The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1917-01-10
ARE MAKING LIME
FROM MARBLE SLABS
Tons Of Stones from Dumps Are Being
Converted into a Thing of Value
BY Vermont Marble Co.


Marble was first discovered in West
Rutland Vt, in 1880. An attempt was
made at that time to burn it and make
lime. The efforts in that direction were
unsuccessful and the lime industry
give way to quarrying. Drilling and
blasting were used TO get the marble
ont. until the Wardwel channcling ma
chine was invented in 1868. That ma
chine consisted Of five chiscls raised
and dropped by hand, the force being
sufficient to channel through the mar
BILE.
It viii then he readily understood
that ut these quarries there is a large
accumulation of blocks and small pieces
Of marble unsuitable for monumental
or building material There are in one
pile eight thousand pieces of marble
heretofore looked upon as waste or Of
little value. Recently, however, there
has been erected in West Rutland
modern plant for the purpose of manu-
featuring. from these blocks, quick
lime, hydratcd lime and two grades of
agricultural lime.
Blocks of marble weighing several
tons are taken from platform ears and
placed i'm n jaw crusher located in the
end of this modern mill, where they
are broken into pieces about I inches
i'm thickness. These small pieces are
then placed i'm a eyrator crusher from
which they enter roll crusher. After
| these crushing operations the material
| is placed in the cool end of a slowly
revolving kiln l2o feet long, and s
| feet i'm diameter. in which it is sub
| icctcd TO n temperature of ] eco de
grecs Centigradc. This Temperature ex-
pcls the carbonie acid, leaving soNidc
\ Of lime
/ As the material leaves the rotary
lilu by gravity it passes to "a revolv-
| ing cylinder feet in diameter and 80
feet long, located under the rotary
! kiln, where it is cooled. delivered to
an elevator, screened. and placed in
/ large tanks. In this condition it is
known as quick lime. 1t resembles a lump
form of quick lime, but in a powdered
form which is more readily mixed
| with other substances and possesses
better keeping qualities than quick
lime in humps. From the tanks it goes
through an elevator and a series of
cylinders where il is mixed with a
quantity of water The material comes
from the cylinders i'm the form of
white locculent powder; and. for the
purpose Of eliminating any coarse
particles, it is then PASSED through an
lair separator from which it goes III
rcetlv 10 the bags. The product in thi:
condition is known as hvdrated lime
This is used for an purposes i'm the
building trade and for nearly all. chem
ical processes where quick lime is used
IIydratcd lime has many advantage!
over quick lime by reason of its puri
| tv and uniformity.
= For agricultural purposes tn,
, crushed limestone is delivered by Gle
vators TO q pulverizing mill and re
duccd to 81 fine powder, the degree o.
dneuess depending upon the process
used. This product is known as crushe,
limestone. The tailmgs resulting ar
used for fertiliziug 10 better adyautag
than the crushed limestone. ais the
contain a small proportion of free lime
The building for the storage of by
I drafted lime iu bags has a capacity @
I tive thousand tons. The buildings ar
1 made of steel with corrugated ire
1 roof and sides Each machine through
1 0ut the plant is driven with individua
J motors, the power being furnished b
] Hvdr1clcrtric stations and the heat hl
Z iH1 supplied 10 the rotary kiln b
1 mean. Of producer gas which is manr
5 featured in an adjoining building SIP,
tatiy equipped for the purpose.
A large quantity Of marble hefor
the introduction of the rotary Kiln
4 could not bee successfully converted il
4 to- limo by heat because the mass q
{ hot marble when falling in a ycrtic;
Kiln would stop the cracks between tn
stone and interfere with the prope
draft i'm thc kilns This condition ha
been studied and is now completed
obviatcd by the use of the rotary kill
This quarry is one OF great an
continuous chain of marble concern
which are successfully operated q
Rutland, Proctor, and at other point
along the western slope of the Gree
Mountain Range in Vermont The scop
of the industry has become of sue
magnitude that the aggregates. hot
as To production and value, run int
compelling figures. II is not the lea,
important of Vermont 5 industrial o.
crations.
The Vermont marble quarrics, beside
yielding world-llnown product. hay
served as n foundation upon whic
was buildcd the fortunes -of sever,
generations Of men. one of whoi
achieved national distinction.