Heppner gazette. [volume] (Heppner, Morrow County, Or.) 1892-1912, 1904-08-04
VALUABLE QUARRIES
Marble Beds Of Vermont Source Of
Untold Riches.
Almost Equal to the Famed Product
Of Italy-Ths First Quarry Was
Opened il the ColO~iol
Days.

|
did not know what q mistake the!
made when they called the molntaini
| Of New Hampshire White, and thos%
| OF Vermont Green. It Is true the beau.
tiful color Of the verdure which coverl
the Vermont peaks seems to give them
an appropriate name. but In places
where the top has been scraped of
masses OF marble have been found
which are almost equal to the famed
products OF Italy. says the New York
Tribune. The story goes that one of
these deposits. worth literally millions
Of dollars. was traded by the man who
owned 1t In the early days OF the state.
for mule. 80 that he could move his
household goods into \ country where
the soil was richer From this stone
farm" have come monuments and stat
nary which can be seen in all parts of
the United States.
1t was in the colonial days that the
first Vermont marble quarry was
opened in the little town Of Dorset,
but. like some Of the other great re-
sources OF New England. the extent Of
the marble beds was not realized until
about 25 years ago. Since then, how
ever the industry has advanced 30 rap
idly that within the last ten years the
capital invested in It. as we'll as tho
production, has increased over 50 per
cent. At present over 50, ,0OO, 900 worth
OF marble Is being taken out yearly by
the 5000 men employed in the quarries
while nearly 1000 others are busily
engaged with chisel and mallet or pow
er tool in cutting It into various forms
for adornment and use. While the mar
Bile embraces q variety Of hues. from
deep black to the purest whito, the
bulk Of 1t Is Of an exceeding nne grain.
and 30 durable that 1t 10 being used
for public buildings and edinces
throughout the country. ~ we'll ~ for
mere ornamentatiOn.
In the vicinity OF Rutland and Proc
tor one can look into holes In the
mountain side actually large enough to
accommodate the biggest ONCE build
ing in New York city for some OF them |
are over 800 feet In depth and nearly |
half mile W length. YET the walls ara
composed U solid marble,
although the blocks have been cut out |
50 regularly that they appear to be
built up like the palaces Of the Greeks |
and Romans. Even at this depth. how
ever. the beds continue downward ~
far a. the drill point has yet pierced,
and only few openings have thus far
been made. Such IL the abundance Of
the material that 1t is seldom extracted
1t depth below 800 fest. owing to the
distance 1t mus< bs hoistsd from it,
bed. but the most modern machinery
10 used for cutting and hauling tina
shines which will do the work OF a
men. Marble 10 too valuable
% be blown out with explosives, 30
what are called ehannsling machines
ire used, which. operated By electricity
Ind compressed air. cut out blocks
rom the wallis Of white. some Of which
Ne 10 feet IN length and slght feet in
thickness. The machine 10 composed
4 set OF powerful drills which bore
,oies from nix to eight inches apart In
he bloekA Thus weakened. the block
. detached from the wall b7 wedges.
Perhaps At the very mouth OF the
'Dening from Witch ehs marble vas
AIKEN a hundred msa ana boys srs
1t into various forms. Soms
( these africans have also become e.
'er sculptors.