Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1871-08-03
The Eastern Marble Company.
DEER Isle. July y. i


The Eastern Marble Company.
DEER Isle. July -. 1871.
DIR. Jackson. la his report on the
Geology of Maine. published in ISIS. thus
speaks OF the >erpentine or vertl-antique
marble on Deer Isle:
On Deer Isle occurs an enormous mass
of >erpentine. which has been thrown up
through the granite. This substance i
composed of slick. maguesa. lime. oxide
Of lime and water. Ii j. filled with delicate
fibres of asbestus. which have become
indurated. aud will give admirable effect
to the polished stone. Ii also contains
scattered lamelle OF dlallage. that give il
a variety of different shades. This rock i
identical with the highly priced marble.
known under the name of verd-antique.
IL i of deep olive green color, with
many lines of asbestus and spots of yellow
diallage. Small ornamental articles have
already been made from the Quarry. but
no extensive operations have vet been
ear led on. IL IL can be obtained in good
sized slabs. it will become an important
article Of commerce.
Ii Is soft and easily cut, - that blocks
NAV be morticed out in the same manner
that the ancieu Greeks were In the habit
Of quarrying their building stone. The
stone Is q very beautiful Kind OF serpentine
or vcrd-antiquc marble.
This report excited considerable interest
at the time IL was published. and quite
number OF individuals on Deer sic
purchased some tracts, from one to sixteen
acres Of the Quarry. with the expectation,
probably. that capitalists from abroad
would sooner or later invest in and open
IL. Although they had full confidence in
the good quality and great value of the
fekS hal suffirtapf o..
and those who had were unwilling to cN-
pend a large amount of money on an UNI
certainty, for the purpose Of testing il.
particularly. where In case of success the
other owners. without any expenditure.
would be equally benefited with them
selves. The result was that during ihi.
long period. nothing ha> been done until
recently to open and develop one of the
most extensive aud valuable marble
| quarri.s In America.
One or two feeble attempts. withou,
sufficient means or adequate knowledge OF
| the subject. were made some ycaIs since
aud many specimens Of the marble tax en-
/ from the boulders and loose stones on the
beach. have been carried to Boston aud
other places. 1t polished finely, but no
slabs OF suitable size for practical use. free
| from cracks. were Obtained. and IL seemed
/ doubtful whether large blocks free FROM
such defect. could be found.
| In the spring of last year, Mr.. Wiswcll
| OF Ellsworth. visited the qu AIRY. aud hav-
ing interested some Boston gentlemen in
the matter, during the >prng aud summer
| took convey from the different
owner--tifteen or twenty In numbcr-oi
about two hundred acres being all Of any
value. comprising the whole shore front
l5O or lao rods. excepting lew rod. on
/ th.. wr-f.ru end ,rfsnIiun ahnur
miles back from the Reach to TORY /,
Pond.
/ During last season large number oi
| gentlemen from Bosom. New BEDFORD.
New York and other places. comprising
! capitalists, practical marble workers aud
scientific men. visited the Quarry. Al
who examined il were unanimous In opn-
ion. A. To the excellent quality. III sound
and the inexhau -tiblc quantity of the stone.
and the only question to be solved va,
with regard 10 It. solidi,y The only way
| Ia settle this question satisfactorily wa. to
! open IT, 4 company was thercnpon or
gained in Boston. under the general Law,
| of Massachusetts,, by the name OF the
! Eastern Marble Company. Mr.. W>wcll
! conveyed the Quarry 10 this company.
retaining however. an interest in the same.
Late last fall a small crew. Ia charge Of
/ Capt. Ashley of New Bedford. commenced
| operations. and although the season MA,
| too far advanced to accomplish 4 great
deal. still enough was done To Justify the
| expectations of the most sanguinc. One
! or two blocks were sent TO Boston last Fall
| and sawed into slabs, and although they
were much inferior TO the block, which
have been obtained the present season. the
marble was pronounced by experienced
marble workers more valuable than the
black marble from New York. which costs
s. per cubic loot Being softer. il can BE-
wrought AZ much les expense.
The work was recommended last April
with small crew. A. a large one could
not work TO advantage, aud the principal
object of the company was merely Ia open
the Quarry, and settle the question A. To
the soundne-. OF the stone. before making
preparations for more extensive opera
tons.
IL was DR.. jackson. opinion. privately
expressed, that sound marble would BE-
iouni. amer going from twelve 10 fiftecn
feet below the surface. The company have
found II before going much more than
half that distance and the quality Of the
marble improves rapidly a. they descend.
Several blocAs. weighing from four Ia siN
ton. have been quarried. ready tor ship
ment. and In a few week. they will be able
10 take out from iifty 10 one hundred tons
daily.
The location Of the Quarry j. unsurpa-.-
ed by any in the world. II i situated
about two miles easterly of the steamboat
landing. anu Ia, a frontage on Egyemog-
gin Reach of about one hundred and inv
rods. \ wharf will soon be completed
where vessels can load with twelve feet of
water at low tide and the marble can be
put on the wharf by means OF short
tramway. The freight TO Boston will not
exceed one dollar aud seventy-fve cents
per ton. The transportation Of the Yer
mont marble by railroad 10 Boston costs
about seven dollars per ton. while the
whole expense of quarrying aud transport
ing the Deer Isle marble will not much. if
any. exceed that sum.
An act incorporating this company. was
obtained at the last session OF the Maine
Legislature. This became necessary IN
order 10 obtain the privilege of extending
a wharf into the tide waters of the reach.
On the 18th inst. the company organized
at this place, under their charter. elected
all the necessary officers. The capital
stock is 100000. being the sum paid for
the Quarry. with such expenses "a have
been incurred since the purchase. The
stock has all been taken and paid for
should the Quarry prove equal to what
II now promises. and there is every reason
TO believe that il will. il will be difficult
to estimate its real value. The quantity is
inexhaustible. and the demand for the
marble is much greater than the company
can ever supply.
Vermont now furnishes more marble
than any other State, although large
quantities are obtained in the State of New
York. Tennessee. and other States. but
still about seven-eighths Of all the marble
used In this country is imported.
Ibis ENTERPRISE promises tn no IN. most
important ever undertaken in Eastern
Maine. and all the indications are that the
expectations Of the company will be fully
realized n a. 60