The Sand Blast. 635 



"West Rutland, were undertaken at a low iigure through the 

 ability to utilize the sand blast for the purpose of lettering 

 the inscriptions. This is the first, and really the most exten- 

 sive application of the patent, and is due entirely to the 

 energy of Mr. Samuel G. Bridges, of Keokuk, Iowa, one of 

 the contractors for these headstones. 



To enable you to understand the work we are doing at 

 Messrs. Sheldons & Slason's mills, at West Rutland, I will, 

 as briefly as possible follow the marble from the quarries, 

 to the finished headstone on our platform ready for ship- 

 ping. The immense facilities which this firm possess, ren- 

 der them probably the only one in the world who could 

 fm'nish the material for this work within any reasonable 

 time. 



The huge seven ton blocks taken from the quarries, are 

 gkillfully sawed in their forty-eight gang mills, (running 

 night and day,) into first, four inch slabs ; then these are 

 resawed into ten inches wide strips, and thus delivered to 

 the blast mill, in headstone stuff from three feet to three 

 and one-half feet long ; making the slab for our use three 

 feet by ten inches by four inches, as required by the con- 

 tract. Each of these slabs is squared by hand on one end, 

 and rounded on an in-h circle at the other, first roughly, 

 then by passing through a cutting machine, consisting of 

 two cylinders bearing sets of knives revolving rapidly on 

 the head of the stone, as it is carried by cogs across their 

 edges. 



The head is next placed against a wooden wheel fed with 

 Band and water, l)y which the polishing is effected. The 

 edges and faces are then polished by being laid under 



