The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1896-06-06

from these inland nelds 10 Portland,
Bath, Wiscasset, Rockland and Belfast,
and thence shipped by vessels to points
farther south. The total harvest OF the
winter was upwards of three million
tons, being fully million and half
tons greater than that of any previous
year.
Maine, not only on account OF climate,
put by the purity of the water in her
rivers and lakes, is peculiarly adapted to
this industry. Upon the Penobscot river
the ice is ola fine quality. clear, thick and
hard in texture, of light, silvery color
and is very satisfactory to consumers.
The facilities for storing and shipping
are abundant and nearly two hundred
thousand tons were cut on the Penobscot
In the winter of 1891. The Kennebeo
river has natural facilities for this indus
Try far exceeding those of any other
river in the land. The convenience of
shipping, the rise and fall of tide, the
vast extent of the ice fields and the fine
quality of the product render it an ex-
ceptionally fertile section for the pro-
duction and export of Names great win
ter crop.
Here is, indeed, the centre of the great
ice industry of the State. From Abba
gadassett Point to Augusta, distance
of twenty-four miles, there are no less
than fifty ice-houses, with a storage ca
pacity of more than one million, three
hundred thousand tons. The total
amount harvested upon the Kennebec,
in 1891, was 847,00 tons. The entire
amount stored in Maine during that win
ter was 1918, 900 tons.
Though some winters are more favor
able to the storage of ice than others,
; yet Maine can generally be depended
upon for good crop; and when the fail
ure of fields upon the Hudson and
farther south make unusual demands
upon her resources, she can be confident
ly relied on to furnish the required
supply.
THE GRANITE INDUSTRY.
J The granite of Maine is well-known
and highly priced throughout the coun-
try and the business of quarrying and
} fashioning this most useful and durable
of building and monumental materials
has grown to be one of the leading in
dustries of the State. From the quarries
of Maine are fashioned all the different
varieties of product, suitable for every
use to which this rock is devoted, from
|
the artstically wrought columns of cost
ly public and private edfices and to the
imposing monuments which adorn the
cities, both of the living and of the
dead.
The GRANTEES of Maine differ both in
color and the nature of working. Red
granite is found at Jonesboro and Red
Beach, in Washington county, and at
Mount Desert, in Hancock county. 1t is
!; extensively used in the construction of
buildings, many imposing structures
being built wholly of this stone. The
Red Beach is the finest and most close
grained of the red GRANTEES and is sus-
ceptible of high polish, equal to that
OF any imported Scotch granite.
Black granite, OF the best quality, is
found at South Thomaston and Vinal-
haven. This rock, which is more prop
erly sienite, differs in it's composition
from the other GRANTEES, the mica. so
prominent in the other varieties, being
in this replaced by hornblende. 1t is
very highly priced for monumental pur-
poses. 1t takes polish superior to any
other stone, and the constrast between
the polished and hammered work is
what would be expected from the
shades of its composition, black and
white.
The white granite of Maine is not
much more abundant than the red and
black varieties. The finest of the white
GRANTEES is the Hallowell stone, though
this variety is also quarried in Lincoln,
Franklin, Waldo and Knox counties.
The Hallowell Granite Works do large
business in monumental and statuary
work, and some of the finest specimens
of the artists skill may be seen at its
works. The stone. being comparative
ly soft and easy of working, allows it to
be wrought as fine as marble. 1t is also
well adapted to the making of paving
blocks, as it has very free rift and can
! be easily split.
The gray granite is very abundant, but
differs much in quality. This is the
stone most extensively quarried and is
used principally for building purposes
and FOR paving stones. The most extern
sive quaTries of gray granite are at Vinal-
haven, Hurricane Island, Mt Waldo,
somes' Sound and West Sullivan. Most
of the gray GRANTEES take a good polish,
but do not show a great contrast between
the polished and hammered work.
The clark granite is a variety highly
priced Cor all purposes. Its ham mered
| WIN elioWo a voiy lSHl COiOI, DuC III
takes an exceedingly fine, dark polish,
which makes the contrast very beautiful
This granite is found in quite num-
Der of localities, is of superior quail
ity and is much priced for monument
al work.
More than 1000 men are employed in
the granite industry in Maine, at wages
ranging from $3.50 to $500 per day, ac-
cording to the character of the work
dowy. About seEenty per cent. of the
granite cutters of Maine are American
born and, as class, are in very comfort
able circumstances. A majority of them
are the possessors of farms and their
houses are comfortably and, in some
cases, elegantly furnished. Intellectual
ly and morally they are in the first ranks
of the mechanics of the State and more
daily papers are taken in the granite
villages than in many larger comm uni
ties.
In her beautiful and enduring granite,
Maine has erected many monuments
which will perpetuate her name in near