Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1914-05-06
MASSIVE STONE.
LARGEST FOUNTAIN BOWL IN
THE WORLD.
GRANITE NOW BEING QUARRIED AT
CROTCH ISLAND, sToNINGToN, FOR
RocKEFELLER's GARDENS.

or Thurlow's island. 1t was described as
containing 101 u acres, and was supposed
to consist Of barren lodges covered with
thin soil and small growth OF wood. To-
day it is the site of three of the finest
granite quarries in the world. One OF
them is the John L. Goss quarry which, in
addition to its extensive operations on
Crotch island, has also plant on the near
! by island known as Moose island.
1t is on this small plot of land connected
| by bridge with the town OF Stonington
| that huge piece Of granite which weighed
at the start over 200 tons, is being cut for
John d. Rockefeller. Mr.. Rockefeller
wanted fountain in his gardens at larry
town-on-t the Hudson. he saw something
that took his eye on one of his world-cir-
cling trips at st. Petersburg he saw there
an immense granite bowl from which
spouted up magnificent fountain.
Mr.. Rockefeller came home with the
idea OF duplicating this to some extent,
but, like all his other undertakings, he
planned to go the other fellow one better.
He specified the dimensions OF the bowl
that is now being cut, making it larger
than the st. Petersburg dish or any other
in existence. He gave the contract to
John l.. Goss, OF New York, whose quarries
are at Crotch island and Moose island at
Stonington.
The bowl is to be twenty feet and eight
inches across; three feet and four inches
deep and is to be cut and polished by the
John L. Goss corporation. 1t scoops out
in the middle after the manner of an
earthen platter, and hole down through
the center, two feet and three inches
across, admits the water pipes after the
stone has been set up. The st. Petersburg
bowl required crew OF men working
several years for its completion.
The Stonington plant, with it's pneu-
matte drills, its cutting machines and all
modern quarry equipment will have the
| job finished in four or five months from
the time when the work started and this,
too, with only small gang OF men, but
they have been supplied with all that
modern invention has given to the granite
quarrying business.
| 1t is no ordinary achievement to quarry
out single piece OF granite weighing 225
tons or more, and when it is quarried the
real work has just begun. No derrick, of
course, will lift it. In this particular case
a hole was excavated in the pile OF grout
Cor waste stone) and the big stone after
being quarried was turned and got
into position for cutting by dumping it
partially into this hole, the men working
with the aid of wire guys, pulling the
stone up and holding it in place.
Crotch island is situated directly across
the harbor from Stonington. 1t was ex-
plored by the earliest pioneers coming to
the Maine coast, and during 113 years
since David Coffin took title to it, it has
had varied industries. The sea makes up
into the center OF it by a very narrow
channel. In the early days this channel
was damned at its mouth, and the rising
and falling tides furnished a very strong
water power at meagre expense, and
many OF the stones of the granite dam are
still'in place. For great many years the
island was owned by members OF the
Thurlow family and is now frequently
called Thurlow's island.
1t was here that Capt. David Thurlow,
in the early part OF the last century,
operated saw mill, and out of the tim
bers in the nearby woods he and other
members OF his family carried on a ship
yard. They built here, so the history
runs, seventeen different coastiDg vessels
and fishing craft. They launched from
these shores one brig of 142 tons burden.
They placed no value whatever upon the
layers OF granite which form the two hills
on each side of the above mentioned
water channel. They used these hills as
pasture for their cows and oxen, and
deeds made as late as 1872 make special
mention of the right to pasture cows in
common.
little earlier than this the prosperous
owners of the island carried on a fish yard
and what they called 'smoke house,,
and here they bought and sold and cured
fish, built vessels, sawed lumber, and
ground wheat. 1t would be a difficult
matter to estimate the present value of
the 101A acres of land which the commonaa
wealth of Massachusetts, sold to David
Coffin 11S years ago for S225.55, throwing
in the neighboring island called Nc
Glathery for good measure. The equip
ment of the three quarries, to say nothing
of the real estate, would run into the mil
lions.
Granite from Crotch island and from the
nearby Moose islandihas been used in the
construction OF some OF the largest build
ings and longest bridges on the American
continent. The Rockefeller fountain
bowl, now being cut, will be set up on
granite pedestals or posts These have al
ready been shipped from Stonington, and,
when the stone is in place, it will
measure about eleven feet from the ground
to the top Of the bowl. This is only one
of many which already adorn the Rookie
Teller gardens and grounds, but this latest
/ ont 4 ba of bar fr1c size