New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-12-24
DEALING IN STONE.


ING LARGE ORDERS.
The stone dealers and contractors Of this city
have always enjoyed the reputation OF being
leaders not only in the volume OF business
transacted, but also in their facilities for exc
cutting the largest contracts in the shortest
space OF time.
The amount of stone Of various kinds used an
nualIy in this city alone is enormous. This CITY
uses per year an average Of 6OO.OOO cupic iee'
Of Indiana limestone. 100000 cubic feet OF Lake
Superjor red sandstone, 2OO,OOO CUBIC ieet Vi
Connecticut brownstone, 3OOOOO CUBIC ieet u
granite $4,000 cubic feet of Wyoming biuestohe'
and 10000 cubic feet Of Nova Scotia s.one'
Within a years time there VIII De useo III 4'e"
York 900 coo cubic feet Of marble. and there are
az present enough plans in contemplation 10 Ic
nnire three times that amount within the next
two years. .o,.;onad there Is a
s,nadv demand for granite the popularity Oh
which dates largely from the bulldlhg Oh 'ne
American Surety Building, which exnipi'eo HS
new possibilities A.. .xodo 10 toward
tho more durable stones in preference 10 sahu-
stone and many buildings OF the latter are We
ing torn down and replaced 10y 81 ~ the eY
marble and granite. An illustration OF tne sn
tensiyeness Of the trade is had in the fact tnat
in addition to fifteen large works in Mannat,an
there are thirteen in BROOKLYN nVe III 1900
ono in Hoboken and eight on the Waterfront
1rnr II onc Island city to Astoria, all Of which
do business here. .. ,x,,,s
These forsy-two firms all operas s'e an nm
and do an extensive business They are mem
hers either of the New-YOrk Stone Traders AS
ISOLATION of New-York or the Master rrees'o"e
Cutters Association OF BROOKLYN. .. ,,,,,s
These firms execute orders Tor puDuc puHu
iugs business houses and private residences in
ali parts of the country, the stone peing cut at
the works and shipped ready Tor use IN VIVA.
ever manner il may be required. In additioh 10
fho In
able number of small concerns. VINO execute
various kinds Of stonework ,
Some of the larger dealers are directly inter-
ested in the uuarries. but the majority BUY the
rough stone from the representatives In TINS
city of the various quarries throughout the
country. 1t is no unusual thing Tor inoiViauai
ouarrymen TO keep from twenty-five to one hun
bred carloads Of stone on the docks, ready for
demand .., A.,
Those who are directly connected with the
trade say that styles change in building stones
as in other lines of business and are largely de-
pendent upon the whms Of the architects.
THE modern machinery used in stone manu-"
facture pretty nearly talks" said one dealer,
and it is remarkable to see the way rough stone
is converted so as to be ready Tor use. Inc
extensive use of machinery has reduced the
number of men employed in the stoneyards, Dut
there are still no less than one thousand men
employed i'm the forty-two large works men
toned. The wages paid average from % to ~ ~
n day In addition, the business gives employ
ment to many designers. The Connecticut brown
stone Lake Superior redstone and Ohio sand
stone are exported in large quantities 10 CANADA
A peculiar fact in connection with TINS busl-
ness is that the stone is often shipped to New
York through the points where it is to be used,
and after being manufactured is sent directly
back again. The 100000 feet Of Indiana stone
called for in one contract to be used in the
Vanderbilt home in Asheve, N. c., was shipped
to New-York to be manufactured, and from here
1t was sent to Asheville. The fact that New
York is a seaboard city. with the advantage also
Of many direct trunk lines, is peculiarly adyan-
tageous to this industry.