Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1884-07-25
MARBLE.


most beautiful stone to be found i'm the
country are located on Vermont soil. At
Pittsford, Rutland, Isle La Motto. Malletts
Bay, and less extensively in other places
marble of the finest quality is quarried,
and shipped to all parts of the world In
deed the Vermont marbles are famous
wherever this stone is used, and many
dealers find difficulty in obtaining IA suiIi-
Gent amount of II to fill their orders A
Dllel description of the different kinds of
marble found in the State, the method of
quarrying, and the process of manafac-
ture into thing, panels, building material
and cemetery W Drk, may not be uninter-
estng to our readers.
The PittsfOrd marble is among the best
in the country. 1t varies in color from
pure white to deep blue, often beautifully
notified, some with white and some with
very dark, almost black, veins. It is eX-
ceedlngly popular for all kinds of orna-
mental ana cemetery work. \ remarka-
ole quality OF marble has lately been dis
covered at Isle La MOtte-the place where
50 much fine building stone is uuarried
The marble is Il beautiful blue and black
formation, and is coming into extensive
use for building and floor thing. A fine
gray limestone is also worked at Isle "A
Motto, for building and cemetery pur-
poses. The Rutland marbles are too well
known to need any Introduction They
very from white to deep blue in color, are
apparently ineXhaustible and are the seat
of some OF the largest quarries and marble
works on the continent. Wherever
building or cemetery work is done i'm
marble, the beautiful Rutland stone is in
great demand. The Malletts Bay marble
OF especial interest to Buringtonians
from its vicinity-is superior, durable
and very handsome stone of various colors,
mostly chocolate pink and red 1t is very
line grained and hard, and is susceptible
OF an EXTREMITY high polish, which makes it
particularly suitable for ornamental and
decorative work
me method OF quarrylng marble is very
different from that which is employed in
quarrying ordinary building stone No
explosives are used, and nothing of the
nature OF blasting enters into the process
Marble always lies in perfectly even lay
erS, Superimposed upon each other in the
same plane, like the leaves of Il book The
layers are of different COlorS, within the
range of variation of the deposit. and often
of different qualities They may lie par
allel to the surface pf the ground. or slant
nj every angle, from the very slightest to
an angie OF % degrees. The quarrying is
all done by steam machinery The first
process Is performed by the gaidng ma
chine, which cOnSistSOt Il COmb-lkp row of
diamond drills, placed close together. and
worked with a boring motion by the ma
liHchpl
There drills are just the length of the depth
OF the block or layer to be sawed ont
and are worked until the LAYER i,
thoroughly perforated The chaunclng
machine is made up of long rows of drill,
with 9crrated steel points, which ulvS up
ana down and cut Il channel the depth of
the length of the blocks to be uuarrird
When tine block, of marble have been cut
out by ihe Gadilnt and Channclling ma
chimes they are hpiIted out of the quarries
by immruS" derricko, capable of lifting
blocks Of eighteen ana twenty tons
weight These derrick> are eGuipped
with enormous cables and puleys. and
are run 10y steam engines This finishes
the qutrrying process. Let lis now follow
the rough BLOCKS OF marble into the mar
bic miA. where they are to he sawed. pol
ished AMI manufactured into the different
forms OF budding, ornamental and Gem
etcry work for which marble i, used
II the marble Is not to be used or shipped
IN block, the ilr>t process * to saw ii to
tn" desired size and shape The greater
part OF these immense blocks of stone com
ming from the quarry are sawed into Slab,
o1 u few inches in width, for cemetery
werh, thing, paneling, etc. The method
of doing this is almost marvellous i'm its
simplicity The blocks are mounted upon
staglngS underneath gangs of steel saws
or mere strips of steel, for they are not ser
rated, but plain on both edges These
saws, few inches apart from each other
are hung on sweeps, travelling back and
tprth horizontally, by steam power, and
arrrtotu signify At every revolution of the
crank. Water Is kept trcklng over the
top Of the block, aud washes continual
stream 81 0ahn from blh above the saws.
Thr sand, worked by the saws on
the stout, ocOurs out IL, groove.
into which it i, constantly washed
by the tricklinG water, the saws