The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1913-06-17
The Kansas Commission Had
a Great Trip.
Selected "CreOle" Marble for
Memorial Building.
CONNELLEY'S STORY OF TRIP
Kansas Writer'S Account of
Southern BattlefieIds.
Gov. Hodges and w. L. Brown
Make Speeches.

the Kansas commissioners trip &c
Georgia to select marble for the Me-
mortal building at Topeka:
The contract for the marble to be
used for the interior finish of the Me-
mortal building was awarded to the
Georgia Marble company of Tate, Ga,
whose representative, after the award
was made, invited the Memorial build
ing commission to visit the QuarrieS,
to make selections of color-combina-
lions, as the guests of the company.
The 18th of June was fixed as the date
when the commission would go on this
trip. On that day Governor George H.
Hodges, Speaker w. L. Brown, Paul
Klein, senate member, F. H. Chase,
house member, J. N. Harrison, COM
mander G. A. r. department of Kan
sas, Charles H. Chandler, state archi-
test, and William E. Connelley. repre-
senting George w. Martin, secretary
of the state historical society, left To-
peka over the Santa Fe for Atlanta,
Ga. AT Kansas City we transferred
to the Frisco.
On Friday morning, the 9Th, we pass
ed through Memphis. All that day we
were passing through Mississippi and
Alabama. The country impressed US
as being in a backward state of devel-
opment. The soil appeared thin and
wornout. 1t is usually of a light yellow
color and the slopes of elevations are
badly washed and are usually abandon
ed The fields are small patches in the
lowlands, and we saw but one cultiVa-
tor on that part of the journey. The
land is cultivated with single-shoyel
plows or bull-tongueS drawn by one
mule driven by negro. Occasionally
we saw q negro woman blowing. The
farm houses we saw are small and
dilap idated, set on stills or pillars, and
often they proved to be log cabins
covered with clapboards. To a person
familiar with the comfortable farm
dwellings of Kansas, neatly painted,
with large red barns standing in the
background, these southern homes bear
an appearance of desolation and power
ty. We saw few church and school
buildings, and those we did see are pri-
mitive and seem to be neglected. There
is much timber in that country, but
about the rural homes, churches, and
school houses We saw few groves of
shade or ornamental trees. Cattle,
sheep, and hogs are not numerous, and
those we saw are of the scrub and
raZorback breeds. There are, of course,
better parts of the south than we pass
ed through on the 9Th of June, and it
is well that it is so.
AS we neared Birmingham we be-
gan to meet long freight trains loaded
with trCn and steel pipe, steel rails
ard other products of the mills and
factories of that city, busting, hus-
thing, modern town claiming hundred
and fifty thousand p.uTle.
Places Famous in History.
We arrived in Atlanta at night and
were met by a representative of the
C CT gia Marble company, who quar-
tel &c us at The Piedmont, one Of the
NJ ST hotels n The city. On Saturday
MGR, ing We went by rail tn visit the
quarries at Tate, Ga. On the way we
passed Marietta, Kennesaw Mountain,
nd or T119 history
of great interest to us, and especially
to Colonel Harrison. who fought i'll
brigade in the Civil war.
all about Atlanta. He now complained
of his tame reception, saying that
when he arrived there fifty years ago
he was met with brass bands and sa
Iutes of artillery. "And they were
mighty careless about where they shot,
too" said the colonel. Seemed as
though they would rather hit a man
than miss him."
The quarries were reached about 0
o'clock. We were met by Major Sam
Tate, owner of the quarries and
large tract of land on which the mar
BILE has not yet been disturbed. We
found him a charming host. He is tall,
of commanding presence, frank, cor
dial in manner, a fine business man,
and a genuine southern gentleman. He
has developed the Georgia marble bus
mess from very small beginnings to
United States One of his quarries is
about 200 by 500 feet, and is cut down
into solid marble to a depth of 1875
feet. From the floor or bottom of
this quarry a core drill has been put
down 145 feet without finding even a
seam or crack in the great mass of
marble found there. How much thick
err the deposit is no one knows. We
saw number of such quarries on the
though no others are yet
Tof nd
controls twelve thousand acres covered
with this marble.
Marble Is Cut. Not Blasted.
The marble is quarried with ma
chimes and there is no waste. 1t is
cut out, not blasted. 1t is taken out in
blocks about by by feet, and is
worth at the quarry from IS cents to
$1.45 cubic foot. There are a num-
Der of large finishing mills on the
property, where the marble blocks are
sawed into required sizes, polished and !
fitted. We saw all these processes, |
and thew are very interesting This
is now sold all over America.
1t is the strongest marble known 1t
has granular structure, and when it
is polished it has an appearance SUI
perior to marble with a dead mass
surface, as most other marble has. |
There are all colors from white to
black: and there is a rainbow celored
variety which is very beautiful. We
were shown a large square which is |
almost a duplicate in color design of |
an oriental rug. For this block Major |
Tate was awarded a gold medal at the |
worlds fair at st. Louis.
Selected "Creole' Marble.
The commission selected what is |
known as the Creole marble for the in |
.erior finish of the Memorial building. |
This is a very fine white marble with |
lark lines and clouds through |
t. 1 have never seen any other marble |
n which the color contrast so we'll; |
md the harmony and blending of the |
,olors are remarkable In making the |
selection the commission was unani- |
nous and 1 am certain that the people /