Daily Davenport Democrat. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1864-1874, 1868-11-10
THE IOWA MARBLE QuARRy
NEAR lie GRAND, MAR.
SHALL COUNTY.
A Absorption ofthe Quar-
~ and Uses OF the
Material.

n writer IN Tue
the newIy discovered LsGrand marble
ansrriss nesr Marshalltcwn. IN this State,
and from his deception 4 its resources We
max. tho following copious extracts, which
cannot fail to interest the public
The most important feature Of this quar- |
~ /, that part vi it already we'll known -
the Iowa Maso.e," which 10 entirely die.
tinct from he few corallins masses, emily .
lev inches In diameter, found IN another
kind Of rock. mossly near Iowa City, and
which, have been popularity but very srro-
neo1sly known by the same name.
Two circumstances render this quarry
source OF wealth to the owners and to the
State. The first 10 the facility with which
al The rock IN tho series can be quarried.
No po der is used, no expensive drilling 10
required, no mining prscsss but merely
men power with crowbar levers TO raise the
naturally clsaven blocks, ef,en Of the con
ven'ent size. from eight to ten tons, from
their beds to the platform cars for trans
por,a.ion and saving at the marble mill
standing in front OF the quarry or for con-
veyance 10 distant points on railroads Tor
other purposes.
Some Of the blocks ara occasionally 90
straight and right angied, and 80 uniform
in thickness, that scarcely any dressing is
required 10 tit them for the builders use -
When the masses are too large for hand
ling, as . majority are. they are easily bro
ken vertically by the plug and feather"
process in Q line of holes few inches apart
and four inches deep.
II IL remarkable that layers of this rock,
s6s.> f>>e sk;ni ill e. cers~ sn n-nnshl~
even BY such rude means Of separation,
that the cost Of reducing the surface to .
straight line 10 . mere tri6e. 1t spite
horizontally also still more easily, and the
surface Of many large blocks can Be obtain
I'd with almost the sxactnsss Of board
surface. This remark applies particularly
to those strata regarded especially - the
marble. Still the saving 10 requisite to
| obtain large surfaces for marble uses.
Another element Of value 10 this quarry
is the facility BY which the material can b
conveyed to stoneiess and rockies ois-
tricts OF great number Of countries, by
the railroad, . track half mile long con.
meeting the quarry and its products with
the line Of the Chicago Northwestern Rail>
| road.
The advantage and facility alluded to ex-
coed those Of any quarry in Iowa ~ much
a. tho quality Of the rock. - an average,
exceeds tho product OF other qusTriss.-
Next to this the quarries Of the softer and
less durable Is vel ~ tho less beautiful
rock near Anamosa. come the nearest IN
value to this quarry, but much Of the latter
,ock 10 as superior - the Anamssa - the,
xcsls tho poorest rock ussd under tn.
compulsion Of necessity IN many counties
~hrre no good building rock can be found
Besides the immense value Of the Flows
Marble" quarry for other uses its NEST i'm
portant value is iu relation ~ marble manu-
iacturs. 1t 10 superior any Other Ams, icar
marble eve of those varieties often sold un
der tho name of Italian. The d. It slemen,
pf this advantage 10 it's equal dursb,n',
lie secocd It's comparative chcspness, ant
the thud Tia greater beauty.
lls chsspusss, il delivered within tire,
. lsur hundred r4iles, is partly due to ID,
tacli.y Of quarryiDs and the rapldity o
-swins aud Also 10 the ease of carving and
poli,h,og. IL peculiar beauty consists =
delicate light brown color generally re-
lieved by various lines Of lighter or darke
hue. or lines Of blending shades in s,r.igh
pualell spaces Or nearly 40, aud ~ eltsn !,
'urved lines end shaded spaces Of vari.u
, degrees. If darker lines mark = slab int,
divisions from . mere f. .ction to an inch
Or more, the shades ~ often differ in u,
intcrlinear spaces b snding Or alternati;
. from whiti.h to dark brown. But the mos
remarkable lines are those occasionally reel
crossing the othsrs referred to and inter
sscting them 81 different angles.
These latter lines are straight aud lss
frequent, and many blocks and some lay err
have hone Of them. In the polished wsrl
this kind Of lines give . slab the appear
ancc Of having been broken and joined with
dark cement. The illusion is perfsc "
there is the seeming contradiction that i
as been mis- joined for the ether lines q,
not cross this curious dark line nor vii
there DO seen on any slab. however large
any similar series Of the lines on the oppo
site sido or Of exactly the same shades
though in A. beautiful order ard commenc
ing at the division line. In some combina
tons of these seemingly joined fracture
the effect is very beautiful, and it 10 10
considered blslnish even in the most hig b
I ly finished carved work
As lines separating various shades Of col
ors are more attractive to the eye than an
, one color without relief, especially on
plane surface, and as waving, or irregula
: or parallel curved lines, in the association
Of contrasted color, and more beautiful thar
. If straight, 30 this mabls with all those at
fractions IL endless variety Of shade an,
hue, from lines resembling intsrsectin,
clouds or landscape horizon views. 10 sx
; ceedingly more beautiful than plain whit
!. marble, or . white painted beard which
slab Of that marble resembles.
For the Same reason the Iowa marble i
more beautiful than any foreign or Ameri
can cloudsd marbles, in which oil the color
: are mere bletehes and spots. Though oitsl
having some pleasing outline yet the,
appear like the " mar bling" Of paper sssl
on the inner and outer surface Of some bool
. covers.
The great beauty Of this marble 10, first
its attractive general color. and next tn
additional and undesirable relation Of tn
lines and shades. more exquisite in thei
arrangement than the painter was ever ye
able - devise, making It natural produc
. ton which no art can initiate.
Public taste has for many years approv
ed various styles Of graiping upon weed, Il
the establishment Of public buildings. q,
art which 10 emily . moderate approach 4
wv ttnstntiou W WIN ~oIUtV. NC Ktuu iii
dead white for the outside OF inside o
buildings, 10 dsservedly going cut Of fash
ion, and better tsste is also selecting CON
other material more pleasing to the ey
than plain white marble for tombstspes an,
monumental purposes II 10 not assumes
that white mahls for such uses wss, or s
in very bad taste; but even IN the G. meter,
variety would relieve the sspulchral seems
But valuable and beautiful - this marbl
, Gill be for tombstonss, vaults and menu
. ments, Il has an equal economical value 10
: the purpeses o. furniture in tables, stands
nantes, waincoting, ornaments. and hun
drsd ether purposes Of utility, net vi,hil
the means Of those in moderate eircum
stances who wi h TO adorn their homes, bu
Sll enable the more wealthy to smbsllisl
: their residences cheaper and also more ex
ter sivsly than ever before and thus IN
: cul,iva ion of . mere refined sense Of tn
boautiiul will be the result Of . general II
hibtion and use Of the already popular an,
J soon to be famous " Iowa marble"
. We are informed tina, . stock company i
being Organized at Clintsn, with lare
capital, for the general manufacture Of thi
marble for all the purposes to which it i
adapted.
TIE number of bo,ks ut resent cnnta ain