Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1869-08-19

cut the channels necessary to curry MA
ble-a process then performed wholly
hand labor. A good workman conld, Wit
drill then used, cut from foot to tw
feet per day-that is channel one foe
deep and from one to two feet in length
in the Rutland Marble Quarries, tn
amount varying with the hardness Of Tn
rock. For two years Mr.. Wardwell mad
the subject of quarrying marble his grea
study, and in 1860 OBJ tanned patent on
marble channeling machine. After vari
GUS trials and alterations and having ex
pended considerable in making the ma
chine and trying to work it, he at last be
came convinced that the thing was per
feet failure
But notwithstanding this and the man,
sneers and taunts that were directed to
wards him, by those who were rceady t,
oppose anything new or untried, he still
persevered and insisted that some wa,
could be devised to cut ou' marble better
than by the slow and expensive process o
cutting the channel by land with a singh,
drill.
During the year 1861 lie experimental
with a machine at Sutherland Falls. but
this like its predecessor was not the thing
wanted. 1t was in many respects irnper.
feet But in making these expensive ex.
periments, he was making new discoveries
and eliminating new facts that were OF
service to him in his subsequent labors.
In 1862 and '63 he made new models,
and in the fall of 1863 he placed ma
chine IN the Sutherland Falls quarry
which was pronounced Il success. 1t was
single gang r.lachine-that is. it cut
only one chanr q at time, but it cut that
we'll, and was able to do the work of fif-
teen men 1t still remains in the quarry,
and Is how working as well as when it
was new, To distinguish it from the
other five machines now worked there. il
Is called "Old Posey." From the time
that this machine cut its first channel it
was evident that there was to be a revo-
luton in the marble quarrying business
The owners of marble quarries hailed the
advent OF Wardwelfs machine with de.
light, while some OF those who had
worked with single drill looked upon
the thing with great suspicion. They
feared that it would throw them out of
1t is said that one of them
was seen to shake his fist at it and ex-
claim, you're a mean thing, YOU are. to
chate poor man out of his labor but be
labers, you can't vote"
Now that the experiment of cutting
marble by machinery was proved to be Il
success, the tide of feeling was turned in
favor of Mr.. Wardwoll, and those VIII
had thought him visionary adyonturer
were willing to award him praise for his
persistent efforts in bringing out ma
chine of such value to the marble inter
ests of Vermont.
"A stock company was readily formed
n January, 1865, under the name of the
Steam Stone Cutter Co.," which still ex-
sts, and has spacious mandatory in /
he west part of this village. Immed-
'tely after the organization OF the com
'any they commenced the manufacture of
machines.
improvements were made from time to
line, among which was that of cutting
wo channels at the same time, instead Of
ne.
Ia 1866 the company brought out "a now
y lie OF machine, more compact ana sim
lie IN It's construction than the old ones
terc, and capable Of doing u greater
mount of work This machine. like the
'rincr one was patented in this country,
highland, France, and Belgium
A machine of the old pattern va. taken
} The great Exposition OF 1861" at
aris, and received silver medal-tLo
ighest premium awarded to any machine
| that class, Ii had al-o prcyiously been
warded ii goli medal hy the Ma-,aclu-
IT. Charr.sb.o Mechanics 4 .oiation.
Tn sc machine. -, il u.u IT. Fmncc,
ub,, NV York. Peuuyly,nta, Mary
nd, Ohi", anl Illinois. 10 ..ldifjon T., the
xtecn now in tho marble quarrics Of
.utland
AS these machines arr being worked,
cw improvements are suggested, and al
Rough the machine of 1861 was "A good
le-tCttc- than the old one was-yct the
,mpany are now bringing out another
ylc, an improvement on the preceding
le.
The original plan Of putting the drills
ITO gangs, 10 that six to ten edges are
adc to cut At single blow, has been ,
lopted in all the styles Of machines that
I'VE been made. The alterations have
zen such as made the machine heavier
I'd stronger in some parts and lighter in ,
hers, different arrang mcntA for rails ,
Z and dropping ,ns drills, Of holding
em in place, Of Imparting motion to the {
achine &c.
We consider this the greatest labor ,
wing machine rxtant. The cotton gin. ,
e saving machine and the Reaper and :
over do the work of many hands, but q
me of them save the labor Of as many ,
'nds IS does this stone cutter.
The machines now made will do the }
ork of forty to fifty men G
We give one example not made for a {
ial OF its speed but work that was done c
the Rutland Marble Cos quarry when I
e machine was run night and day '
In twenty six successive working days, a
le OF these machines cut ten channels, l
ty-seven feet long and six feet deep, '
aking 1920 feet, averaging over 131 feet a
each twenty-four hours-equal to the
Dor OF forty-three men. The net earn
gs or savings of these machines are i'm
ense-Allowing one dollar per foot
r the channels, and that is
W price for a six foot channel
: the above figures it will be seen that