Middletown transcript., 1869-07-17
Correspondence Of The lEdd2etown Transcript.
they Hrc Made--A Great
and Growing Trade.
BEREA, Ono, July 9, 1869.

BEREA, Ono, July 9, 1869.
Mn. VANDERFoRD, DEAR SIR AS my
business has called me to this Getty of
Grindstones and huge Stone Quarries,
for few days, and having a portion of
each day to while away, the desire to
spend such pleasantly led me to attempt
to interest the readers of your valuable
sheet by describing the nodus operandi of
making grindstones, aud whence they most
ly come; yet the idea of one supposing
that anything interesting could be said Of
grindstones almost deters one from at
tempting such a subject, more especially
since my knowledge of the " beauties of
description" is so contracted My infor-
nation concerning the early history of
these mines was obtained through the
kindness of Mr.. Curtiss, the gentlemanly
reporter of the Cincinnati Gazette.
Berea has long been known as the loca-
ton of the German Wallace College and
the Baldwin University, either of which is
sufficient to give the town position of
importance in Northern Ohio, but its
grindstones make it known in business cir
cles as the emporium of sharpening mater
ial
The quality of the stones was first dis
covered in 1880, by John Baldwin, man
OF many cccentricities but of some excel
lent qualities. For the first two years he
employed two men to cut stone in his Gel
lar, and the stone were sent to Canada to
find a market. Mr.. Baldwin invented the
present method of turning stone. Their
first efforts produced very Indifferent stones,
but success finally crowned their efforts
and the business has increased until it now
employs thousand men and over mil
lion dollars capital. During the time
from six in the morning until six in the
evening the quarries present busy scene
and resound with the music of picks, ham,
mcrs, sledges, and drills, with derricks,
tramways and blacksmithshops almost in
Vulnerable. The amount of building stone.
tagging, shauls, and grindstones, carried
from these quarries is immense, averaging
5O car loads per day. From the different
manufacturers l have learned the amount
of grindstones turned out last year; it is
almost fabulous-ten thousand tons The
stones vary in size from four pounds to five
thousand pounds. The process of manu-
featuring is not very difficult, yet it re
CURES skill to make perfect grindstone
In the quarry, the stone is broken accord
ing to the size of the stone required; the
block is then turned on its edge and with
wedges is split with the grain Of the stone,
as easily and as smoothly as one can split
stick of pine; the corners of the stone
are then rounded off and the stone is ready
for the eye. Now comes the fulfllment Of
the old proyerb, "sharp enough to see
through a grindstone when there is an eye
in it," The turner now fastens it with
rings and keys to the mandril and sets it
to revolving. The process of turning is
rough and hard but requires considerable
skill to give symmetrical form to the
stone. The fine grit flying from the stone
an impalpable dust-is productive of the
grit consumption. Formerly the average
life of turner was five years: lately
fan has been invented, enclosed in a drum,
by which the dust is carried away and pure
air supplied, and turning is not now con-
sidered so unhealthy The upturned and
disturbed condition of Berea presents any
thing but an attractive appearance. One
cannot build house with any surety of
remaining in it, for where elegant man
sions stood year ago large quarries are
now opened. Even the graves of the
dead are not left undisturbed: already
have the dead in one cemetery been re-
moved and now they are agitating the
question of moving them again, for here
in this great West everything must give
way to the decision Of business and enter
prise. FIJI. W. Lynch.