New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1858-01-08
N5NuFACTURE OF AMERICAN SCHOOL
STATES.

the ntgnbc6pce Oh the euiect Out 10 te TACT mat
the business carried only where the slate qusrries
exist among the mountains OF Eastern Pennsylvania
and We..ern NewJersey, in 9 wild, uneouth region,
racce sbe until recently by railroads or even stages
Beng thus away from al the ordinary lines 81 travel,
the business world has never come in direct contact
with il. Even the army OF Summer tourists seldom
penetrates into the quiet region OF the slate formation
nor has any minute description been given in the geo.
logical surveys OF either Of the two States IN which
clu,iyey is 10 be found To this circumstance may
be attributed the little public notice of this interesting
branch of domestic manufactures and not to the nsg
nfcance of its products. But recent adaptation Of
slate TO purposes of domestic ornament tables man
pieces, &C., has attracted the attention Of new
class Of consumers and given value to slate quares
which they did not formerly possess
Thirty years ago the schools throughout this country
were supplied with states of English and German
ufacture The latter being an inferior article, incapa
bic from IFS texture of receiving smooth surface and
secured in frame OF soft wood but slightly held to-
gefher has always sold at n much ess price than the
English article 1t does now and j. gradually ceas-
ing to be imported being superseded by the superior
American slate. In few years it will be unknown
among us. About the year 1896 quarry was opened by
Mr. James VI Porter on the top of the Blue Mountain in
the Delaware Water-Gap. He was assisted in this
enterprise by Mr. Samuel Taylor, and here was estab
lshed the first mandatory of School States in this
country. village grew up at the foot OF the noun
tain. for many years known Sateiord Post.Ofhce
whose occupants derived maintenance from the quar-
~ and factory. Most of the laborers were Welshmen
imported from the quG1ics in Wales, where the ous-
ncs of mining slate ia one OF great extent, employing
a.. a. nd bands in simple
and Welding an enormous income to the titled owners
The top soil having been removed, the slate lying in
horizontal position was exposed to view The deposits
being layers OF three TO four inches IN Thickness are
removed one at a time by means OF blasting and the
croybar. The top LAYERS are an impenectly formed
slate. but after descending very short distance the
pure blue material il reached. Some OF these layers
consist of sate containing great quantities of nodules
of flint and these used for roofing; other layers IN
the same quarry are entirely free from these noduIes,
and split up lanina OF surprising thnnessi they
arc also much softer and are without doubt the best
material in the world for schools. Unlike the Welsh
the American slate finishes mp with rich blue-black
tint, on which the pencil leaves brilliant mark The
Welsh slate is red and at TIE same time unpeasan'ly
hard for writing on. The material discovered by FOR
ter g. Taylor afforded both roofing and cpherng slate,
quantity The quality of both excellent aud i'm
ense quantities of the roofing slate taken out OF
this quarry aud shipped on RATS to Philadelphia and
all the Intermediate towns view of the enormous
excavation which this quary now presents will aston
sh the behoder It, roofing slate possesses the quality
of retaining rs oecp Due cUu uiter long exposure 10
the elements quality in which much Of the Pennsyl-
vcnia slate is deficient
As the deposit of slate at this spot evidently In
exhaustible Messrs. Porter L. Taylor erected small
factory for the manufacture of school States 1t was
built in the toughest and paines manner, and was
driven by a small stream which tumbed down the
mountain near by The Late blocks three inches thick,
were split in two halves each half then spit into
two other halves: those last halves again split
into parts Of equal thickness and thus the operation OF
splitting was successively repeated until the whole
block was converted into shingles an eighth oil an men
thick. The perfectly lamnaed structure oil the block
is beautifully shown in its remarkable readiness ospl
whenever the chisel OF the operator IS placed on ITS
edge a thin chisel, two inches broad, with lew
gentle taps enters without causing any eyioaticn or
scaling at the sides of the split and by little gentle
handling the two pieces faa away from each otherwth
80 smooth and level surface each as 10 excite sur
prise and admiration in all who witness the operation
A good hand will split thousand or more states per
day. But the splitting must be done while the oock IS
yet damp from the quarry as If allowed to airy, De-
comes too brittle. These shingles are then taken 10
factory where man. who provided with patterns OF
the six sizes of school states usually made, marks out
the sizes with sharp steel point being careful mark
on, TO the best advantage as shoemaker would cut
I'D his leather They then handed to another oper
alive who has n coarse circular saw made OF soft
steel running in bench and he saws them up accord
ing TO the marks The saw for this operation Is re-
ouired to be made Of soft steel otherwise the hardness
OF the slate would cause the teeth 10 fly OF, and GOOD
deal of power il required. Twenty-Five cents per hun
bred is paid for saving. There j. much waste OF mate
rial occasioned in saving and the sawyer works IN an
atmosphere of dust which is injurious to his lungs
as il s destructive TO his clothing. The relative colt
nes of the slate from different quaries accurately as
ce,tained in saving. Slate from some OF them a. Inc
saw passes through will evolve -!resm OF fire, whe
| with others not even spark will be drawn.
The slate, being thus brought to il proper size -
carried 10 the shaver whose business IS to remove
whatever inequalities may be found on it. surface
isper OF It's edges, when the slate happens to be
thicker than nece -ary, that may fit snugy IN 'he
frame. and 10 give to the whole the highly finished sur
face which we see on it in the sta,ioners hands The
shaver, seated on wooden horse, places the slate De-
fo, hin on rough shelf somewhat inclined toward
his body and provided with ledge to prevent from
slipping OF, commences the operation Of shaving
means Of drawing knife, very much as shingles are
shaved only that the slate shaver draws his knife down
hl while the other draws his up. He, too Ike inc
sawyer, breathes an atmosphere even more heavily
loaded with dust so fine that the lungs become most
njuriousy charged with it. Many instances occur ot
these men being compelled 10 abandon the employ
ment for season until their health has become re-