The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1889-07-31
"A GREAT MARBLE QUARRY.
THE EXTRAORDINARY DISCOVERY
IN A SOUTHERN VALLEY.

! Eight years ago n passenger saw a
newspaper upon an empty seat in car
of an express train. He unfolded il and
yawned as he glanced over is columns.
Finding nothing there of absorbing in
terest, he was about 70 lay il aside when
the word ''marble,n repeatedly printed,
caught his eye. 1t stirred the depths Of
his memory. It recalled boyhood days
in the Green Mountains, and family
stories concerning the fortunes Of an
uncle. Years before the passenger was
born, the uncle was forced 10 accept an
apparently worthless tract Of land in
payment Of a debt When pcnury crcpt
upon him in the shade Of old age, a marble
quarry was found beneath the surface Of
the neglected tract. The famous Rutland
quarries were developed, and the uncle
became one of the wealthicst men in Yer
mont. The nephew had played in the
quarries with schoolmatcs, and had re-
peatedly heard his uncle tell the story Of
their discovery and development. And
ever afterward the word marble had for
him a peculiar fascination. He therefore
became deeply interested in the news
paper.
The passenger was II. c. Clement, a
clothier of Chicago, and the newspaper
the Atlanta Constitution. The latter CON
tanned an article describing the attractions
of Pickens County, Georgia. IL was in
this description that the word "marbe'
repeatedly appeared. The correspondent
asserted that he had seen the outcropping
of a marble formation in the bed of Long
Swamp Creek. The story was told in
plain, unvarnished Anglo-Saxon. The
passenger read it with avidity. So deep
ly impressed was he that he crossed over
to Frank Siddall, the Philadelphia soap
man, who sat near by, and called his at
tention to the article. Siddall read it.,
and listened to Clements "reminiscences.
The latter averred that if there was a
shadow of truth to the story there was a
marble quarry in Georgia that would strip
the supremacy from Vermont. With an
eye to business, Siddall suggested a visit
to Pickens County, and offered to shoul-
der share of the expense. The offer
was accepted.
The author of the article in the Con.
stitutioR was first unearthed. He proved
to be Captain Evan P. Howell, better
known as the "wet editor of that grea'
newspaper. Howell had travelled up t
Pickens County on the opening of tht
North Georgia Railroad, and had writer
up the country, with a view of increasing
the circulation of the Constitution HI
said that the outcropping of the mar
BILE was to be found in the Lon!
Swamp valley, about two mile
from the railroad and forty miles north o
Marietta. With ready courtesy he offere,
to go with the Chicago merchant an,
point out the spot. They went to tn
valley. Clement was buoyant with hope
The bed of the creek disclosed the vein
There were also other surface indications
The greatest proof of the purity of tn
upheaval, however, was rough hewn maj
BILE blocks taken out by the mountaineer:
There were marble sentinels at the hea
of graves in the little private cemeterit
set apart from every mountain farm. tn
outcropping was on land owned by tn
Tate brothers. 1t was originally discov
cred by their father, who came to Picl
ems County while Andrew jackson WI
President The Cherokees had not Y,
left the country. Mr.. Tate entered it
the overseer of new plantation. Viii
roaming the woods, gun in hand, he di
covered the vein in the bed of the creel
The gold mines of Dahlonega were on
thirty-five miles away, and TTate WI
probably prospecting for the precior
metal when hS found the marble outcroI
1t ". f,-lry white in color and flint
Here was hardly an indication of Il
wonderful rock beneath it. Tate, hoy
ever, seems to have had an intuitive sen
of the value of the discovery. He for
saw its future development, secured Il
land for song, and retained it to L
day of his death. "Hold on to it, boys
he frequently said to his sons. ''Ke
your grip, and never let go of it. Sor
day it's sure to be more valuable than t
gold mines at Dahlonega."
The boys were hardy mountaineel
What they lacked in education they ma
up in horse sense. The advent of Clel
ent did not surprise them. They seem
to take little interest in his proceeding
and calmly awaited the conclusion. T
Chicago man went to work with the
most caution. He was confident I'll
there was a bed of genuine marble belC
him and one of remarkable purity.
first ascertained its width, length a
depth. This was the work of expe
sent to the Long Swamp valley on his
turn to Chicago. They dug holes a
tested the marble at every point. I
vein was traced two miles and half
the valley. 1t proved to be over 20
feet wide. Its actual depth, howcv
has never been ascertained. Nothing /
marble has been found after boring 1
feet. 1t has been upheaved in so
block, and not in layers. 1t has neitl
crack nor lamination. A chunk the S
of the Washington monument could
taken from it. If the mass was heay
above the earth a church as large as
Peters in Rome could be carved from
Indeed, the pyramids of Egypt mis-
have been cut from it in solid triangl
Upon the report of the experts a co
pany was formed, and an effort to
the property was made. But the I
brothers, mindful of their fathers
functions, refused 10 sell. A long le
of their land was taken, and the rema
der Of the vein was purchased outrig
The capitalization of the company