History of Texas, Together with a Biographical History of Milam, Williamson, Bastrop, Travis, Lee and Burleson Counties. Page: 160
[7], iv-vii, [2], 10-826, [2] p., [56] leaves of plates : ill., ports. ; 28 cm.View a full description of this book.
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BIBITORY OF TEXAS.
of the central region, being for the most part
a lighter or darker gray, the feldspar being
very light-colored in all of them. They are
adjacent to railway transportation, however,
as the Southern Pacific Railway passes very
near their outcrop in the Quitman mountains
and directly by them in the Franklin mountains,
near El Paso, and will sooner or later
come into market.
Porphyries.-Among the most beautiful
and indestructible of our building stones we
must place the porphyries. Their hardness,
however, and the difficulty of quarrying and
dressing them, often prevent their taking the
place in actual use that their good qualities
would otherwise secure for them; but where
the elements of durability and beauty are
sought their worth must be properly recognized.P'orphlyries of almost every shade and color
abound in trans-Pecos Texas. There are in
the State museum specimens taken from the
outcrops in the Quitman Mountains alone,
which are readily divisible into twenty or
more shades. These vary through light
grays, yellows, reds, purples and greens to
black, and their polished surfaces are especially
rich. The quantity and accessibility
to railroad transportation must prove sufficient
inducement for their development.
Miarbles.-The deposits of the marbles,
like those of the granites, are found both in
the central mineral region and in trans-Pecos
Texas. In addition to these deposits there
occur in numerous places limestones more or
less altered from various causes which are
locally called marbles, and are sometimes
both beautiful and useful when properly
dressed. Among such deposits may be
noticed what is known as the Austin marble,
a stratum of the Oretaceous whicl has been
altered until its fossils have been changed tocalcite. The body of the stone is, when polished,
of a light yellow color, and the tracings
of thle contained shells in pure calcite,
which gives a very pretty effect, although
their fragile character detracts greatly from
the usefulness of the stone. Other deposits
of similar semi-marbles of various colors are
found among the Carbonitferous limestones of
the northern portion of the State. The
marbles and semi-marbles of the central
mineral region are the altered limestones of
the Silurian and older beds, some of which
are of fine texture and capable of receiving
an excellent polish. The marbles of the
Silurian beds found in San Saba, Burnet,
Gillespie and other counties, which are
known as " Burnet marbles," are both of
solid color and variegated. They are found
in beautiful pink, white, buff, blue and gray
shades, and although not true marbles, are
well adapted for many uses.
The marbles belonging to what are called
the Texan beds, a formation older than the
Silurian, are, however, real marbles. They
are found near Packsaddle mountain, Enchanted
Peak, and in the Comanche creek
region of Mason county. They are often
snowy white in color, of even grain, and
among the deposits are found strata of medium
thickness. They are not, however, as
extensive as the deposits of the semi-marbles.
In trans-Pecos Texas marbles belonging,
as is supposed, to the same geologic age,
exist in great abundance, and for beauty in
color can not be surpassed.
From the Carrizos to the Quitman mountains
outcrops occur in the vicinity of the
railroad of marbles which are certain'at no
distant day to become the basis for great
commercial industry. They are found banded
or striped and clouded, as well as pure white.
They are fine-grained, and can be quarried160
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History of Texas, Together with a Biographical History of Milam, Williamson, Bastrop, Travis, Lee and Burleson Counties. (Book)
Book containing a brief overview of the state of Texas and more specific focus on six specific counties, with extensive biographical sketches about persons related to the history of those places. An alphabetical index of persons who are included follows the table of contents at the front of the book.
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Lewis Publishing Company. History of Texas, Together with a Biographical History of Milam, Williamson, Bastrop, Travis, Lee and Burleson Counties., book, 1893; Chicago, Illinois. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth29785/m1/165/?rotate=90: accessed April 26, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Special Collections.