Connecticut western news., 1875-10-29

necticut Western railroad was in the course of construction, large culvert at Whiting river, near East Canaan, was built of mar ble. The blocks were taken from the farm of Mir. Allen near the river. It appeared to be remarkably white and sparkling mar ble. A specimen was brought to MT. Jas. G. Patterson of this city, who had worked as he supposed, every vein of Canaan mar ble and he pronounced it to be speci- men of Pyrlan marble. He could hardly believe it came from Canaan till be visited the farm and satisfied himself. When MT. Maxwell of New York took the contract for furnishing the marble for the new state capitol, or after he had failed to get the marble as fast and of as good 8 quality as was required, he examined this newly dis covered ledge near Writings river. The result was contract with MT. Allen for ninety-nine years, for his marble farm Mir. Maxwell to pay him certain sum per cubic foot for all the marble quarried under his lease. sMr. Maxwell had large amounts of marble to get out for the state house, and some of the blocks. weighing ten tons, were larger than could be readily produced. But he commenced work in the right way. He erected large building at the quarry and put in two 6O-borse tubular boilers, d2o- 1, horse power in al) built by Pitkin Broth CTS of this city. By the side of these he | put in five head wheels for driving gangs of saws. Four large derricks were put up, and an area of over 100 by 50 feet was un- covered and the top rock was removed. At once MT. Maxwell came to bed of solid white marble of pure -quality-a superior article for building purposes. This bed is described by Professors Dana and Brush in th cir report to the State House Comnnis
 'sioners, October 2lst, 1873, as follows F.
 '.As hard crystalline white and faintly ciouded marble, breaking with Q sharp edge, and in exposed positions, resisting at- mospheric alteration in 3 remarkable de- gree. oa ,-A1 ,s.t q I&a.3's-'.+ ta8
 They add that it is g. part of the great limestone formation of the Green Noun : tains. which includes the quarries at But : land, Vt, and Lee, Mass. and which has
 
 !. feet The analysis, they say, proves this slstQne to be San almost chemically pure dol ! omite.' The analysis shows this result :- aCarbonite of Lyme, BATS; carbonite of magnesia. 44.6S; carbonate of iron, o.o3 :; iiasolable residue, o.36. They conclude that 1t is good building material; that it resists atmospheric decomposition in 8 very remarkable manner, that it contains no ingredient likely to discolor the marble on exposure.' fsI aI a{aui#sr asa ,. 7 Mr. Maxwell at once commenced work ing this bed of marble. He took out the large fine blocks which our citizens have seen on, the capitol grounds at first by hand drilling. But now he has put into the quarry four steam engines, two of them running two diamond drills each, and the other two channeling machinery The di
 amond drills cut away marble with remark able rapidity. On an oval steel head. about ian inch and half in diameter, are set from Ave to seven diamonds of size that cost $250 each. This is turned by steam with a sRiftness hardly equalled by the patent top. This drill sinks into the rock at the rate of ten inches minute. The little engine, with its diamonds, is set upon tramway, and as 1t sinks two holes to the depth of three or four feet, it is moved along, so that there is succession of 1-2 inch holes for | distance of 50 feet across the quarry. This immense block is thrown off by wedges, and another string of holes are bored, three or four or six feet from the first, according to the size of block wanted. We cannot see why straight, square block, weighing two hundred tons, could not be wedged out. Blocks of about forty tons are lying there. The other two en- zines are driving the channeling machinery. These work on the principle of hand drills, striking heavy. perpendicular blows, with steel-faced chisels or drills, and moving back and forth as the seam is cut in the rock. They do not work as fast as the di- amond drills, but execute the work more than halt as fast With these rapidly working machines. Mr. Maxwell is cutting out immense blocks of beautiful marble from the bed of rock about 25 feet below the surface of the ground. They arc drawn up by two large dericks and rolled on the iron rails to the building where the saws are running by steam, Several of these saws are set with diamonds, and they cut through. the marble blocks very fast. Here 250 cubic feet of ashlar can be sawed out daily. Mir. Maxwell has expended about &70, ,000 in machinery and fixtures, and has now at East Canaan the best quarry fol building purposes in the United States. and the best facilities for getting out blocks oi any slze wanted. The Connecticut West ern road derives good revenue from tht Transportation of stone from this quarry It has had engineers the present week sur yeying for track from the main road i, the quarTies, distance of about three fourths of mile. Thus the building Q
 the new state capitol with marble ha resulted in the development in this state 0 the finest quarry of marble for buildip, purposes in the country. It has been don
 very quietly but efficiently by MT. Max
 vel, who has shown excellent judgmen in it's management In the opinion of Pro
 fessors Dana and Brush, this ledge, cover ing on the farm an area of 40 or 50 acres, 1900 feet in depth. Undoubtedly it is suf fcient to supply the demands ill this cour try for the next hundred years; and it wi
 be in demand, for at no other point ca
 marble for building purposes be procure
 with such facility, of such excellent qual
 ty at the same price. Specimens of it ma
 be seen already set in the new state hous
 in this city, in the capital columns, trar soms, and the cornice, as well as in th