Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1889-01-23

:2ss-sE&7z 49, ll I'll
I1u1i; Bard,elq--do lieat g,veiaed,gray .Garran
eohn-shGdCd1 seITl gray, dashed with carnHI-
IAN red; S ennu golden. yellow, 'clouded With
white and veined with olive and brown; Ten
nessee--choco.arc, frosted With white; Ge9oa
-groon; Brocatcl-rchly notified, yellow pur-
pie, brown, whliG and rc4; Y olet Brocatel-
purple, notified aad VetneQ with golden yellow;
} L sbon-rcud s; Coyote o! france -doep red,
shaded W III re. nd brown; Gryotto F'leur1-
purpl.sh red, mottl3d WITH earl white; War.
wick brilliant led vejnod with white; Bel
& an-yeIVc Dla X. African - yellow, with
pu pic veins; Rouge AaIquc--docp red; Knox;
villG-gragish Pin. wiG light blue veining,
Tho colorcd marbles retain their fresh
ness longer and can be repolished after
many years use.
The marble is extracted from the quarry
in oblong blocks cut out by means of
wedges.
Except whom designated for statuary or
building purposes the first thing the manu-
facturcr does is. to place the block of marble
under gang-saW in order to saw it into
slabs. Tho gang-3nw consists merely of
series of parallel saws, to which an oscilla-
ting motion 10 inpnrtod while they are kept
fed with sand and water. When they come
from the ganr-Sayv the slabs arc generally
about / s inches thick so that they may
dress to one inch when rubbed on both
sides. The slabs arc then inspected. To the
inexperienced eye tho rough slabs are much
alike, and while tho good qualities Of the
slab ore only fully brought out under the
polisher's mop, the imperceptlble defects
arc also magnIlied very much. 1t is there
fore necessary TO detect flaws before the
polishing beg ns.
The perfect slabs are cut into required
lengtba by rip-saW and passed to tho rub
bing bed 10 he rubbed smooth. The rubbing
bed consists Of q solid horizontal cast-iron
wheel about four inches thick and usually
about twelve or thirteen feet in diameter.
This wheel is fixed ia a vertical shaft which
rcvolves on two chilled steel friction balls,
placed one upon the other, and inclosed in a
cast-iron box which is kept well supplied
with oil. Tho box self is firmly imbedded
III Il stone foundation, and the entire struct-
urc is made ~ true und as steady as pos
siblc. 1t requires q greet deal of care and
attention to keep the rubblngbed perfectly
true; and ii is sometimes necessary to rub
it down for IL whole week with bluestone in
, order to keep tic surface smooth.
When the slab leaves the rubbing-bed 1t
i Is comparatively smooth, and is ready to be
i
passes into the hands of the pollshers, who
arc provided with rubbers made of ordinary
ticking rolled up into II mop of about three
or four inches in diameter and sewed firmly
through and through. With these they rub
, the surface Of the slab back and forth, hour
after hour, until they bring out the high
polish so much admired, The marble is
first rubbed with grit then with pumice-
/ OF md hp,, with Nm aHryht IN
marbles oIalic acid is then used, and finally
the finishing touches are given with putty
OF zinc. On colorei marbles emery and
French putty, prepared with sulphur and
lead, arc used. 1t 10 estimated that each
square foot Of surface polished costs one
man four hours of steady work.
In gliding, four or five gold leaves are
blown into cushion made of board GOV.
cred with ct.giaois. The glider cuts it into
strips aQuartor of an inch wide, lays 1t ON
the marble with his tip" then "cottons "
! it on, after which he rubs it down with O
fine hair brush in order to smooth the laps
and form au even and continuous surface.
He Then cleans OF the edges with cutie fish
Great dcxtcrity is acquired by gilders, and
they seem to handle with the greatest case
the delicate gold leaf which the slightest
which in inexperienced hands is utterly un-
manageable.
The v2riogatcd, dark colored marbles are
most expensive, but they are also generally
harder and more durable, rs well as more
beautiful, than those that are white or light
Colorcd The cJIutnon white marble, which
is not so valuable from an ornamental point
of view, has separate value US being the
best basis for tho production of carbonic
acid gas for the manufacture of soda" wa
ter and all other Carbonated beverages, and
q large trade is done in 1t for this purpose.
1t has succeeded whiting and bicarbOnate
of soda in this respect on account of its
chcapncss. A barrel Of rood marble-dust,
weighing about i0lp)Unds, costs ;1.25. An
equal quantity of whiting costs about $50,
and.produccs no more gas. A like weight
of biclrbonatc of soda produces double
amount of gas, but costs about 81.
| AS far as chemical composition Is con-
cerned marble aud whiting are analogous
both are carbonates Of lime, and when
equally pure both contain tho same amount
of carbonic acid. Whiting, however, Is
rarely, if ever, as pure as marble. 1t con-
sists chiefly Of the remains of extremely
small animalcules.