STONE INDUSTRY. 221 



necessary to place it above a receptacle for water, to pour water 

 into the filter, and allow it to find its way through the stone and 

 drip below. The first two or three filterfuls are said to be salty. 

 I do not know how efltective this kind of filter is. 



PAVING STONES. 



Stone suitable for making paving stones of moderate size, 

 that is, 25 centimeters square and under, can be picked up loose 

 on the surface in abundance at several localities within the mu- 

 nicipality. The first work is done on the spot or under the shade 

 of a neighboring tree. For the finishing touches the slabs are 

 often carried home. If the blocks are too thick, they are split 

 by making a row of holes with chisel and hamm'er. Each slab 

 is then shaped roughly by chipping off pieces with blows of a 

 hammer. The stone is then further chipped with a chisel until 

 it assumes commercial shape. No attempt is made to make the 

 stone completely smooth, nor are the stones made of uniform 

 size. Those in one lot may vary several centimeters in one 

 dimension or another. 



If the paving stones desired are large ones, for example, 

 100 by 50 centimeters, they must be split out of the solid rock. 

 This is done by making holes with a chisel and driving steel 

 wedges into them with a sledge-hammer. When the desired 

 piece has been split out, it is pried up with a crowbar and lifted 

 out by hand. The block is shaped roughly with a hammer and 

 then removed to a shady place for finishing. The worker sits 

 on the ground by the stone and chips with hammer and chisel, 

 sometimes also with a hatchet, until the work is done. Exact 

 uniformity in size is not attempted, so that in a lot of a dozen or 

 so one will find variations in size of several centimeters. 



Two men work together in splitting out the stone for large 

 paving stones. The finishing is done by one. 



RICE MORTARS. 



The stone workers state that this is a newer article of trade 

 than paving stones. If they may be believed, the selling of mor- 

 tars by San Esteban people to other towns practically com- 

 menced within the last dozen years. It is certain that stone 

 mortars from San Esteban are at present the usual implements 

 for husking rice in the Iloko towns I have seen from Vigan to 

 Kandon, and according to general report they are common in 

 many other towns, not only in Ilokos Sur, but in Union and 



