The Rutland County herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1852-1855, 1854-08-25

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The party. Of which Nc were fortu'
nalc enough 10 be- enc. reached Rulland
about o'clock r. NJ, Hnd found them
selves comfortably cared for At the
Bardweli House. rapacious, comferta-
bic and capi,ally kept Hotel a., Foster
Cooke. prcpJietorl Aner an excellent
I supper, rendered the more inyiring bya
bright eyed and decidedly pretty girl 4
Who fortunately attended 10 Us, the pro- (
gramme fOr the morning was announced
TO be visi, 10 the slate and marble
quaries. on the line Of the Road below
Ru,and. Accordingly, after n delight
| ful night. rest. We rose in the morning
! and took a peep at the sun rising over
{ the Vermont mountains, took snuti nj
the keen, fresh and in,igoraiing Yer
mont air, and after breakfast, started
for the qusrries. The first visited we're
the slate. The slate range commences
q, Salem, running north a distance OF
fifty miles the quarries thus far open
ed. are all AT The base OF the hill, and
all OF them from one to ihree-quarters
OF mile from the line Of the road
The sla'e is apparently inexhausIible.
and its quality and texture nre asserted
to be fully equal 20 the best Welsh, by
those whose judgment and experience
place their opinion beyond dispute
The quar-rics examined ON this occasion
were those al Middle Granville, 25 miles
this side Of Rutland, which have all
been opened within year, and which
have invited TO their further develop
ment and profitable working the resour-
ces of men OF capital and energy from
abroad. Among them are the qnarries
of the Diamond-slate Company, of which
John l.. Aspinwall, Of New York, Is
President, OF Messrs. Ball & Co, and Of
Jones & Co. A short distance from
these is the quarry Of the Red-slaie
Company, owned by Messrs. w. III.
Wing and Isaac +. Smith, and from
which is taken red and purple slate,
which is fast acquiring repute and favor.
Eacl, quarry yields the three kinds of
blue, purple and green. They lie at
the base of the hill. which ranges for
miles north few feet of earth struck
from the top or side and you find the
slate. In the four quarries we refer to,
some l50 men are engaged, and seven
ty-fiye tons of manufactured slate are
turned out, per day. These qnarries are
not yet worked 10 the best advantage,
the proprietors being engaged more IN
developing and opening them, than in
y manufacturing. At the quarries we
met a gentleman from Wales, who has
long been engaged in this branch bus
II mess and manufacture, and who more
than confirmed the opinion given OF The
excellence of The material The quar-
rying. a, general thing, is of the easi-
" est kind, the slate lying in strata, vary
!. ing from six to tweniy-four inches in
width, and which by light blast, or use
r Of the pry, can be readily removed
The splitting and cutting Of The slate in
nd to shape for use, is an expeditions and
interesting process, all the machiney re
qnred being hammer and chisel. The
blocks are carried to the splitting house
= in pieces of length and breadth as neal
as may be Of The size OF slate required
~ and one TO two inches in thickness her,
eari, piece is split with a chisel an'
hammer from the middle, dividing Mt ;
" blow, evenly and beautifully the piece
l. thrown of are in turn again similarly
n divided. and so on. until all the leave
On are cut. that the original block will al
on low Of. Another man takes them as fas
"a. as they are thus prepared, who chop
al them with long steel blade into uni
- formiiy and shape for use, North o
rn the above quarries, and In sight. are Tia
'w works of the Franklin Company nm
IRE the Eagle Slate Company, which turn
'il' out so tons Of prepared slate per da,
a and at Hydeville, is The quarry c
he Mcssrs. Hyde 4 Siurievant, which ha
We been longer worked than the rest, an
ia, is manufacturing 100 tons per day.
,ut Besides the ordinary nse TO whic
the slate is put. it is being prepared 70
'ut other building purposes, chimney top
he facings. &c. and Mr.. Wing. Of the Re
Ill Slate Company has manufactured an
'ad is introducing n very beautiful article {
va floor tile, for which the colors blu
I; IL green and red are finely adapted
va Many Of the firms above have estnl
hes lished. or are about establishing yar'
- in Boston, New York, Philadelphia AZ
gle other pla ,es, for the sale Of slate. Il
are demand for which exceeds the suppl
sa- and is chiefly from Boston, whence
let, find. a rapid market in New q
'esl leans and other Southern sections
fer In New York and Philadelphia II b
into also been successfully introduced.
ert' The scale Of prices Of eourse vary
Iers cording 10 the size Of slaie, but f'r 9
and purposes Of roofing il i' less eIpensi
ring than tin, and varies comparatively !
md. linle from best pine shingles unaii-
ONE ed by ibe wesiher. capable Of lasi'
Of Tor all time, almost. and u an attract
H. appearance. xe sec no reason xhy
any ~ill no. be generally introduced.
g,on No one ran visit the quarries, and
ing informed in regard 10 the quality q
and quantity Of the slate. without feel