The Sully County watchman. (Clifton, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1894, 1888-11-10
A BLOCK OF MARBLE,
It's Evolution from its Rough Condition
to Ornamental Use.

To Use.
Few people who stand before n fin
ished monument or mantel, or even n
soda-water fount in a drug store, and
admire the highly-polished variegated
marble, says the New York CONNER
cial -AdCsrtiSer. realize the amount of
time and labor that has been expended
in the evolution of the completed
structure from the raw materials. The
highly colorcd varieties are found
chiefly in Italy, Spain, France, and
Belgium, or Portugal, though some
times in Mexico or Algeria. The white
stone is common in this state. Among
the marbles which most frequently
enter into composition of fancy appar-
atus are:
Italian-white, vernal and clouded,
with blush gray; Etrurian-pure por-
celain white; Saragossa-shaded cream
white, vened with dark gray; AL
gerian and Mexican onyX-transluccnt
white, veined with opaque white. yell
low or pink; Bardiglio -- delicately
veined gray; Sarrancolin - shaded
pearl gray, dashed with cornelian red;
Sienna-golden yellow, clouded with
white and yeined with olive and brown;
Tennessee - chocolate, frosted with
white; Genoa-green; Brocatel-rich-
ly mottled, yellow, purple, brown,
white, and red; Violet Brocatel--pur-
pie. mottled. and veined with golden
yellow Lisbon reddish; Gryette of
Francc-deep red. shaded with red and
brown; Gryotte Fleurc-purplish red,
mottled with pearl white; Warwick
brilliant red, veined with white; Bel
gian-yelvetv black; African-ycllow,
white purple veins; Rouge Antique
deep red; knoxville-grayish pink,
with light blue veining.
The colorcd marbles retain their
freshness longer and can be polished
after many years use.
The marble is extracted from the
quarry in oblong blocks cut by means
of wedges.
Except when designated for statuary
or building purposes, the first thing the
manufacturer does is to place the block
of marble under n gang-saw in order
to saw it into slabs. The gang-saw
consists merely of series of parallel
saws, to which an oscillating motion
is impaired while they are kept fed
with sand and water. When they
come from the gang-saw the slabs are
| generally about one and one-eighth
/ inches thick, SO that they may dress to
one inch when rubbed on both Sides
The slabs are then inspected. To the
! inexperienced eye the rough slabs are
much alike, and while the good quail
ties of the slab are only fully brought
| out under the polisher's mop, tho i'm
perceptible defects are also magniiied
very much. II is, therefore. neces-
sary to detect flaws before tho polish
ing begins.
The perfect slabs are cut into re-
CURED lengths by arip-saw, and passed
to the rubbing-bed to be rubbed smooth.
Tho rubbing-bed consists of solid
horizontal cast-ron wheel about four
inches thick, and usually about twelve
or thirteen feet in diameter. This
wheel is fixed in vertical shaft, which
revolves on two chilled steel friction
balls, placed one upon the other, and
inclosed in cast iron box, which is
kept well supplied with oil. The box
itself is firmly imbeddcd in n stone
foundation, and the entire structure is
made rs true and rs steady as possible.
1t requires great deal of care and at
| ltHIlou 10 Keep tie per-
fectly true; and it is sometimes ncces-
sary TO rub it down for Il whole week
with bluestonc in order to keep the
surface smooth.
When the slab leaves the rubbing
bed it is comparatively smooth, and is
ready to be cut by hand into final
shape. 1t then passes into the hands
of the polishers, who are provided with
rubbers made of ordinary ticking rolled
up into mop of about three or four
inches in diameter and sewed firmly
through and through With these they
rub the surface of tho slab back and
fsrta. hosr after hour. until they bring
out the high polish so much admired.
The marble is first rubbed with grit
then with pumicc stone. and then with
hone. On some white marbles oxalic
acid is then used, and finally the fin
ishing touches are given with putty of
zine. On colored marbles emery and
French putty, prepared with sulphur
and lead, are used. 1t is estimated
that each square foot of surface pol
ished costs one man four hours Of steady
work.
In gliding, four or flve gold leaves
are blown into cushion made of q
board covered with chamois. The
glider cuts it into strips q quarter oi