Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1872-11-21
MARBLE FOR THE ST. LOUIS CUSTOM
HOUSE

As the papers are giving some attention
to the merits of the different kinds of stone
outof which it is proposed to build the new
custom house at st. Louis, we have thought
it no more than due our Knoxville marble
to give some facts concerning it that are
worthy of the consideration of the st.
Louis people.
The quarry from which the marble used
in our custom house is taken, seems in eX-
haustible. We visited it when it was first
opened, and we visited it yesterday only
to find that all the stone taken out for our
large and beautiful new building, has
scarcely made an impression upon the vast
bed of solid marble that now lies exposed.
1t is on the edge of the Tennessee river,
on high bluff about four miles East of
Knoxville, and the marble in bed about a
quarter of a mile wide and running back
fully a mile, seems to be in quantity
enough to construct all the public build
ings now projected. The Government has
expended about eight thousand dollars
in opening the quarry, providing steam
power and machinery for saving the mar
BILE into any sized block desired and in con-
structing tram-roads, derricks and con-
veniences for loading the stone on boats
for transportation. AS the marble needed
for this government building will soon be
all quarried, and as that remaining can be
taken out and sawed at a trifiing expense,
with all the machinery now there, it seems
to us the Government would save q great
sum by shipping the stone for the st. Louis
building from Knoxville. Gentlemen
having control of this quarry have pro
posed to sell the Government the marble
for the building at s. IS per cubic foot.
If this is not satisfactory, they propose to
turn this rich quarry over to the Govern
ment and let it quarry and prepare the
stone under the direction of it's own en-
ployees. This is certainly an honorable
and liberal proposition on their part.
There areseveral reasons why the St.Lou-
is building should be built of this marble.
In the first place the stone is unquestion-
ably equal if not superior for that purpose
to any in the United States. We saw at
the quarry, yesterday, some of this marble
that for many years has been washed by
the Tennessee river and subjected to the
frost, and stains from dirt washings. Chip
off the surface and you see at once the
clear, pure marble unstained and unhurt.
This shows that the marble has compact
grain and would not stain on exposure in
wall. While it is hard and close grained
it is free from flint and can be worked with
ordinary tools. Under the glass it shows
perfect crystalization and even texture.
We have seen letter from Supervising
Architect Mullett, in which he unquali-
fiedly pronounces it the most durable stone
in this country. General Holman Yester-
day gave this marble very severe fire test,
heating it as hot as possible in furnace
and plunging it into cold water. 1t did
not burst, crumble, fake or seem to be in
jured at all. A piece of sandstone
crumbled at the same test. We there
fore claim it will resist heat better
than granite, better than sandstone and
better than any stone we know of. In
view of the lats experiences at Chicago and
Boston this is a quality worthy of great
consideration. 1t weighs one hundred and
eighty pounds to the cubit foot, and will
last as long as any building material
known. caa1-1
This marbles preferable again because
it can be prepared for use at very reason
able cost. Under the presentarrangement
Gen. Holman saws and shapes the stone
for thirty cents superficial foot. The cost
when the stone is cut entirely has been two
dollars for the same measure. The freight
from Knoxville to st. Louis can be con-
tracted for at sixty cents per cubic foot.
We refer to this subject because we see