Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1890-11-20
ouarrying Brandywine Granite,

date reprints, with cut of the locality, |
an article on the extensive quarries Of |
the Braldywine Granite Company. The
cut shows the wire cable hoisting and |
conveying apparatus, with a block Of
stone in transit from the eastern to the
western side Of the creek. The writer of
the article, Mr.. William L. Saunders,
dwells particularly on the great economy
of the hosting and conveying apparatus
in use here as compared with the old
methods still in vogue in the New Eng
land quarries. at is u conspicuous
fact" he writes, "that the quarries in
the south are better equipped with
machinery and with modern appliances
than those in the north. Amy one
who has made tour of inspec-
ton through the extensive marble quar-
ries Of Vermont, going there with a
view of entering the quarry business
and of learning something, will find
that, while he will be interested and
Instructed in what he secs, yet, if he
goes through the Georgia quarries, stop
ping en- route at the Tuckahoe deposits,
Tuckahoc, N. ", he will realize that
his Vermont instruction was largely in
the line Of ancient history. This applies
not only to the quarrying, but the finish
ing of the marble Hand channcling is
still pursued in some Of the Vermont
quariies, though this is rare. Hand
drilling may be seen in many Of the
euarries. The dcrrieks have the old
iron guy rods. Boom lifting is unknown
there, and in some of the deeper quar-
ries block Of marble is lifted several
times and by several derricks before it
is landed on the bank. But the back
wardness of Vermont ouarrymen in
II odern methods of handling stone is
nowhere shown so conspicuously as in
the old stone boats which are drawn
about the yards and mills by the pom
derous on"
In the Brandywine quarries, Mr..
Saunders was gratitied to find modern
improvements in full swing, and to note
that, by the use of the latest appliances,
stone is being produced with an economy
which is evidenced by the fact that these
quarries are supplying a large amount
of finished stone for use on the Sodom
dam of the New York aqueduct. He
visited the quarries with a gentleman
from Brazil, who came TO this country
for the purpose Of studying American
methods of granite quarrying. The
Brazilian had been through New Eng
land and, seeing there the same old pro-
cesses in operation that arc pursued in his
own land, had about come to the con-
clusion that there was nothing to learn
in this country. To disabuse his mind
of this impression he was brought
to Wilmington and shown how granite
should be quarried. Here he found, be-
sides the hosting and conveying appa-
ratus referred to, and which has grown
to be familiar sight to our people, a
machine at work splitting up blocks Of
granite, readily, economically and salts
factorily. He saw how blocks of granite
weighing as much MS ten tons may be
lifted, by one man operating hosting
engine, from their bed, transported
across the creek, and deposited upon Il
car or upon any designated spot within
the reach Of the conveying apparatus
The operation of this hosting and con-
veying machinery is the main feature Of
the article in the Scientific Amorican, the
text being explained by reference TO the
cut.
--e
No. 4I,, I,t M