Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1872-06-05
The Granite of Vermont.

ION 10 DtUUluEAuu AhN ihNN ohoN'o WI NV ~ /
varieties Of marble formation. The prevail.
ing rock Of the east side of the range is
slate. and this is Of all varieties from the
hard. blush slate rock to the stratifed and
easily worked quarry But while We have
here the finest varieties Of MARBLE and the
best varieties Of sate--both Of all oolors--
we have also quarries Of the best granite to
be found in New England. The Quincy
granite is more properly syeuite rock,
hornbende taking the place Of mica in 1t,
aud giving blush color aud rendering %
very hard to work. Yet the Quincy granite
has been very popular and many public build
ings aud warehouses in the cities on the At
lantic coast and the Gulf Of Mexico and in
the West India Islands have been built Of IT,
The Maine granite has been largely exported
and is Of a purer quality than the Quincy,
still it has so much quartz in it aud it is so
dense as to render it impract,lblo for archi-
toctural purposes, though unsurpassed for
docks and break-waters and all submarine
works. But there is in Central Vermont an
area Of about four townships where this rock
crops out through the slate-of the best gran
ito for the purposes Of architecture to be
found in the country. Its prevailing ingred-
tents are feldspar and mica with good mix
ture Of quartz and no hornbleude. The color
Of the rock is consequently nearly white and
as the blending Of the Ingredients is very
perfect, it is capable Of receiving fine pol
ish and Of being worked easily into the most
ornamental shapes and the most delicate
traccries. 1t can be chselled into oruamen-
tai mouldngs as well as marble.
Granite is far better building material
than marble 1t stands the action Of the
weather better has a more agreeable color ;
is softer to the eye, and in all respects more
beautiful as well as more durable. The quar-
ries at Barre have been worked for many
years The Capitol Of the State is built Of
the granite taken from en-, and is not to be
surpassed in the beauty Of its architectural
effect by any structure in the country. The
State House. both for its design and its mate
rial, would attract notice and admiration il
the finest cities of the world, and by the side
of their nobcst bulldogs, and large part oil
its beauty is due to the architectural effect o.
the stone Of which it is built. Nothing but
the iuaccessbility Of this granite has pre-
vented its recognition and use as the mos
superior building material in the country
This quarry is soon to be opened to the mar
ket by the building Of the Barre railroad
There can be no doubt then, that it will
speedily find favor, and stand at the head Of
building material for architectural effect il
this country. This same bed Of granite il
crossed by the Montpelier & Wells Rive
road in Marshfeld and Groton. The roaC
for long distance runs over and by the sid
Of vast quarries Of the same kind Of rock
For miles alongside Of the road a derricl
could be placed at any spot within reach o
the track and swing upon the cars grant
) enough to build city. Aud this granite
as perfect in the minging of its ingredients
in its color and facility to work as is posi-
bic. The feldspar has sort Of rose or fles
color, aud the split granite when seen at Ger
tain angles of light, is beautifully soft AM
pleasing to the eye. There can be no doub
that it will take precedence of all other gran
lite for monumental work and for architecture
purposes These vast beds of granite hav
been stored away in the great repositories {
nature for ages, that they might be opene
by the agencies of modern civilization to en-
hance its architectural triumphs. The bes
wine has been kept to the last. Fifty mile
Of railroad transit will take them to the lax,
where they can be distributed by water to a
the large seaport cities Of the country. Ha
it not been for the seven miles Of team car
y riage. the capitol of New York would hay
= been constructed of the Barre granite. Thu
u difficulty will soon be removed and by Il
opening of the two roads this vast section
y granite will be thrown open to the world.
e And here we have a suggestion to make
l. some enterprisipg business firm who may wis
u to transmute that rock into gold Let a fir
s of sufficient but moderate capital purchase {
/ the Hubbard meadow, on Barre Stree
!" enough land for commodous granite yart
10 II will be traversed by two railroad track
'e one penetrating the granite of Barre, Il
'e other the granite of Grotou. They can :
T. up derrick on the road bed Of the Men
ID peier 4 Wells River road, and few wor
NE men can split tons upon tons of granite eve
IT, day, aud load it upon the cars without Il
al use of train, and it can be taken to the
10 yard in Montpelier and dressed in any shal
~ for ornamental or building purposes, accor
OF ing to the wishes and orders of customer
and then shipped to Burlington and then
along the coast An enterprising firm of III
sort can coin the granite of Groton Al
in Marshfeld into gold and silver. The gram
mr. yard of Concord is not SO well situated eth
m in respect to the granite or the market
n. would be such yard in Montpelier. 1t cou
te successfully distance all competition both
y. the quality of its material and the cheapne
or of its transportation, As we watched, Il
& other day, at the summit on the line of Il
". Montpelier & Wells River railroad, the wor
a men splitting the beautiful granite into il
q. mense blocks, and then lifting them into the
" places in the abutments Of a bridge by mea
n Of derrick that does all the work witho
ia change Of place, aud could do it all were it
mr. thousand times greater, it occurred to us tn
e. such immense fields of splendid building IN
~ teral should now be utilized, aud whoev
" should seize the opportunity, take time
= tho forelock and embark a little capital in
,t enterprise like that we have suggested, won
20 reach that last object of human ambition al