The Middlebury register and Addison County journal. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1883-1885, 1883-12-14
The Modern Method of Saving Marble.

Mrs. Catherine l.. Mcleod. daughter
of the late Captain Ebenezer Markham of
this place, and sister of Isaac +. Mark
ham. referred to in the afiidavits of Nor
man Tupper and Mr.. Hendricks. publish
ed last week, makes the following state
ment:
well remember the circumstances of the inven
uoh ny my brother Isaac of saving marble with
sand and water and soft iron toothless saws
There was lane which ran from the west end
of the bridge in the village of Middcbury IN the
creek thro lgh my fathers land and just above 1t
was shop Tor making headstones for graves,
owned and carried on by Mr.. Foot, then quite
old man. These stones he obt iined in rough
slabs split from the bed rock think in the town
oil Dorset, In Vermont. These rough slabs he
worked down smooth on one side first by the use
OF chlsels and afterwards with sand and water
and Il heavy fiat stone, perhaps l2XIS inches and
perhaps inches thick, to which handle was
attached, with which the stone was pissed back
ward and forward by hand over the slab, which
was placed upon a stout table, the sand and wa
ter being supplied from time to time as occasion
requii ed After a time Mr. Foot procured a
heavy IRON plate, nearly of the same size as the
stone, but not so thick. which he used i'm place
OF the stone. This process of cutting down the
rough slabs was frequently witnessed by NV
brother Isaac, who used to stand aud watch the
process. Al length he conceived the idea OF cut
ting marble and like stones by applying the thin
edge of soft piece OF iron TO the piece to be emf
anu moving forward and backwards. supplying
the sand ana water to the track of the moving
plate. Having few tools and place near our
house fitted up by his father for his shop. nv
DrOther carried out his idea by making work
ing model. For his saws he used narrow strips
OF sheet iron, placed in gang which was pro
PEELED backwards and forwards by means OF a
crank which he turned by hand. This model he
showed his father and the rest of the family His
father was very much pleased with the boys in
genuity and had the model in his Office and
showed IT to MANY person who came to see it.
Among those who came was Uh. Eben W, judd
OF TINS place. | was standing by my father when
ne showed Doctor judd the model and remember
the substance OF their conversation. The doctor
was very much pleased and interested in the ma
chlne. My father told him that if he would put
up trial SAVIOR "mill" AS he called t-that INV
father would furnish a block of marble on which
to operate. The doctor said that he woull do So
and that became the understan ing between
them. DIR. Judd at once went to work to put up
tle trial mill, as it was called, taking the water
rom the gunshop dam-not building a dam, as
Mr. Hall statrs-and fixed the saws as Mr. Hall
states My father was agent for Mr. Anthony
Rhodes, who had removed to the north mart of
the state, and on "A lot of his land was quite a
trge block of marble. This my father furnished
to MIR. Judd, and was the one which Mr. Hall de
scribes as having seen sawed. The invention OF
my brother proved success. This was in the
summer of 1904, and DR.. Judd at once set about
making preparations for erecting a large mill for
saving marble on this place. This mill he got
INTO working order in 1906, in which he prose
cuted the business for many years after, until
the year 1887, when the business was discontin-
ued by reason OF DR. Judds death. My brother
died In ls25, having established reputation for
great mechanical skill and genius Dr. Judd's
building still stands, but used for other purposes
and was the first mill o the kind erected as /
have always understood. There was a lme-kiln
on Appleton Foots land before 1900, being the
first kiln ever saw.
made a similar statement to the foregoing
amt sent 1t to the Vermont Historical society,
with the afiolavlts of Mr. Tuppcr and Hendricks,
above named, together with one from Mr.. Roder
lex Rising, former resident in this place, which
mas been mislaid or lost. 1t was of the same I'm
port as those which have been published.
CATHERINE l.. MCLEOD.
Middcbury, VT. Dec. 10, lss3.