Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1864-04-07
mARnLEs OF RUTLAND COUNTY

article. prepared by s. NJ. Dorr, Esq, or
this town, on the Marbles of Rutland
County" We are not aware that it has
been published in any other form, but
whether so or not, majority OF our
readers, we presume, have not seen 1t.
They win find 1t a concise and very in
teresting and valuable account of the
marbles and marble-works of this coun-
~, as they were at a recent date, and
as-with the exception Of some few
changes in ownership of quarTies and
perhaps extension Of some of the works
F-they still are,
70 The village OF West Rutland, meas
which the largest and most valuaS..e
Quarries of marble In Rutland county
ere located, is small hamlet in the
west parish of Rutland, eighty one miles
north of Troy, New York. 1t Is the GEN.
tire Of a fine farming community dis
tinguished by its thrift and wealth. 1t
Il approached from Troy, New York, by
the Rutland and Washington railroad,
through Salem, New York, and Castle
ton by the Troy and Boston, and the
Western Vermont railroad, through Ben
rington, Manchester and Rutland; by
the Rensselaer, and Saratoga railroad,
through Saratoga Springs and White
hall, New York and by the Rutland and
Burlington railroad from Montreal and
Burlington on the north, and from Bos-
ton and Bellows Falls on the east.
This article will be confined to the
marbles Of Rutland county. There are
other quarries of marble in Vermont, par
dcularly in the counties of Bennington
and Addison. At Middlebury, in the
last named county, the first American
marble offered in the market was quar-
ried.- In that town the main principle
now in use in saving marble was inven-
ted and applied.*
It Is well, known that all the peculiar
formation of limestone known as " mar
b." which is produced in the United
States, exists in the mountain range
which can be traced from the vicinity of
the city Of New York north, through the
eastern States to the line of the British
provinces. To those who have examin-
ed the formation at different localities
In the range, tits further known that
as we go north the grain and texture of
the marble increase In fineness and beau
ty. 1t is also an established fact that
the finer the formation the greater is the
liability to aasoissaness. The marbles of
Rutland county appear to hays been de-
veloped in that limit of northern latitude
which has produced the finest marble
with the greatest degree of perfection
and soundness. Hence as we go further
north from this point, we find the fine
xess Of formation to increase; but, at the
same time, the quarries which have been
opened show the marble to be SO checked
and "cut," as it is called in the trade
that the working of it has proved I'M
profitable.
At the distance of half mile from the
depOt in West Rntland, GA ti,o nofIn size
Of the railroad, is range of hills, which,
N the vicinity of the quarries, rises
about, to the height of two hundred feet
above the bottom-land below. Back of
this, and extending east towards the
base Of the Green Mountain range, Is a
succession of other and higher ridges.
On the western slope of the ridge first
referred to and near its base crops out
the Rutland Marble"
The first opening that we reach is the
quarry of Messrs. Sheldons g. Slason.
The strike of the bed is N. 100 E., and
the average dip 45o E. Marble has been
taken from this quarry to the depth of
$50 feet. On their premises, and near
the ledge or quarry they have large
steam mill for saving the blocks of mar
BILE into suitable sizes and shapes for
market. Their mill has twenty gangs"
Of saws. Their blocks are hoisted from
the ledge by the same power that moves
the machinery of the mill In quarry
ing, saving, and sending the marble for
ward to market, they usually employ
two hundred men. 1868
North of Messrs. Sheldons & Slason,
ana about forty rods distant, is the quar-
ny of Messrs. Allen g. Adams. The strike
Of the beds is nearly north and south,
and the dip 55o e. Their blocks of mar
BILE are placed on the cars of the Rutland
and Washington railroad, Ca side track
from said road running the whole length
Of all the West Rutland quarries,)
whence 1t Is transported to their mills at
Fairhaven, and there sawed into such
shape and sizes as their trade demands.
Their mill has twelve "gangs" of
saws, and they employ, in quarrying and
saving, one hundred men. "a
Connected with the opening of Allen
T. Adams, on the north, is the quarry
lately known as that of the "Rutland
Marble Company" This property is
now owned and worked by II. H. Bax-
ter, esq. The beds are the same as in
the opening Of Allen g. Adams. The
dip of the layers at the north end of the
opening is $40 E., and at the south end,
or at the junction with Allen & Adams,
She dip is 44e e. Mr. Baxter EMPLOYS {
two hundred men. Quite number of
blocks from this quarry are sold to the
marble trade of Boston, New York. and
other cities of the United States and of
the Canadas; but by far the larger por-
tion Is transported by the cars to the
marble mills of William Y. Ripley, ESQ.,, /
md of Messrs. Clement g. Son, at Centre
Rutland. Both these mills are on Otter
creek, the former having fourteen and
the latter twelve gangs" of saws.
Ar. Ripley is pioneer in the marble bu-
Diness in this county, having originally
owned one-half of the Baxter quarry in
with William F. Barnes. esq.
and having erected tho firot mill ~ o,,x,