Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1905-11-23

some Of the Difficulties Of Transporting
Heavy stones over the ROynItOn
Roads and Bridges.

Heavy stones over the NOymItOn
Roads and Bridges.
In the transportation of tho different
pieces Of the monument being erected
in Royalton and sharon to commem-
crate the brit! place ofJcscph Smith there
are many difficulties to overcome. This
monument Is to stand just across the
Sharon line, browning the HILL and the
memorial building which Is nearing com
rleton occupies the site Of the house in
which Joseph Smith was born on Dccem-
Der %. 1905. This house stood on Royal
ton land. For many years there has
been a difference of opinion as to wheth-
er Joseph Smith was born in Sharon on
koyalton but survey OF the town lines
established the facts as above stated.
DESCRIPTION or THE STONE
The contract for the monument was
let on July q, 1905. by Junius T.. Wells
of Salt Lake City-the representative of
the Mormon Church--to X. e. Brown a.
Co. of Montpelier, who sublet the quarry
ing to Mari 4 Gordon and the Boutwell,
duarrics. The cutting and polishing was
all done by Barclay Bros of Barre. The
bases, die caps and shaft are all of dark
Farre granite. The shaft. or "spire," as
1t Is called by the contra ctors, is four
feet square nj the base and three feet
square at the top with an apex of three
feet. The shaft is IS feet and six inches
in length and weighs over ~ tons. This
is tho largest shaft ever sent from
the Barre works and is supposed to he
the larccs, granite all polished shaft in
America. The two bases weigh 81 tons.
The die is Il block Of granite of the form
of Il cube Of SIX feet ana weighs /,
tons. A cap goes over the top of the
die and. while it is the smallest of the
separate pieces, weighing nine tons, be
ing seven feet four inches square and
two and one-half feet thick, it has taken
longer to prepare than any Of the other
stones on account of the inscription
mouldngs and carvings upon it.
DIFFICULTY or WORK.
All of this mass of granite leaves the
cars at Royalton five and onc-half miles
from its destination. Some of the diff
may he imagined when We take into con-
brought by a special train; that a special
side track had to he built; that grading
had to be done from this spur to the
highway; that the roads are very nlrrow
IN places mailing it difficult to work the
teams to ADVANTAGE: also that travel must
not be blocked The roads were too soft
for such heavy weights and many sharp
curves had to he rounded and the last
three miles of the route were up steep
hills. The wagon. upon which the pieces
were moved, weighs nearly eight tons
and is eight feet wide and 80 feet long
The hind axle is a-inch steel The for
ward wheel is three feet in diameter ANA
the rear wheel Is four and One-half feet
in diameter. The first load of the two
bases of 81 tons weight was placed with
Is tons on the hind axle and T. tons on
the forward aNle. Twenty-Five horses
were hltcned t. this and it could not be
stirred and blocks and tackle were used
and the track was covered with 3-inch
maple plank, of which thousands of feet
took Il men with four pairs Of horses
and 4 yoke of oxen IL days for the five
and onc-half miles. The oxen were used
W StiN' wv i''tu Dy puIilIlS SIu'NlSe on
the cables. After delivering the first load
the wagon rcturned to Royalton for the
die which w, transported in the same
manner two and one-half miles. whore
it was unload-d on to blocks by the road
side and the big wagon returned to Roy
alton for III, shaft. \ wagon was built
at Barre lnder the direction of III. c.
Leonard for the especial work of con-
vcying tho die NJ the hill This was on
account OF the top-heavy kind of Il load
that the ii. made In one spot the wheels
of this wagon went off the planks on
the soft road and seemed in imminent
danger "i plugging into the river many
feet below. but by means of guy ropes
hitched to the top of the load and by
powerful jacks under ii. it was finally
pulled back on to mo,e solid footing.
The hig' way bridge over the first
branch Of the White River had To be
showed up and was found that the bot
tom of tn" stream was bed of quick
sand. ncccssita Ting the use of mud stills
at the bottom Of the uprghts and after
this work w.is in plac" it WAS found
that the structure settled eight inches
in few days from the weight of the
ordinary travel over the bridge and maxi
ing ii necessary to still further block up
the work. After all of this care was
taken tho bride, did not settle a quarter
of an inrh 'lnd"r the heavy loads which
crossed it. The workmcn are all provided
with SAILORS OIL skin suits and are thus
able t" work in any storm.
Capt. james T. Mcneil OF Syracuse, ~
v, has charge Of the moving OF the
monument.
w. +. Rowland of Barre will set the
monument II. e. Leonard of Barre is
employed in the transportation of the
monument.