Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1903-03-25
rHr workINa oF eRANrrE.

TIE WORKING OF GRANITE
Granite Is g So bstsnce which all people
know something about supeThoislly, NJ
least. becsnse, like wood, in more ways
than one. people live within Its walls,
wsIk upon streets inside Of 1t, or have bad
the pleasure Of buzzing their best girl on
cobble Of IL.
The similarity OF granite to wood Is the
secret of knowing how to work it, that Is
manufacture paving, street curbing OF
building stones of It, for true granite hiss
a rift, a grain, and hard way. The
knowledge of these simple facts Is the
kew 10 the SUCCESS OF being a practical
grsnite worker.
ouarrying is the first stage OF granite
prod uction. A quarry foreman is in
structed by the company superintendent
to get out certain dimension stones.
Let Us consider at this writing that the
work is being done in developed quarry
such as are now operated In this county.
The foreman generally has crew OF
twelve or fifteen quarrymen under bis
charge; he selects layer Of stone suitable
for the desired work, sDd with chalk and
line generally lays grain break, that
is, in ordinary qnarries the rift Is the
horizontal way of the ledge, which Is the
easiest way the stone can be split. The
grain il down through the layer; gener-
ally in an easterly and westerly course.
Thus the hardest way is usually at right
angles to the grain, called the "cut or In
a good working quarry.
The grain break, II the sheet is heavy
enough, Is made by blasting. This inter-
esting process IL done by three men; one
holds a steel drill and the other two are
strikers. The drill OF modern use is
patented; it has cutting end tempered
and formed similar to small slsntibg
roof shsnty, or in other words, It is made
with sharp corners and edges, aud when
driven will 90 about ten inches In ordt-
nary granite in about twenty minutes at
each sharpening.
1t makes a round hole about one and
one. half inches, and when down far
enough another tool called q rammer Is
driven down 80 IS to make two creases on
the sides ofsthe hole in the intended d.
zection OF the break to be made.
The charge is usually dynamite, which
excrts downward, and powder, which
lifts when 1t explodes. Then an air space
OF several inches is left, and the remain
der of the hole is filled with ordinary ine
dirt. The charge Is exploded by means OF
a copper fuse and an electric battery.
Er1 la a. .x-tFf M An 4 ka
grain as long as II can, but II the stone is
tight then the break will follow the course
of the least resistance. After this the
stone is broken in smaller pieces by
wedges, always calculating to split the
pieces as near the centre as possible.
This Is trade secret, and Is the secret
OF the success of the paving and curb
stone business. For example, should one
desire pieces one foot thick, two feet wide
and several feet In length, big stones two
feet square on the rift and grain are split
centrally on the rift way; whereas II one
should try to split one-ioot thick piece
of OF a three foot junk, the stone would
not break clear through one foot thick,
but run off, to q sharp edge anc leave
the other piece In an unshspeiy condition.
This knowledge accounts for the secret
of qusrrying street curblng and paving
successfully. 1t also accounts for tie
success that attends q Hancock county
quarrymsn elsew here, because he Is used
to working granite into much smaller
pieces, and, as in curoing and paving,
little hammered work is needed. Good
quarrying is the main factor in pro.
ducing attractive looking curb and
paving.
A Hancock county man can tell the rift
or grain of stone by teeiing it; so can a
Scotchmsn, but ordinarily other stone
men only account for their su ;cess by
thinking it IS their ability.
This may seen strange TO casual readers,
but usually paving cutters are Scotch,
and this county has been the largest paw.
ing producer OF any in the United States,
at least up to within a few years, and so
it is clear to see, for our men and the
Scotch have worked together more or less.
Men in the stone business In the town
OF Sullivan are now refusing big salaries,
say 5000 year, II they would but con-
sent 10 act as paving inspectors for New