northern or glacial drift, which is composed of fragments of the red shale and other northern rocks spread unevenly over the surface ; (2) the older (southern ?) yellow sand and gravel drift, derived apparently from some more southern source, and containing no red shale drift whatever. The former is the more recent of the two, and is found resting at many points upon the latter, and both un- conformably upon the beds of clay, etc. The district north of the Raritan is mostly covered by the former, and that south of the Raritan has only the latter kind. The yellow and gravel drift is found to some extent north of the Raritan.


1. GLACIAL DRIFT .- No attempt has been inade to trace out all the sinuosities of the limits of this sur- face formation. The general outlines are as follows : Staten Island Sound on the east, Raritan River on the south, and on the west a line drawn from the works of the Crossman Clay and Manufacturing Company north-northwest to the Sand Hills, and thence west near Bonhamtown to the limits of the map. North- ward this connects with the Short Hills and the red shale country. It will be thus seen that this drift covers or occupies the tongue of land running south- east from the Short Hills to a point between the Sound and the Raritan River, forming Poplar Hill and the high ground thence to Perth Amboy. It must here be stated that the Sound is not its eastern limits, as the same drift covers nearly the whole of Staten Is- land, and there is no difference in the materials as seen at Perth Amboy or Tottenville on the opposite shore. No shale or sandstone is to be found south of the Raritan River and east of the South River, and


70 40 32 20 13


13


Otto Erost'a clay-mines, shaft of 1876, top of good clay.


83


Knickerbocker Life Insurance Company's farm, fire-sand hank, top of fira-sand.


420


HISTORY OF UNION AND MIDDLESEX COUNTIES, NEW JERSEY.


the former at Amboy sharply divides the two surface formations. This drift is cut on the line of the Eas- ton and Amboy Railroad at Ford's Corner, aud at several points between that place and Perth Amboy. It is best exposed, in its relations to the yellow sand and gravel, in the feldspar banks of Charles Anness & Son, and in the Woodbridge and New Brunswick road, near William H. Berry's bank. It can also be seen in the cut on the Easton and Amboy Railroad, half a mile south of Ford's Corner.


This red shale drift belongs to the true northern drift of the glacial epoch, which is seen covering nearly all of our more northern territory. This por- tion, thus locally described, must be considered as part of the southern end of the great sheet covering the continent, and the city of Perth Amboy stands on the southermost point of this particular drift bank. The red shale material, the predominating and characteristic constituent in this mass of drift, gives character to the surface of the country, which resembles somewhat the country to the north and west, where the red shale crops out in place. The soil has that peculiar purplish-red color, and is in marked contrast with the sandy surface towards the west and south. The forest on this drift area is also quite different from that growing on the sandy and gravelly loam surfaces. There is less chestnut and no pine, both of which trees are common and make up most of the wood found growing south of the Raritan River. From these statements it is evident that the boundary of this drift is easily and accurately traced.


The matrix of this drift consists of red shale in the form of small fragments and as fine red earth. In this the pebbles, cobble-stones, bowlders, and other rock masses are inclosed, without order and in all possible combinations. Bowlders and pebbles and fragments of red and bluish (indurated) sandstone and of trap rocks are very abundant. Gneiss, granite, and syenite are less abundant; the conglomerates and slaty grits of the Greenpond Mountain (Potsdam) series and the magnesian and Trenton limestones are of much rarer occurrence. Large bowlders are quite common, so much so that their removal in clearing new ground for tillage is laborious and quite costly. Many of them are large enough for quarrying into building stones. One on Miss Gale's land, three- fourths of a mile west of Woodbridge, and a short distance south of New Brunswick turnpike, was twenty-five to thirty feet in diameter, and was nsed for bridge abutments on the Easton and Amboy Rail- road. In Melick Bros' clay bank, near Woodbridge, a granite block ten feet in diameter was found, lying with its polished and striated side down and imbedded three feet in the fire-clay bed. Near Patrick Miles' house, west of Woodbridge, there is a trap rock bowlder whose dimensions out of ground are fifteen by ten by five feet. Others nearly as large might be cited, but they are not uncommon, although growing scarce as the country is more cleared up and farmed




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