The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1911-05-25
Government Plans to See the
Grave of Every Man Who
Was in Army Marked
MONUMENTS OF HONOR MADE
People OF Two Cities are Kept Busy
Turning Out Markers Which Uncle
Sam is Furnishing for Graves of
Veterans of Two Wars.

The United States government has
provided 100000 markers for the
graves Of soldiers. From two marble
uuarries, one at Lee, Mass, and one at
Rutland, VT, all these tombstones
have been taken Lee has furnished
100000 markers in the last thirty
years and is turning out graves stones
at the rate of 10000 a year.
Each marker is 8 feet long, / foot
wide and 4 inches thick, and weighs
200 ounds. Just under the rounded
top is outlined an inlaid shield and
within this is cut the name, age, COM
pany, rank and regiment of the sol
der, sailor or marine whose grave it
is to mark.
From two quarry pits at Lee these
stones are taken. On the grounds at
the quarry they are cut, polished,
marked and Grated for shipment to a
central distributing point. A force of
twenty men is constantly employed by
a contractor, who obtains his contract
in competition semi-annually from the
government.
A block Of marble 3x3 feet is the
average size used for headstOnes. 1t
IS run into the mill on short truck
and fastened under gang OF saws
which slowly descends with a swing
ing motion and cut through it. Then
the block is rolled out, chained to-
gether, turned over and set through
the same process again. The saws are
simple bands of irons an eighth of an
inch thick and the cutting is done by
sand which is we'll wet and kept
dripping on the work.
The next process is the coping or
rounding one end of the marker and
smoothing it by grinding by saod and
water on a revolving iron table. Then
the marLel is ready for lettering or
numbering.
A. government inspector examines
every headstone and condemns all
that have flaws or discolorations or
are wrongly lettered. The discarded
stones are in the main good marble
and workmen cut them into what are
known as marble bricks, which are
used for building purposes.
Application blanks for these head
stones are sent out from the quarter
master generals Office. Any deceased
soldier, sailor, marine, nurse or scout
who served under regular enlistment
may have his last resting place marked
by the government on request of rel
ative, grand army post or private
citizen.
The stones are shipped usually by
The carload to certain distributing
points named by the war department.
For the New England states Boston
is the distributing place, New York
for the middle states, Chicago for the
middle west. Denver, San Francisco,
Atlanta and Houston, Tex, are other
points Of shipment.
Washington has received the great
est number of these markers. Thous-
ands have been set up in Arlington and
other government cemeteries; how
many no one seems to know.
Not only does the government furn-
ish the tombstone free, but it pays the
freight TO it's destination. All that
has to be done when the stone has
been delivered is to have it carried to
the grave from the freight Office and
set up. Many grand army posts look
after this.
Hundreds of stones have been sup
piled to mark the graves of women
nurses who served in the civil war.
Nearly all the applications come in the
names of privates or sailors. Occa-
sionally there is found the name of a
line officer and there have been occa-
sions when the grave of staff officer
has been marked. Two generals and
perhaps a dozen colonies are buried
in the cemeteries of the United States
government and have over their graves
the small white stones provided by
the government