Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-09-05
STONE FOR BUILDINGS.
When This Material aud Slate Were Yirvt
Employed In Houses.

An INTERESTING Talk WIFE rRor. MERRILL 90
rHE NATIONAL sUsEuN-LESaTH OF LITr OF
THE DIFFERENT KINDS on sroxr axp mARBIE--
REsIsrAScE TO BRAT AND ooLD.
THE USE OF STONE IN THE oRNA.
u mentation OF houses and other buildings is
Of comparatively recent date. One hundred
and nfty years ago people were too poor 10
build their homes OF other material than brick
or wood AZ wealth increased towns grew into
cities and there was demand for more durable
and ornamental material Prof. George T.
Merrill Of the National Museum is well posted
on the subject OF building and ornamental
stones. and TO him . STAR representative APP
piled for information.
when did stone first come into use n. n
building materislg' was asked.
In the carly par; Of the eighteenth cen
fury. about 1870 the first stone WINS ouarr,.a
in Massachusetts IL was not however. until
the early part Of this century that granite
began 20 be used in and about Boston. In the
year ISIS the granite quarries at Quincy began
TO assume importance. A. early As 1892 granite
guarries were reported 60 bave been opened al
Haddam Neck IN Connecticut Marble auar-
ries we're FIRST worked AT Marketable. Conn.
an the year 1850. Sandstone aunlrpiuc ma.
hrst undertaken in thu vicinity of Portland.
Conn, opposite MidalCtown. The qUarr.es
were considered common property and no tax
was Imposed until l665. when the CITIZENS Of
hlddletown voted that whoever shall dig or
raise stone az We rocks on the east eide of tho
river NOV Portland) for any without the town.
the said digger shall be none but an inhAbitant
OF Mlddle'own. and shall be responsible 90 ye
towne II pence per tunn for every tunn 81
stones that he or they shall digg for any
person whosseyer without the towne'
Nv, Mat about slate for roofing purposcsg'
That Is also an industry OF recent origin.
and few Of the slate quarries have been In
operation more than twenty OF thirty year.
The prevalence Of slate toinbstoues howev,r
in many Of our older churchyard- would seem
10 indicate that these stones have been qunrriea
from a much earlier period for other purposes
than roofing"
TO what extent are building stones affected
by heat and cod?"
CONDUCTING POWER AND ELASTICITY.
''Stones. as a rule. possess but low conduct
ing power and slight elasticity. They are az
gregates OF minerals. more or less closely CO.
herring. each of which Possesses degrees 81
expansion and contraction OF its own. A. our
temperature Is ever changing and within tho
space Of twenty-four hours NAV vary as much
as forty degrees within the mass Of the
stone there Is continual movement among lite
particles. Slight Rs these movements NAV be-
Stow and gradual weakening and disintegra-
ton must ensue. Thus Bunker Hin monument
hollow granite obclisk 22l feet high by 80
feet square at the base. swings from side 10
side with the progress of the Gun during
sunny day, so that a pendulum suspended from
the center of the top describes an irregular
ellipse nearly half inch In greatest diane Ter
Similar effects. but In a less marked degree
have been observed on the south and west sides
OF the Smithsonian building. The effects Of
moderate temperatures upon stone Of
ordinary dryness are. however. slight
when compared with the destructive
energies of freezing temperatures upon stones
saturated with moisture. At temperature Of
80 degrees Fahrenheit the pressure exertod by
water passing from q liquid 20 a solid state
amounts 20 l3s tons TO the square foot or equal
70 the weight Of column Of ice a mile high
Is 1t then astonishing that q porous sandstone
exposed In a house front 20 be saturated with
winters rain and then subjected TO tempera-
lures perhaps several degrees below the frcez-
ing point shows signs of weakness and eNfolia-
ton after a single seasons exposurey Hence
the conclusion is natural that those stones are
most durable, which will absorb and retain the
least moisture"
How do you test the power of stones 20
Withstand the effects Of frost2"
The best method Is to actually expose pre-
pared blocks TO such a temperature. when .atu-
rated with water. as TO freeze them solid and
then note the amount Of disintegraiion or loss
IN strength. OF course at all seasons of the
year tins cannot be done, and CRITICAL methods
must be used"
RESISTANCE TO HEAT.
err e s.Oae' Des' Iesis' neat
as a. ,,r,s-,aaS IS " ~ ,.l0,ai neat suon
course Greater 4, nronor,in,s III sne, oi
ture j, higher. su,siciant "a ,.,s ps
cannot "A. 6ad sor acc,,,.,.i.. ~ ..,s...a 80 ~
comparative enduring power OF stones under
we'll proven ,ba, ~ an -. n,.n' ~ - -
Least fire nroof uhiia ~. g. :. -.. . ~ VIZ
the fine grained siioaans ssnas," , -. y,
for fnrnaca Lacl;,, ,s so -. ny uso.
If not absoluteIy mr. nrof r., ,,..
SO. IL must howeyer he undsrs,oog -, ~,
sudden coating OF tbe snrf.cs =, Ios,oJ -.
caused by re,'satad $500 =, - -. -
often more To- do with ifs disinta-r.,,"n ,ha,,
heat alone Granite was for IoTs nm. ,'..',,.
larly believed 10 he a nearly fire-nroof M iataI
The great fires OF portlanI Ra.,on a,aS -
cayo not merely exnloded tbi, a.. hu, ,,,,o,.s
the contrary 70 be true-that instead "a h.ing
the most fire proof il was the least so. rankine
below either sand or lime stone tn ,,ac'I'as
susceptibility Of this stone to the effect of heat
may be ascrIbed to it's compact and complex
structure each of lite constituent materials
possessing different degrees Of expansion Ia
mas also been suggested by certain authors
that the minute watsr-filled cavities in the
quartz of these rocks NAV be an important
factor. since. when highly heated, the water is
converted into steam aud an explosion results
Causing the quartz to fly in fragments."
rrrr or rr,nrx. s7o>,rs
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