The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1906-06-09
QOIlINA llSO
in II ANY
III VI
Irving |. Potter Writes Most
interestingly
-----
OF CONDITIONS HE FOUND
He Tells Of the Small Pay Received
and Of the Poor Conditions I'M
der Which the Men
Labor
OF CONDITIONS HE FOUND

4
Irving r. Potter, formerly i teacher
IN Goddard seminary, who il now tray
cling in Europe, Writes most interest
Ingly Of 4 visit to an Italian quarry
as follows;
Brenno Useria.
Brcnno Useria II little town OF Eve
hundred inhabitants situated at the foot
Of Mount Useria and about 40 hour and
a halls ride from Milan, the capital
of I.omhardy Here II located the prin-
cipal building stone quarry 81 Italy,
which has been wroked since 1874. The
one entrance to this underground QUAR-
nv leads down i steep inclined plane,
over which / small track Il laid. Sey-
eral small oil lamps If curious design
hang near the entrance; they are heart
shaped, with i fame of one candlepower
at the apex. and slender perpendicular
handle at the opposite end.
At slx o'clock in the morning every
man takes one Of these lamps and de-
sends the steep, narrow path into the
quarry, six hundred feet below. which
covers an area Of many square feet the
low portion. at the left. is filled by a
pool OF water 30 feet long, 100 feet
broad and 10 feet deep. Here, sur
rounded BY darkness and walls rocking
with moisture, twenty men work from
six III the morning until seven af night,
cutting tile stone from the solid rock
BY the mid of hong, Slender points. The
stone II much softer than the Barre
granite, yet il takes three days 10 quarry
q block Z feet long and 2isMide. While
the average quauyman of Bane receives
$500 for q day Of eight hours, and
has every modern convenience 10 work
with. this brother laborcr receives thirty
to ninety cents per day and can afford
only the simplest Of tools.
The stoneslied where the stock Is cut
and carved Is at the entrance OF the
quarry. IL reminded me OF cur country
horse sheds only one side closed and
being protected from the sun and rain
BY rude tile roof Sixty 10 sixty-five
cutters and carvers are employed here.
being mostly boys from twelve 10 eigh-
teen years who serve three TO four years
10 learn the tntde The first year they
receive no salary, but are often given
4 Tip" OF TIVE dollars. The second
year, the work being more difficult, the
boys arc paid i've to SIX cents day
and the last year from ten to fifty
cents. Opposite the shed is a school
where they are taught monumental and
architectural drawing lin the latter only
the decorative art1. hy one Of the best
masters Of Italy. This school has won
five medals. one being given them at
Paris al the time OF the exposition.
The medals and many Of the drawings
we're shown to me BY the assistant
master. Those for monumental and
architectural decoration were taken for
the most part from the cast, while some
were copies of plaster given in the mag
azines. The mechanical and. perspective
drawings were also neatly aud accurate
Is done.
Many beautiful buildings have been
made Of the stone from this quarry,
among which the the Gallery Of Victor
Emmanuel at Milan, and the station at
LliceTne. Switzerland
From Brenno Useria can be seen, at
the foot OF the rugged mountain Of
Ella, the small village Of Niggiu. the
home Of Ella Corti, who WAS one OF
Barre's finest workmen, the carver OF
Burns monument which stands in front
Of Spanlding high school. In the same
village lived John Conn and his brother,
who did must Of the work on the monu-
ment which was erected in Hope come
terry in honor OF Ella Corti. These two
monuments are Bartes nearest approach.
to art and have been seen and admired
by hundreds Of people. All three OF
these men served their time at this little
she'd, as did many of our ablest work.
men. At the present time there are
two hundred Italians in Barre from Bren-
no Useria, many being among our most
Industrious and promising citizens, who
have saved enough to own their homes,
a good business and are educating their
children either in America or Europe.
These same people have bought prop
erty III Italy. where they support aged
parents and sisters by sending money
to them, usually monthly.
The boys now learning their trade,
with few exceptions. expect to come
to Barre Some have remarkable talent
and II they prove as worthy as their
townsmen, Barre may yet become the ar
tistic centre of Vermont. This win not
seem fur fetched to those who have Wis
tied Italy and who have seen the work
OF Michael Angelo, the painter, sculptor
and architect, Of whom Sir Joshua Rev
nolds says that ito kiss the hem Of his
garment, to catch the slightest of his
PROJECTIONS. would be glory and distinc
tion enough for an ambitious man. or
to have seen even the beautiful MONT
ments at the Campo Santo in Milan,
done by some of the artists OF the
present age, would assure the practical
american that this romantic, impulsive
nation has the talent and ability which
we need and in years to come viii make
II unnecessary for MS to travel across
the sea TO find art. 1t viii then be
necessary only for the students who
wish 70 study the early schools, their
methods and their growth.
let MS welcome these ambitions and
talented young mon who arc to come,
educate them and encourage them with
The desire TO make our city a beautiful
az we'll as proSnefoug one