Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1865-09-07
pTTLAND HERALD
FRIDAY. SEPTEMBER l, 1865.
yu,,,ud pIarbie---No. } %

distant. -,-.,u,, .o,tb IL
80 tbe sbeldons and Slason, VINO
,aro married to the depth OF loo ieet'
Tbe dip of the strata is about 10 de-
degrees east, the marble Is mostly whlte'
INIT varies in color, steam engine
of sixty horse power drives the ml'l
with 90 gangs OF saws for saving the
marble into slabs and blocks works
the derrick that raises the huge blocks
from the quarry, and also pumps the
water from the same. Formerly the
derrlcks were worked by horse power
It Is only within two or three years that
steam has been used for the purpose. A
man is stationed at the machinery, and
with a lever throws it into gear or out
Of gear, by the ringing of a bell, pretty
much as the pilot or master OF steam
er gives directions to the engineer be-
low. The principle rope or cable OF the
derrick is made OF wire, and Is at least
an inch and a half in diameter.
block weighing ten tons, is slowly tax
en- up and swung out with the greatest
apparent ease About 200 men are EN-
ployed by this firm, and one of Ward
wells machines is also used. During
the year 1864, the sale, amounted TO
about s2l4,0O0. The average quantity
of marble quarried by this company is
about 100000 feet.
The aext quarry in order proceeding
north, is that of Messrs. Adams and AL
len of Fairhaven. They employ about
100 men, partly at the quarry, and part
ly at their mill at Fairhaven, to which
the blocks are taken by rail. The mill
contains II gangs of saws, and cuts
from 10000 to 100000 feet of marble
annually.
The next quarry is that of the Rutland
Marble Company, and consists in fact
Of two quarries, the northern part be-
ing sometimes called the Barnes quarry
and the southern, the Baxter quarry
from the fact that these gentlemen were
formerly the respective owners. This
company have no mills of their own,
but supply Messrs. Ripley & Son, and
Clement & Son, at Center Rutland, also
the Baxter Manufacturing Company at
Salem, N. Y. with marble. They hoist
blocks and pump water from the quarry
by steam. They employ so or 20 men
with churn drills, and are also at pres
ent endeavoring to run three of Ward
10
which cut about $50 feet every "a hours.
! The blocks for the statue of Ethan AL
len, now in the State House, were OBJ
tanned from this quarry. They weighed
upwards of fourteen tons.
The next quarry is that of Sherman,
Adams and Langdon, who have mills at
Hydeyille and Castleton, and employ
about IS hands.
Directly behind this quarry, on the
north, a bed of limestone intervening,
Is the old quarry, a part of which fell
in several years ago, and buried small
engine and a considerable quantity of
tools. Luckily this happened in the
night, and nobody was hurt. The rub
bish was never cleared out, and the
whole quarry was subsequently aband-
oned The water in the pit is at least
100 feet deep at the present time.
The next quarry belongs to Sheldons
and SlaSon the statistics of which have
already been given.
The last Of the West Rutland quar-
y,iac no oh Cd brr
the Vermont Marble Company, but is now
! owned and worked by Messrs. Willard
and Parker of Oastleton. They employ
about so men, and a steam cutter They
have mill with gangs of saws, cape
bic OF saving 100000 feet of marble.
The engine is one Of Corlis' best of sixty
y horse power, and besides driving the
saws, raises the blocks and pumps the
water from the quarry. Thus far the
company have worked in only one open
! ing, but expect soon to take out blocks
from new opening which looks very
4 promising. The marble of this quarry
is very fine aud beautiful. One species
called Brocatella, and strongly resem-
~ bling the italian, is beautifully colored,
Z and another which is finely graduated
presents the shade known as the g." Dove
Blue" There are some circumstances
connected with this quarry that are of
considerable interest to the geologist, as
1 well as to the practical quarryman. Be,
tween the first quarry of Sheldons & Sla-
4 son, and that of sherman, Adams &
Langdon, the dip varies from IS to Is
degrees east, and the strike is generally
a little east Of north. A thick superin-
Cumbent bed Of lime stone has to be re-
moved before quarrying commences, and
in following the layers of marble as they
run obliquely under the limestone, the
workmen in process of time find them
selves underneath an overhanging vault
which, to say the least, looks rather
threatening. Between Sherman & Co. Is
IS and sheldons & Slason's second quarry
fNa