Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1870-07-14
A Great and Valuable Invention


Gas hard as stont," has become a well known
and meaning term but the hardest stone can be
cut, drilled and moilded into any desired form.
Well tempered sted will do it, if the requisite
force is applied. Bat the edge of the tool must
be often renewed, and the heavy blow must be
struck upon it. This must be done by human
muscles or by SOM other power. AL this costs
money and takes fine. A great problem, then,
is to cut stone in the easiest and cheapest way.
To solve this question, inventors have racked
their brains, maryland costly experiments have
been made, thousands of money have been spent,
and countless dsappointments suffered. o.
course something has been done to solve the ques-
ton. Elsewhere well as in the vicinity of Rut-
land, the great center of the marble interest OF
the United States, various machines have been
devised and are now being employed to cut the
marble from its parent bad. Hand labor is found
too slow and too costly. Inventors have had,
therefore, field decomposition in stone cutting
machines, which they have not been slow to i'm
prove. Far be it from us to disparage their la
bors. They Ihave done vel, well in the ma
chimes they have produced, well in provoking
others to invent better ones. How many of those
better ones will yet appear, time must tell. One,
We are certain, has just been carefully tested
which gives sure promise of soon superceding any
thing now in use. We do not hesitate to pro-
nounce it one of the most important and valuable
inventions of the nineteenth century. We allude
to the Diamond Saw Quarryipg Machine"
Letters patent for this machine were issued
Dec. % 1868, to C. o. Luce, c. W. Green and C.
M. Willard Two machines have been built,
thoroughly tested aud perfected. One has been
in operation as learn for about month past in
the quarry of Manhattan Marble Co, at West
Rutland 1t cuts a channel three-eights OF an
inch in width and eleven feet in length as
smoothly and evenly as the best sand saving
mill. It sinks channel in marble 90 inches an
hour in easy running motion, and in flint, 1t is
claimed, ten inches an hour In other words il
cuts easily Is l-3 feet an hour in marble, which
is equivalent to the ordinary work Of 10 men a
day with the usual process of hand drills
timed IL carefully and repeatedly, on the 9th Of
this month, and found 1t averaging 2-3 of an inch
a minute. So much for the rapidity Of its work
But it has other merits. It saves in the mere
waste of marble over any other known process
enough, probably, to pay the entire cost of chan
nellng, which is not less than so or 20 cents foot
1t cannot either crack or render unsound any
stock. It is adapted to slate, granite or any
other rock quarryfng good tiRish with
out the use OF tools. The diamond saw can as
easily be used in gangs, for mill work, ripping
etc The machine is driven by five horse
power engine and runs with great freedom, little
noise, and apparent ease.
Letters patent have been secured in Great
Britain, and the entire interest is now owned by
C. o. Luce, Brandon, G. NJ. Willard, ESQ, Cas-
Teton, and William c. Hyatt, Esq, West Rut-
land.
When we consider that the great drain upon
the quarry business has been the enormous cost
of cutting the rock from its bed, If by the use Of
this IN achine it can be done at saving of al
least three. fourths the expense by any other pro
cess, beside the large saving in waste, great feat
is accomplished. The proprietors are making ar.
engagements for manufacturing the machines as
rapidly as they may be desired. 1t may be well
to add that by combination Of drills with the
saw, a channel can be sunk anywhere IN the solid
rock to any desired depth.
CHARLES WooDuoUsE, A. NJ, NJ. D.
Rutland, July G, 1870,