The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1892-02-18

estng article captioned, 1.-The Granite
Industry of New England The various
granite works and quarries of the New
England States are attractively written up
and handsomely illustrated with portraits
of prominent granite men, cuts of build
ings and bridges. Through the courtesy
of the publishers of the New England
Magazine we are enabled to present, with
illustrations that portion of the article re-
latng to the quarries in this vicinity The
writer says;
The principal sources OF granite in New
England are in the eastern sections. The
leading qual1ie>. where theStone is found
in its best form. seem to follow the inden-
tations of the coast. This fact has proved
a strong element i'll the development
of the industry. Transportation is
vital factor in the progress Of most en-
terpli>es. but especially SO in one where
the product is heavy to handle and of
small value as compared with its bulk
This proximity to the coast has done two
things tor the quarry owners OF eastern
New England 1t has made granite pos
sihility as a building stone. This it has
done by atfording cheap transportation to
the leading building centres. Then. HAY
Ing made a market for the stone. it has
given these owners the permanent advan-
tage over many of their rivals of water
shipping rates
The uuarres are the centres or cores of
old mountain ranges which have been
worn down to THEN bases by the action of
the sea and the glaciers Of the ice age.
They may be divided into three general
systems The first. under such an ar
rangement, would include those qriarries
which follow the coast line from PASSPORT
to Boston, the convergng points of which
are the Penobscot Bay, Cape Ann and the
Quincy district. To the second would be
assigned the Rhode Island and Long Island
Sound quarries: while the third would en-
brace certain excellent beds to be found
in central Maine. New Hampshire. Yer
mont, and western Connecticut.
THE FOX ISLANDS AND HURRICANE
The quarlies of the Penobscot Bay form
one OF the most interesting groups in this
country. Nature has dealt ont the gram
lite with such lavish hand, that it is not
necessary To delye deeply for it, The OPP
CREATIONS are therefore, on a broader scale
and more open to the eye of the visitor.
Prof. y, :. Shaler. of Harvard University.
who made a special examination OF the
building stones of New England for the
census Of 1850, says in his report:
These granite qlarres afford very ex-
"elIent conditions for working. The stone
"opens easily, having the peculiar inchoate
Joints that are such striking features in
the syenite or granite of New England.
There are generally at least two of these
1ift-lines. Then there is more or less
complete division OF what appears to be
line beds. as well as joints. so that the
division of the rock is as complete as
could be desired. At the same time. the
lines of weakness in the rock are not SO
numerous as often to make the uuarried
MASSES too small Tor use, as is sometimes
the case in other districts The impuri-
often seem to mar the appearance of gran
lite rocks. are not found in any great album
dance save at a few points,
The largest OF these guaries are located
on Dix Hurricane. and Fox Islands. OBJ
elatl"ns have been abandoned at the
former place. but not until nearly the
whole Of the island had been quarried
over. Great bluffs have been entirely re-
moved. and excavations still remain which
contain more than fifty feet ut water. the
marks "f former activity. 1t was from
tins island that the stone for the New
ORR Custom House and the New York
and Philadelphia Post-Ot1ice BUILDINGS
WAS obtained. 1t is a dark gray stone
We'll suited t" building purposes. but if
has no certain cleavage. This caused a
waste Of both effort and material and
made the working of it. in the near pres
ehre OF other stone. Improbable.
Hurricane Island as its name suggests
Is scarcely more than a centre for tha
storms which sweep the Penobscot Raw
~ - WY liNH, however, IN Il heavy. dark
gray granite sometimes tinoed with mink
HE structure of the stone differs in ditYar-
ent parts OF the quarries. In one portion
1t Hes IN comparatively thin sheets. while
IN others occur immense masses of solid
rock extending downward for fifty feet
without any perceptible jointing. Natural
blocks five hundred feet long. twenty feet
wide, and twice as deep are frequent.
while single blocks weighing eighty tons
have been moved. The island is owned
by Nh David Tillson, and was operated
by him until about two years ago. when
the business was consolidated with that of
the Booth Brothers, of New York. who
also own large quarres in Connecticut and
at south Thomaston, Maine The firm
was incorporated under the style of Booth
Brothers and Hurricane Island Granite
Company. The corporation employs in
its Maine quaries about three hundred
and twenty-five men, and the annual out
put approaches in value $500. 900. The
most notable contract filled by Mr.. Tillson