Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1958-01-30
By Roy Lee Yinger

On the west bank of Great Seneca Creek at
Seneca, almost at its confluence with the Potomac
are the remains of what was once an important
industry in Montgomery County, commercial
stone cutting
The large sandstone building which housed
this once-thriving business is slowly crumbling
away since active operations came to halt over
80 years ago.
Operating as the Seneca Sandstone Company
this business Is not to be confused with the one
of similar nature operated by the United States
Government adjacent to the home of Mrs Hattie
Connelo the company's speciality was turning out
massive red and gray sandstone blocks hard,
lmperv1oustoWater stone, used extensively at
that time for building purposes
Another government quarry was located close
to Violete's Lock at Cedar Point and at Whites
Ferry beautiful stone with many of the char
acteristics of marble quarried, the spot still
being known as Marble Quarry"
Beginning operations in the year 1885, and
strategicay located for loading along the spank
ing Chesapeake & Ohio Canal, the Seneca
Sandstone Company supplied massive building
blocks for the Smithsonian Institution the old
Library of Congress and other government build
ings. Great quantities of it were used, at the
several different stages of construction for "bac
ing up" purposes in the Washington Monument;
1t was also used extensively in the construction
of great many homes in Georgetown Shipment
OF the blocks was made via canal to Georgetown
which was the eastern terminus of the canal
company
When the water was turned into the canal
in 1850 making it the second continuous canal
in the u S. (the Erie being the first) separate
watergate was installed just west of Seneca Creek
contiguous to the canal which diverted part of
the canals waters to the plant of the company
where the crude, uncut boulders had been brought
over narrow gauge railroad track in tiny gon-
dolas pulled by mules.
Later it was found more expeditions to have
four or five husky men push the cars to their
destination. This was not too laborious a job
there ten per cent downgrade the same
that of the canal. Water from the plants mill
race ran to an enormous water turbine which
furnished the necessary power for the cutting
process.
The boulders were first rough-shaped by
hammer and chisel. The cutting saws had no
teeth-they were merely hardened and tempered
steel blades about eight inches wide and three
sixteenths of an inch thick. The blade worked
back and forth the same as our modern wood
saw mill Sixteen gauge steel shot augmented by
the liberal use of fine abrasive sand, was hand
fed to the saws when operatng-large dosages
of water kept the saws cool Some of the saws
were as long six feet but even on these large
saws, progress was almost unnoticeabe. For
instance, block three feet by three feet by
one foot thick the cutting of an inch an hour
was considered excellent What extraordinary
patience those hardy workmen must have had!
If an extra smooth finish was desired the
stone was placed atop a round steel disc which
rotated much like the "try-to-stay-on" spinners
we find in our amusement parks This operation
too, was long and drawnout
However this almost primitive way to cut
stone was vast improvement over the old hand
drilled, hand-chiseled method used by the original
quarters of the stone, the imported Irish work
men who built the canal All of the stone which
was used in the construction of the gigantic c e o