The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1869-11-02

From present appearances it is probable
that Vermont will at no distant day Sup
ply sculptors with large proportion of
the marble used for statuary purposes.
The supply of pure statuary in Italy is
short, especially for large blocks, and the
price is enormously high.
ADDISON COUNTY QUARRY.
Marble is now being obtained from the
Addison County Quarry in Middlebury,
which is pronounced by the best artists in
this country to be superior to the Italian,
for the reason that it is of purer white,
more compact and uniform in structure,
and can be cut to a sharper edge.
One Of the incest works of art now OIL
exhibition in the Mechanics Fair in Bos-
ton is a statuette, "The Angels We'll
come" by b. H. Kinney artist, Of Wor-
cester, Mass, from block of marble from
the Addison County quarry.
1t represents a beautiful child standing
by the side Of an angel, whose ri ght hand
grasps the left hand of the child and
whose arm encompassed it with all the
apparent fondness of mother
The marble is of spotless white, and so
compact that the artist made the wings
only about three-fourths of an inch in
thickness, and left them unsupported from
end to end. 1t is so translucent that ones
fingers may be seen through the wings as
plainly as through a porcelain teacup,
and when the wings are struck with a
hard instrument they ring like potmetal.
In letter to the proprietors Of the
quarry, Mr.. Kinney says: ain fneness of
texture, strength of grain, and purity
from foreign substances it has no equal
for statuary purposes"
The celebrated sculptor Greenough
was so much pleased with the marble
that he was using for statuary purposes
from this quarry, that he recently took a
trip to Middlebury, on purpose to get a
look at the quarry from which it was OBJ
tanned. He was greatly delighted to find
that large blocks of it could be obtained,
and expressed the opinion that orders
would be received from Italy for statuary
blocks as soon as it becomes known that
they can be furnished of such large size
and fine quality. A finely executed bust
of the late Rev. John Pierpont, made
from this marble, is also to be on exhibi-
tion at the Mechanics Fair in Boston
We take pleasure in giving publicity tC
this excellent marble, which we do unso
licited and without the knowledge of the
owners of the quarry. We have long
been of the opinion that the marble il
the Middlebury belt, would, when proper
ly developed, be equal to the very bes
statuary any where to be found. Tht
question of soundncss has been the only
one upon which We ever had any doubt
and now that the Addison County quarry
has produced sound blocks of large size
in the most unfavorable spot upon tn,
property, our doubts are banished, anC
we only hope the company will make ;
new opening on their land, at Il poin
farther south, where sound blocks will b.
the rule. and unsound ones the exception
CHESHIRE COUNTY COMPANY.
About year ago some parties resid
ing in and near Kecne, n. H., bough
and commenced work upon quarry il
Middlebury, about a mile north Of tn
Addison County Quarry. We are unabl
to say whether the two quarries are o.
the same line of beds, but from the fac
that the marble is similar in structure ,ant
the beds in many respects alike, we infe
that they are, Notwithstanding no marbl
of so pure white is found in the .Chcshir
quarry. 1t would not be strange if tn
elements entering into and forming thes
b extensive deposits should vary at point
mile apart.
The proprietors of the Cheshire QUAR-
are fortunate in having opened thei
quarry by removing the earth that la
E over it instead of seeking high outcro
of rock and blasting it off The outcro
u of marble at this place was very small
and Immediately north of it was hig
bank of earth that covered the beds seve
al feet deep. On removing this, whic
was composed mostly Of clay and char
pan," the sound marble beds were foun
perfectly smoothed of by drift" agenc
and the marble was apparently soun
enough to be sawed into slabs, where IL
clay had been deep enough to protect
) from the injurious effects produced /
y" atmospheric agencies.
Although the marble is not of pul
white, yet it is valuable for many purpo
cs, especially for monumental use.
In visiting cemeteries we find no mon
mcnts that withstand the effects of tin
NJ and weather better than the Middlebul
marble that was got out by Mr. Judd al
ne others over fifty years ago, and rescmbl
in all respects that now being obtain'
from the Cheshire quarry.
The Cheshire Company have a GOO
H. marble mill on water power, within
few rods of their quarry. With prop
management we cannot see why this col
pany may not be emincntly successful
, the marble business.
NORTH MIDDLEBuRY QUARRY,
Nearly mile north of the last quar-
is one called the North Mddlebury Qu'
ry. The general character of the mari
is much like that of the Cheshire quar-
fine grained, compact, rings when stru
with hammer and most of it cloudcd
mottled with blue or dove color.
The proprietors, in our judgment, We
unwise in opening this quarry at I
nj, point where they did, for thousands
dollars were expended in blasting off I
waste rock before sound blocks were
tanned and now that the quarry is op'
cd, there Is much more waste rock fr