The Middlebury register and Addison County journal. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1883-1885, 1883-12-07
Saving Marble-The Inventor of the
Present Method.

pointed committee ito procure plans
and estimates and solicit subscriptions
for placing marble tablet in the vesti-
bule of the town hall to commemorate
the invention by citizens of Middlebury
of the circular saw and the present meth
cd of saving marble with soft iron and
sand" ETC., and report ut the next town
meeting.
The question of the invention of the
method now veisally employed for
saving marble was discussed at meet
ing of the Vermont Historical society in
Bulington,i in January, 1861. The follow
ing is an extract from the printed records
of the proceedings of the society on the
afternoon of January %: Gen. ID. w. {.
| Clarke, one of the corresponding secre-
taries, invited the attention of the society
| to several interesting communications
which had been officially addressed to
HIM in regard to the first discovery of
the process of saving marble with Il
smooth plate of iron and sand. Mr..
Elias Hall of Rutland. VT, now in the
SOth year of his age. claims that to DR..
Eben w. Judd of Middlebury, VT, be-
longs the'honor of having first discover
ed this mode of saving marble. Messrs.
Norman Upper, Thos. III. Mcleod and
Stillman Hendricks of Middlebury, VT,
resist this claim and contend that such
honor rightfully belonged to Mr.. Isaac E.
Markham, late of Middlebury, VT, de-
ceased. The papers on the subject were
ordered on file for future use and refer
ence. The Hon. George L. Marsh eX-
pressed his belief that the process of saw
ing marble by smooth iron plate and
sand was very ancient one and as old
or older than the times of Pliny. Upon
request he consented after adjournment
to examine the authorities upon the sub
iect and to favor the society with the re-
suit of his Search
The record of the proceedings on the
evening of the same day contains this
paragraph: Hon. George L. Marsh
remarked to the society. in allusion to n
communication upon the date of the sup
posed modern invention of saving mar
BILE by the use of sand and toothless saws.
that exactly such process was described
by Pliny two thousand years ago. and
alluded to the interesting fact that Pliny
also mentions the use of reapng ma
chimes, in his time, among the Gauls, de-
scribing them as propelled in front of the
horses, as were the first of modern reap
ing machines
The record of the proceedings on the
next morning (Jan. 24) says: ELIAS
| u.
tailed account of the discovery of saving
marble, which was read, and, on motion,
thankfully received and put on file for
future reference and use"
Among the papers alluded to in the
= first paragraph above quoted was the fol-
: lowing affidavit:
We, the Undersigned of lawful age, on oath
say that we have resided IN Middebury, Addison
} county, Vermont, from early childhood and ina
we were well acquaint ted during his lifetime with
Isaac f. Markham. late of said Middlebury, de
ceased; that we were boys and mates together
with him from very early age; that we well re
: member said Isaac inventing the present method
of saving marble by WATERPROOF and a smooth
s plate OF iron; that we well remember of seeing
, at the time OF the invention, his first model o
said method; that said method was aiterwarC
= adopted by DIR. Eben w. Jud in marble works
erected by him In this town; that we often hearC
the subject of the invention talked of at the time
by the people of the town and those well &C
quainted with the facts. and never heard said in
vention accredited TO any other person than SAT-
Isaac during the lifetime of said Isaac and TO
n many years after his decease. nor did we eve
hear OF any CLAIM set up for sad invention in op
position to his during said time; and we know
. and lieve rs well as we know and believe an,
fact of which we have had cognizance that SAT-
: Isaac was the sole inventor of said method ant
is alone entitled to all the credit ion the same.
NORMAN UPPER
: STILLMAN HENDRICKS.
j Subscribed and sworn to before me at SAT-
Middlebury, this 81 day of December, a. ID. 1855
n The documents presented by Ella
= Hall were two in number. The first wa
h a letter written by him, in January, 1861
to the Rutland Courier. 1t was as fol
n lows:
II ASH was present and saw the first movement c
:, saving stone and marble which ever WAS done i
= the world, at Middlebury, Vt, by +. w. Judd, Il
II 1904, and believing in the truth of history, whlc
is liable at the present time to be prevented.
propose to furnish the Historical society, at thei
e meeting, on the 23d of January next with an a'
l. count of DIR. +. w. Judd's first beginning, Sept
n 1904, within ten feet of the shop was then occt
q, plying as gun-smith. Previous to Judds impor
- ant discovery the Turkey oil-stones came TO MAJ
ket in the form Of our c bible stones In the pa
+; tIres; bul now they come in good shape, save,
!, And by persevering inquiry am well satlsle
"a that Judd's experiment at the time mentione
e. was the first i'll the world. The Bible tells
If saving stones with saws-a smooth plate OF iro
is not a saw sawed free-stone with saws yeal
d before Judd began; and the saving mentioned
T. the Bible OF such stone AS was taken out at Mn
veh which is readily sawed with common say
does not affect my position. And had the mo-
ern method of saving been known, Europe, As
and Africa would now show something to co
flute the decided position take, that the usu
20 method of saving marble is modern invenuo
u And this is written only to give its first eNisdnc
ia And being in my sOth year, with health fro
wounds and injuries precarous, have suppose
,, it possible that this Important disco very in fuu
b. time might be credited 10 some one or some Tin
L and deprive the real discoverer, Ilr. h. w. Jud
" OF what in my opinio belongs to him alone.
ho The following. which is the accoul
n al sent by Mr.. Hall to the Historical societ.
~ is but an amplificaton of the foregoing
In attempting to give an historical account
IL the first discovery OF saw ing marble which ev
~ was done in the world labor under the disa
vantage OF education and declining years wi
severe wounds. Yet, believing there Is no o.
n now living that has the knowledge which hay
all will attempt to give it and my experience of
- history from the first move toward working mi
III BILE. went to Middlebury, Feb. II, 1900, to wo
in the gun factory. Robert and William Mart
-, | were the master WOrkmcn, were brothers al
II" gunsmths, and as far they knew back
" connections We're gunsmths in Ireland; 50 III
rs. they were in situation to know whether or 4
m saving stone was known in Europe. In addtiC
," there were 20 or 30 mcn claiming to have be
armorers in the Revolutionary war and old N
of chanicks; not one of these had the least know
- edge of saving stone or marble TO my certa
W knowledge. For the master workman came
ne me, soon aft r got there, with the first Turk
in oil stone ever saw, and said he wanted IL saw
or somehow to make two smo III faces TO shar
en- tools on; that several of the wOrkmen h
r. tried and failed, being ignorant of the quality
of the stone. l thought would saw ii with ST.
n saws and worked upon 1t faithfully about TIL
IL. DAYS without much progress anu with all