i899 H. WINWOOD— CARRARA QUARRIES 7 1 



especially the Cava del Polvaccio, speaking of his diffi- 

 culties, says, " the countrymen are excessively ignorant of 

 the duties required of them ; great patience and a long 

 time will be requisite before the mountains have been 

 made accessible {addonicsticatd) and the men trained for 

 their work {aninicrstrate). The peculiar grating noise of 

 these primitive windlasses, accompanied by signals from 

 the men to each other as they worked them, filled the air 

 with a weird sound as it reverberated from one side of 

 the valley to the other. 



A syndicate has been formed for the purpose of work- 

 ing most of the principal quarries at Carrara and Massa. 

 As most primitive methods have hitherto been employed, 

 the marble being extracted near the surface and often 

 much injured in blasting, it is thought that a great saving 

 will be effected by modern appliances and machinery ; the 

 cost of " getting " the marble will be materially reduced, 

 its purity better preserved, and the waste much lessened 

 by cavern working. The supply is practically inexhaustible. 

 The chief difficulty will arise probably from the disinclina- 

 tion of the Italian workmen, numbering about 5000, and 

 physically, a remarkably fine body of men, to accept any 

 improvement on their conservative ways of working, 

 unless they can be persuaded that their earnings will not 

 be diminished thereby. Like all mountaineers, they form 

 a very independent and masterful community. 



PRESENTED 



31 ocT.iaoo 



