LIMESTONE. Limestone consists of carbonate of lime and sonic impurity which gives the stone its color, these colors ranging through various shades of blue, green, yellow, pink, red, and black. Dolomitic limestone, or dolomite. is a spe cies which contains magnesia in addition to car bonate of lime. The distinction between limestone and marble is one of quality rather than one of emnposition, marble being a crystalline limestone capable of taking a high polish. and having a coloring or marking which adapts it to orna mental work. The coarser grades of limestone are widely distributed, and nearly every State of the 'United States has quarries which are worked to supply at least the local demand. Perhaps the most widely known of the lime stones of this country are those of Indiana and northern Kentucky. These are limestones: they are very tine and even in texture, strong and easily worked, and of handsome color. This limestone is popularly known as 'Bedford stone.' At Lamont and ;Joliet, Ill., there arc also not able quarries of fine-grained, light-drab lime stone, which is extensively employed. Among the foreign limestones. the Portland stone, from the Isle of Portland, England. has been favor ably known for a great many- years. It was used in the reconstruction of Saint Paul's Cathedral. The Caen stone (q.v.) of France is one of the most noted limestones of the world. It is a soft, fine-grained stone, very light colored, admirably adapted for carved work, but so ab sorbent as to be entirely unfitted for out-of-door work in a cold climate. The stone is quarried near Caen. Normandy.
The principal sources of American marble are in the States bordering the Appalachian Moun tains. and particularly Vermont, western Connect bmt. eastern Now York, Georgia, and eastern Nearly GO per cent. of the marble quarried in the United States comes from Vermont. Vermont marbles range through all varieties of texture and various shades of color, from pure, snowy white to quite dark bluish and greenish stone, the white stone often being beautifully mottled and veined with the darker stone. The 'principal centres of the Ver mont marble industry are \Vest Entland, Dor set, Wallingford, Pittsford, Brandon. and Mid dlebury. Next to the Vermont marbles, those of Tennessee merit the most particular notice, because of their beautiful variegated colors, among which are found chocolate, red, pink, olive, green, Inmwnish-red with white spots. gray
with lemon spots, and other combinations of colors. Georgia contains very large marble de posits, some of which furnish very beautiful stone, and this. with the fact that the climate permits (marrying the year is developing an active marble industry in this State. Besides the Appalachian marbles, there are deposits of this stone in several of the Itoeky Mountain States, but these have not been muell worked.
\mong the most notable foreign marbles are the brilliant red marble found at several locali ties in the French Pyrenees, and the lAlmmedoe marble, having a brilliant scarlet color blotched with white, found at Black Mountain. in the Pyrenees. Broeatelle marble, having a light yel low body traversed by irregular veins and blotches of dull red, is another famous French marble. Belgium is exceptionally rich in col ored marbles. hut white is not found. The deep blue-black marble with white veins, known as Saint Anne marble, and the pure black marble, latown as Belgian black, are part bmlarly well known Belgium marbles. Most of the Bel gium marbles are (lull red, of light and dark shades, variously spotted, flecked, and veined with white and gray. The Italian marbles are proverbial for their quality and variety. The two most noted are the white statuary- marble with its fine grain and pure color, which, when polished. gives a Waxy appearance found in no other marble: and the Siena marble with a bright yellow ground blotched with slight pur plish and violet shades. The black and gold marble, with a black ground carrying yellowish and reddish veins, is another noted Italian mar ble. Germany, Spain. Portugal. Austria. and Ireland furnish marbles notable for texture and color. A form of marble----variously known as onyx, or onyx marble. or alabaster. hut really a travertine formed by the evaporation of water holding earlemate of lime in solution—is found extensively in Algeria and _Mexico, and is much used for table-tops and other small decorative and ornamental work. A good quality of onyx marble is found in Arizona and Southern Cali fornia, in the States.