Reminiscences of the late Mr. Whitney^ 257 



From its precipices and those of one of its branches, which are com-' 

 posed of greenstone tr&p, Mr. Whitney selected his materials, with 

 such skill, and arranged them with such judgment and taste that the 

 walls, arches and passages, and some of the shops and other build- 

 ings constructed of this rock, are admired both for their solidity and 

 beauty, and will remain to future generations. Some of the works 

 are laid in a cement, composed, in part, of a mixture of iron rust and 

 siliceous and micaceous sand, derived from. the grinding of the gun 

 barrels and other pieces of iron upon the grind stones ; this cement 

 appears almost as firm as the rocks themselves. There are two build- 

 ings for fuel ; the one for charcoal, and the other for mineral coal ; both 

 are finished with great exactness, by selecting smooth natural faces of 

 the trap rock, which are accurately laid in mortar and carefully point-' 

 ed; the floors are also of firm stone, laid with equal exactness. These 

 store houses stand by the side of the mountain and at its foot, and 

 by excavating a road in the bank above, the coal carts are driven 

 quite up to the gable end of the building, and their loads are dis- 

 charged into them simply by tipping up the cart. This notice of 

 these humble buildings is given to show Mr. Whitney's exactness in 

 every thing. It was a maxim with him, which I have often heard 

 him repeat, that there is nothing worth doing that is not worth doing 

 ivelL As far as circumstances permitted, he always acted up to thi& 

 maxim. 



The houses for his workmen, at the manufactory, are beautifully 

 constructed, and arranged upon one plan 5 they also are of trap rock,* 

 and covered by a white cement, and together with the other build- 

 ings, the mountain and river scenery, and the bridge, f they give this 

 picturesque valley no small degree of beauty. It was Mr. Whitney's 

 intention, to erect his own mansion house in this valley, which would 

 doubtless have then received all the embellishment of which it is so 

 susceptible. With this view he had constructed an ample barn,| 

 which is a model of convenience, and even of taste and beauty, and 

 contains many accommodations, not usually found in such establish" 

 ments. It was visited and examined by th&vlate President Monroe^ 



* Since Mr. Whjtney's death, other houses have been built of wood, 

 t Constructed by that ingenious architect, Mr, Ithiel Town 

 t There is a farm connected with the manufactory 



Vol,. XXL— No. 2, 33 



