The Portland daily press., 1893-04-15
A New Device for Cutting Granite.

~ concord Monitor.]
Since the settlement of the difficulties
between the granite cutters and their en-
ployers there has been little occasion for
the newspapers to speak of the granite
business or of the hundreds of men who
have all winter been steadily working
away in the sheds in this city. A visit
to the stone yards now, however, is much
more interesting and gratifying than
when a strike is on and it shows that
great amount of work is being done, es-
pecially in the huge and commodious
sheds of the New England company. At
the present time exactly 203 men are at
work in these sheds and during the win
ter the number has been as large as 24O.
The firm is still engaged in cutting out
the granite blocks for the libraries of
Congress at Washington, and some of
the pieces are highly ornamental and
represent the expenditure of vast
amount of labor and of the application
of more than ordinary skill. The con-
tract under which this work is being
done extends over a period covering the
next two years, and a conference with
the manager of the works shows that
there is every indication that the job can
be finished in that time at the present
rate of production.
Within the past three weeks new
| method of cutting stone has been intro
| duced in shed No. 3, which is especially
| interesting and which is said to be the
first trial of the device ever made in this
country. 1t is used in splitting in two
the large rocks of granite that come from
the quarries. Formerly, these blocks
| were split by drilling succession of
holes about four inches deep into the
stone entirely across the top and then in
sorting wedges which severed the block
in two, This of course left two rough
faces to be polished at cost of So or
$3.50 per day for the men employed upon
| it. The new method, by saving the
block in two leaves both faces smooth.
The device consists of a long, endless
wire, which is carried on succession of
wheels two of which are placed near the
ends of the block and are adjustable to
it's height. AS the wire is pressed down
upon the stone while running rapidly, it
| gradually cuts It's way into the solid
| granite at the rate of about an inch and
| half an hour, until the stone is sawn in
| two.
| The wire is made of the best steel and
| is in the form of screw, so that in run
ming over the pullies like a belt it is con-
stantly whirling around. 1t extends a
distance Of more than 400 feet from one
pulley to the other, and there is CON
sequently nearly 700 feet of the wire.
The great length is necessary in order to
cool the wire which becomes intensely
heated in passing the stone. But it is
not the wire, alone which does the cut
ting. While it is running through the
creyice in the stone Quantity of fine
| sand is poured upon it and water from a
tank overhead is also trickling down into
the crevice. 1t is the sand which cuts
into the granite and makes it possible
4 TOR the wire to work It's way downward,
The machine is made of iron and was
built in Belgium. The castings are rath-
er primitive il appearance, showing that
the best work cannot be done in that
country. 1t is being set up by a native
Arab unable to speak word of English
and can only be communicated with
| through an interpreter. He is an intelli-
| gent and pleasant appearing fellow, but
his work shows a lack of Yankee inge-
nuity that would be to his disadvantage
| in competing with American workmen
| His name is Ricci Suigi. He says that
he has seen these machines in operation
in France and other European countries,
but it is understood that they origin
ated in Africa, where they are used in
cutting marble from the quarries. An
agent of the NewIEngland Granite COM
| pany heard of the machine in that coun-
| try. and this one was brought from there
| to this city. 1t is a most interesting de-
| vice, not only because of its usefulness
but from its history and method of CON
| struction. The Arab is teaching others
| to operate the machine, and his stay in
| Concord will be only temporary.
Mr.. Mcmillan, authority in such mat