Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1860-07-07
How GrIndstonea are made.s.fieteh.

ing Onlecl, Dut II IS nlgniy ueeiul. The back
woodsman Of the early settlements could do
very little without il; yet they were so cost
| ly that whole township frequently had only
one or two. Neither the axe, the scythe the
adze, chisel, or other edge tool Of the pioneer,
could long be used without grindstone.
They were brought to Ohio in pirogues, or
open boats, all the way from Albany, and
/ from Philadelphia, over the mountains, on
wagons they wero so precious This was
| before it was discovered that the true grit ex-
listed in Ohio. In those days, grindstones
were obtained exclusively in Nova Scotia,
whence they were shipped to New York, Bos-
ton and Philadelphia, to supply the whole
| United States.
As early as the war Of 1912, some bold
resident Of Euclid ventured TO try the coarse
grained sandstone that crops out along the
| upland terrace, three or four miles from the
| Lake. Unanswered very well, as an expedi-
ent, but the Yankee mind still longed for
the legitimate article from Nova Scotia, on
which all New England had, from time i'm
memorial shaFpened ITSELF The Euclid
stones, however, gained ground in the face Of
ancient prejudice. Some were sent 10 Buffalo,
and actually sold, to the great establishment
of the dealers in the Nova Scotia grit. They
even urept along the Erie Canal, rubbing and
grinding against the foreign stone, to Albany
ITSELF and there found a market John Bull,
junior, bought them on the shores of Lake
Ontario, in preference to his own homemade
stones.
In process of time, Berea was discovered
The channel Of the east fork of Rocky river
is there worn down twenty to thirty feet, in
to the sandstone, which is the same bed, geo
logically, as that seen at Euclid, Newburg
and Independence, and from which so much
building stone has been taken.
In the Ohio Reports, it is called the "grind-
stone grit, and is also seen at Chagrin Falls
at Boston, on the Cuyahoga River, 0lmstead
Falls, Grafton, Elyria and Amherst. The
stratum is nearly level, and ranges from thir-
ty to ninety feet in thickness. At Chagrin
Falls, Prot. BFainerd and others have found
it in fossil fishes, of the genus PdIeoniSeuS, in
fine preservation. It is a formation more
than a hundred feet below, and entirely dis
tinct from the conglomerate or pebbly sand
rock, that underlies the coal Of Ohio.
Berea has now become the Nova Scotia of
the northern part of the United States. At
first, the water power of the stream was ap-
piled to the purpose of turning grindstones,
but now it is done by steam. There are six
engines, and ten or twelve factories devoted
to this business A village of one thousand
two hundred people, with corporate powers,
is sustained by it. The grit of the Berea
quarries has obtained a preference over those,
in the same formation, at the other places
named. 1t is also used for Tagging and build
ing stone. In Berea, nothing is seen but
stone. Defective and half formed grindstOnes
form the sidewalks. For half mile along
the creek, huge piles Of stone rubbish line the
shore. Immense, unsightly pits are seen,
from which the stones are taken. Every day
many car loads Of flags, unWrought blocks,
and neatly circular grindstones, are put upon
the track of the c. G. & c. Railroad, for
transportation. Every horse in the village is
hitched to peculiar wagon or car, loaded
with "Berea cheese" on its way to the sta
ton. Near each quarry is large shed, a
steam engine, and tall stone chimney, pour
ing forth smoke. As soon as a slab is split
to the proper thickness, and rudely fashioned
into circular form, a square hole is cut
through it near the center, and the piece is put
on a square iron shaft. 1t is then set in motion
rapidly, like turner's lathe. A man stands
on each side Of it, as it revolves, and applies
the end of a crow bar to its Sides A grind
ing grating sound is heard, a cloud of dust
rises, enYeloping the men, and sparks of fire
fly and fash, like an electric battery. In
about a minute, the wheel is checked, the dust
disappears and grindstone is taken off the
shaft. 1t is rolled aside, and another slab is
placed on the shaft, to undergo the same ops
Grafton. The best and most uniform layer |
are used for grind stones the others for building
and for flags. On both faces of the flags are |
numberless ripple marks, such as are formed |
upon sandy bottom, near the shores of |
lakes, or of the ocean.
Many of the sidewalks of the village are |
formed Of these water marked flags, replaced |
side by side, as they are broken out of the |
quarry. All the crooked fractures, at the |
edges, are thus made to fit each other exact |
ly, for fifteen or twenty rods together, with |
out any trimming. The stone for the piers |
of the harbor at Cleveland, for the Jail, the |
court house, and the custom house, are from |
the quarries above named.-Oho Farmer.