Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1869-09-23


we visited the West Rutland Marb
Quarries-not those that have been ope
81, ed so long and become so celebrated ar
furnished monuments for nearly ever
:: cemetery in the United States-but SON
- new ones that have recently been opene,
half mile southwest of the old one
;. They are called fhe "Green Mountain
=. and "American'1 Marble Quarries. It
now over two Years since the work q
= opening first commenced, but during
- PARTON Of Tho winter the work ON boil
N was suspended.
:. Near both of these quarries the owner
y have recently erected mills and furnished
them with four gangs Of saws of the mos,
> approved pattern, which are driven BY
steam engines. A railroad is so,n to run
fioiI The Rensselaer and Saratoga rail.
roai 10 both of th..ac rnii,s
AMERICAN MARBLE QUARRY.
The American is the most Southern quar-
ry. The opening made is about 100 feet in
( length. measuring with the strata. and
!. about 40 feet wide measuring across the
4 beds. This does not include the whole
breadth of the beds, for some of those that
drp III f.oHa the west have not yet been
reached The dip" like that at all the
W. Rntiand marble beds, is to the east
Ihe strata are curved so that the dip
: varie' from go to nearly perpendicular.
me quarry has heen worked to the
depth OF about 90 feet, more than nals o,
Una rs, 'nce bein. reached before sound
! marble was found.
II al Instances, In opening quarries,
where marble comes to the surface, and il
OF the fine white variety, it Is unsound.
me distance varying from ten to forty
feet, the poorer varieties being nsuallv
found sound before the white marbI. that
lies IN the adj 'cent beds. Directly south
OF the present opening of the Ameicap
quarry, the marble beds are covered with
earth, and sound marble will doubtless be
reAchcl there, at .nuoh less expense ian
1t WAS II. the opening made We have
l6n2. been satisfied that it was not wise to
o,'efr marble quarry in Il high outcrap-
lug marble ledge
1t has been the custom of marble opera
tors II open quarries at points where there
W., >urfice exposure-usually where
there WIS Il break, or bend in the strata,
that brought them to the surface but We
are ,,tisfied that better beds will be found
hene 18th the surface of the ground, and
probably beneath cultivated fields, than
any that are yet opened. :
Now that the American quarry has been
penetrated to place where sound marble
is produced, we can see no reason why it l
will not prove profitable quarry.
GREEN MOUNTAIN QUARRY.
The property of the Green Mountain a
Company joins that of the American upon t
the North, although the quarries are a
about fifty rods apart. f,
in this quarry sound blocks were found u
much nearer the surface than they were II
u the American quarry. The beds are "
the same and the quality of the marble is p
l"t essentially different. We can account ju
or the early occurrence of the sound o.
'iock@ in no other way than upon the Ju
that the strain upon the beds Ia
rom atmospheric influences was relieved u
y the large joints or headers that run 9
cross the quarry and reduced eo
ne strain that otherwise would de
ave been excrted upon them
Where these natural joints are abundant ;,
a "A quarry, it detracts much from its ~
aiu", and III many instances is the ruin
the quarry, and has in some instances
roved ruinous to those who invested mo-
ey and strove to blast out the rock down
} point where the marble was sound. at
WEST RUTLAND QUARRY. Sc
In the Green Mountain Quarry the pr
ints are not numerous, but running as ADJ
ey do 1T great depths, it is likely that ba'
icy will furnish passages for water dur rul
x wet seasons that will annoy the quar- wa
men, unless measures are taken to Ger
mp it out We are of opinion that the sew
larry is being worked so that it will pay we
ose who are SO fortunate as to have an mir
terest therein. Still farther north on
e sane beds, some parties in this town shi
We recently purchased a quarry known tho
the Blanchard Quarry, which several POT
ars ago was partially opened, but for /
me reason was abandoned We have ern
t given this properly special examina- Mo
n, but knowing the general character of
, beds to be like those already described 4
the qnsrries south of it, we have little iba
ubt but what the quarry, properly man her
ed, will become a proftably one. A inst
ge portion of the marble in this line of She
as is white and of good quality. balt
The difference in price between white =
rble and the dark clouded varieties,
d the readiness with which the former
! be sold, are strong reasons for work. , :,
quarries where white marble predo-
mates. The cost of cutting channels
quarrying white blocks is not greater :,
Il that attending the work where the ,n'n
rble is colored, and sells as second uo"
third quality of marble; therefore, l.""
ere there is q reasonable hope of get oon
: sound white blocks, the inducement ~ =
much greater than were no white beds .eA
= W. u,ao.st.,d .h.t .o-k :. ooon dleb
,e commenced on thisproperty and the pia,
npany is to be styled the West Rut- WIZ
Marble Company. 'neN