The Rutland daily globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1874-11-14
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sand Blast.
Ky HENRY WARD BEECHEH

by HENRY WARD BEECHER.
At length, everything shall be made TO
serve mankind Who ever thought that
the endless wastes of sand along the edges
of the sea, heaped up in hills far inland
where in former ages the ocean still dwelt,
or hidden in strata, were to be the schools
of carvers, sculptors, grinders, polishers,
and all manner OF decorators
To be sure, sand has good name for
many things-tor securing floors, where
the good old fashion of uncarpeted floors
prevails for making pails,pans and bowls
clean as the heart of maple trees for sift-
| ing upon the floors as movable carpet,
in bar rooms, the refuse that dropped, the
spittle the ends of tobacco-to be swept
away daily--and daily to be renewed, white
as new fallen snow.
Then, too, sand had long b zen used to
die unto sand that it might reappear as
mortar, and in this advanced condition it
has from ages without count decorated
walls, been constructed into mouldings,
| cornices and various ornaments. Lately
men have learned how from sand to make
rocks harder than those which nature
makes; and already one may see vast piles
| of buildings in our cities whose materials
once lay bleecbiDg along the seaside, the
| sport of waves, the frOlic of winds but
| now grown sober, solid and conservative.
| Besides all this, sand has hitherto been well
known as "A vexation and scourge where
in deserts, having nothing to do, 1t coquet-
| ted with the winds, and went wandering
about in the air. dry rain. and falling
upon the ground only to impoverish, or
pursuing men and beasts with torment and
suffocatiOn.
The sand blasts of the world have done
mischief enough. 1t is high time that they
should be taught more useful ways, and
make up to man by some profitable service
the great losses of its past Incidence or
misconduct. 1t has come to pass Sand
is converted /! 1t is now an honest me-
chanic,a reputable artist, and gives promise
of earning its future livelihood by walking
steadily in the ways of industry.
1t has been found that if sharp sand
be driven continuously upon the hard sur
| face of stone or metal it will speedily cut
away its surface; but, If the surface be
soft or elastic, it will produce no effect
| Acting upon these facts, it becomes easy
| to protect parts of substance by wax
preparation, or by paper or thread, as IN
laces, while the unprotected surface
| is left to the action of these myriads OF
infinitesimal chsels. 1t is said that the
glass windows on Cape Cod, facing the sea,
are so worn by drifting sand that, after a
short time, they appear like ground glass.
The hint might have been taken from this
fact. But in pamphlet before us the
effects produced by wind-driven sands upon
rocks and mountains in Nebiaska are spo-
ken of as giving the first suggestion Of this
new art of carving and engraving.
We were delighted with half hours in
spection of the establishment in Boston.
No grayer's tool, no etching upon glass,
can surpass the beauty of the work done
by SIMPLE sand, driven by steam, and pick
ing at the surface of glass. Holes can be
bored through the thickest plate glass in a
few moments. After 1t is prepared, a
sheet of glass passes under the sand blast
and comes out beautifully figured, with
very little more time than would be re-
ouired to pull sheet from steel en-
graved plate. Sheets of glass may come
forthwith exquisite lace patterns, or with
borders, corner pieces, elaborate centres,
with almost the rapidly of printing
| Decorated windows and doors may soon be
had about as cheaply as If of plan glass
The more striking yet, Is the power of
sand to cut or bore stone. Marble, lime
stone, granite, the very hardest known sub
stances, may be wrought with entire facil-
ity. With a sand machine, single stone