The Illinois Stone Industry in 1908
Excerpts from
Mineral Resources of the United States, Calendar Year
1908
Part II - Nonmetallic Products
Interior, United States Geological Survey
Government Printing Office, Washington, D. C., 1909.
Excerpts from the book are from the chapters on: 1) Stone, by A. T. Coons; and 2) part of chapter on Abrasive Materials, by W. C. Phalen:
Building Stone Distribution:
Distribution of the various kinds of building stone and the localities where the different varieties of stone are now being quarried or may be quarried in the future for Illinois are: Limestone and dolomite, sandstone.
From (the table in the book that shows the rank of States and Territories in 1907 and 1908, according to value of production, and the percentage of the total produced by each State or Territory) it will be seen that the four ranking States in the production of stone are Vermont, Pennsylvania, New York, and Ohio. Prior to 1908 Pennsylvania has ranked first, followed by Vermont, New York, and Ohio.Of the other leading States Illinois went from fifth place in 1907 to seventh place in 1908, Indiana from sixth to fifth, Massachusetts from seventh to eighth, and California from eighth to sixth.
Sandstone - Ganister:
Ganister reported from Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Colorado, Maryland, Ohio, and Illinois was valued at $175,325 in 1908 as against $308,520 in 1907, a decrease in 1908 of $133,195.
Limestone:
The chief States producing limestone in 1908 were, in order of rank of value, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Ohio, Illinois, New York, and Missouri, each reporting over $2,000,000. In 1907 the rank of production for these States was Pennsylvania, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, New York, and Missouri; Indiana and Ohio passed Illinois in 1908 and took second and third places, respectively, while Illinois fell to fourth place.
Paving:
Limestone for paving decreased in value $268,663, from $545,300 in 1907 to 476,637 in 1908. Pennsylvania and Illinois usually produce most of the limestone used for paving, but in 1908 there was comparatively little produced in Illinois, and Pennsylvania decreased in value of output.
Rubble:
Rubble increased in value $335,315, from $1,067,445 in 1907 to $1,402,760 in 1908. Ohio, Illinois, Missouri, and Minnesota reported the largest productions.
Ohio ranked first in 1908 in the production of crushed limestone, followed by Illinois, New York, Pennsylvania, Missouri, Indiana, Wisconsin, Kentucky, and Tennessee, in the order named. In 1907 Illinois held first place, followed by Ohio, New York, Pennsylvania, Missouri, Indiana, Kentucky, Wisconsin, and Kansas, in the order named. In 1908 the values reported by these 9 States ranged from $2,032,925 to $328,685, and represented 82.60 per cent of the total crushed limestone output; in 1907 the values for the 9 states ranged from $2,576,155 to $489,709, and represented 83.46 per cent of the total crushed limestone. Ohio, New York, Illinois, Missouri, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Wisconsin, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Michigan, named according to value of output, produced the greater part of the stone for road making, a considerable increase being noted in Tennessee, due to a large quantity of stone crushed locally for new roads. Most of the railroad ballast was furnished by Illinois, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Kansas, and New York, named according to rank of output. Concrete stone was principally from Illinois, although large values were reported by New York, Pennsylvania, Missouri, Ohio, and Wisconsin.
Furnace flux:
Next to crushed stone, limestone sold for furnace flux shows the largest value. This product, on account of the shutting down of a large number of iron furnaces late in 1907, showed a large decrease in both quantity and value of output.The average price per ton was 53 cents in 1908 and 1907, and 47 cents in 1906. Pennsylvania, Ohio, Illinois, Alabama, West Virginia, and Colorado were the principal states producing this class of stone. All the States show a decreased output, except California and Illinois.
Abrasives found in Illinois: Tripoli.
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