Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-09-18
ARTIFICIAL STONE MASONRY
Massive Railroad Piers and Abutment
Moulded and Set in Place.

Massive Railroad Piers and Abutments
Moulded and Set in Place.
For the first time in the history Of the
world, says the Baltimore San, massive
railroad piers and abutments are being
made of artificial stone. The work is 60
ing on at the Little and Big Gunpowder
Falls, on the Philadelphia branch of the
Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. There are
to be about 10000 yards of artificial ma
sonry, 1900 of WHICH will be at the Big
Gunpowder and 5000 at the Little Falls.
At the latter there will be S4 piers and
abutments, and at the former huge piers,
each of which will be 10 feet thick, 20 feet
high and 80 feet wide, with spans Of %
feet between the arches.
The field of operations is six miles from
Magnolia. The stone is manufactured on
the spot, and is moulded in any size and
shape required. 1t is composed of sand
mixed with broken stone or gravel, and
with cement and chemical solution. The
process is simple and rapid. Everything
is done by machinery, including the break
ing of stones. When the mixture is ready
for use, it is run into a square iron bucket
resting upon hand-car, which is then
pushed over to where the work is in pro-
gress. The bucket is then hOisted by
means of pulleys drawn by mules and
emptied into a wooden mould, which is
placed in position upon previous layer.
In a hours a fresh stone will be hard
enough to bear another layer. Sixty yards
are laid every day.
The machinery at the works is valued
at $4,000. There are four engines with
90-hOrse power in the aggregate. AT the
Big GunpOWder works there is a cable
70
vine. 1t has a car attachment which can
be lowered or raised at any point. This
car carries stone and other material across
the raVine. The cable was formerly used
in the construction of the famous Brook
lyn bridge. When stones are to be laid
in the water-cOurse the water is first
damned and then bailed out. The work
is going on day and night, one gang of
men succeeding another. Thirty men are
employed Electric lamps light up the
scene, and give the place an oddly
picturesque appearance. The masonry
will be finished about the middle of De-
cember.
Each pier and abutment is really one
solid stone, but for the purpose of giving
it finish it is moulded with grooves so as
to resemble stone in blocks. Its mono
lithic character will be a great advantage
in railroading, as it will prevent that jar
ring ana feDOuHulHg WHICH Is always
caused by trains running over tracks laid
upon stone or brick foundations.
1t is believed by many persons that the
art of making artificial stone is prehis-
tOric, and that the Pyramids were built of
artificial blocks manufactured from the
sands of the surrounding plain. In
modern times a Frenchman named
Coignet has accomplished some
wonderful work with artificial stone.
The most important and costly work that
has yet been undertaken with Coignet's
material is a section 81 miles in length OF
the Vanne aqueduct for supplying water
to the city of Paris. Another interesting
application of this material has been made
in the construction of the lighthouse at
Port Said, Egypt. 1t is $50 feet high with
out joints, and resting upon monolithic
block of betOn, containing nearly 400 Gu
bic yards. The difference @gtween the
Coignet material and that IS ID by the
Baltimore and Ohio is in myth, the
latter being far superior, according to
Engineer Craven, of the United States
Navy.