Category: Divine Stone

Granite by the Sea and the Lathe

Post author By Roger Murphy
Post date April 17, 2020

lathe with granite column — Lathe in operation at Vinalhaven quarry. Merrithew Glass Collection, Vinalhaven Historical Society

Part II – The Giant Lathe

To turn the large stone blanks from the granite by the sea into columns required a lathe of unheard of size, because each of the 310 ton raw stone blanks needed to be sculpted to 54 feet high and 6 feet in diameter. As a result the final column would weigh 160 tons. The church commissioned the design and construction of the lathe. It was designed and patented by E. R. Cheney and H. A. Spiller of Boston. It was built by the Philadelphia Roll and Machine Company of Philadelphia. Its construction was begun in December, 1899, and it was delivered at the quarry in May, 1900. It was erected at Vinalhaven under the supervision of J. W. Bourn, the foreman of the machine shop.

Plan of Headstock End of Lathe — Lathe Headstock

The lathe is 86 feet long and weighs 135 tons. It has a capacity to work a stone 60 feet long and a maximum diameter of 6 feet 6 inches. Eight cutting tools are used, each capable of taking up to a 3 inch cut so that the column can be reduced 2 feet each time the cutters traverse the entire length of the bed. In practice the cut was usually set at 1.5 inches. The result is a splintering or spalling of the face of the stone.

Dressing and Polishing the Column

When the column is dressed to shape, cup shaped devices are attached to the tool posts and filled with hardened steel shot. This gives the surface a rough polishing. Likewise, the final high polishing is done the same way using sand and powdered emery. The granite columns make 1.75 revolutions per minute during the operation of turning. During the polishing operation the column makes about 3 revolutions per minute. The countershaft to which the lathe is belted is driven by a steam engine of 50 HP. Finally each 300 ton blank will be reduced to 130 tons and take 6 weeks to complete.

Scientific American front page coverage — Scientific American, Front Page, January 12, 1901

The scientific, architectural, engineering and manufacturing communities followed this mammoth undertaking for months. Therefore the design, quarrying, turning and polishing of the granite by the sea and the lathe captured the attention and imagination of a large portion of the country.

The First Granite Stone Broke in the Lathe

It was found impossible to turn the columns in single blocks. The first three put into the lathe broke under their own weight after considerable work had been expended on them. The ends of the granite columns were held in large chucks or faceplates. Therefore the entire weight of the column was carried by these two faceplates, almost 60 feet apart. As a result therein was the problem as the first stone broke in the middle.

The designer of the lathe said that the proportions were to blame and that the design length would need to have a diameter of eight feet in order to sustain its own weight. It was also indicated that some areas of the quarry had a seam running through it which made it necessary to cut some stone across the grain. Various attempts were made to reduce the bending stress in the middle without success.

Also, numerous other plans were suggested by ingenious inventors to get the granite by the sea on a lathe. One of the most promising was to set the column on end on the center of a revolving table and turn it by tools traveling on a fixed vertical bed. While this plan may have been all right mechanically, the cost of a 75 foot stable tower to support the stone from deflection and carry the turning tools was not practical. The mere setting on end a block of stone weighing some 300 tons was a task not to be taken lightly.

“No Monolithic Columns for the New Cathedral”

In the end, the quarry insisted that monolithic columns would not be possible and the Board of Trustees had no alternative but to accept the new dimensions of a two part column. The lower piece would be thirty-eight feet long and weigh 90 tons. In contrast the upper piece would be 17 feet long and weigh 40 tons. The diameter of the columns would remain at 6 feet.

loading the barge — Loading the barge with finished stone at the quarry

The ocean tug, Clara Clarita towed the specially built barge, Benjamin Franklin to deliver the columns to New York. Two columns were loaded for each voyage of eight days duration. The destination was 134th Street Pier, Hudson River. Built in 1864 as a luxury steam yacht, then converted to an ocean tug, it was owned by Boston Towing Company at the time of the moving of the columns. Finally the first load arrived July 10, 1903.

Scientific American, January 12, 1901
Engineering News, December 3, 1903
Machinery Magazine, April, 1901

Divine Stone

Granite by the Sea

Post author By Roger Murphy
Post date April 10, 2020

Block of Granite from Wharff Quarry, Vinalhaven,ME — Block of Granite quarried for the Cathedral St. John the Divine column. Merrithew Glass Plate Collection, Vinalhaven Historical Society

Maine Granite

A mammoth shelf of granite exists in Penobscot Bay off the coastal city of Rockland, Maine. As a result, on the many islands in the bay, granite quarries began to spring up around 1826. Fox Island, later named Vinalhaven, is practically a huge granite ledge 9 miles long and 2 miles wide. Several of the Bodwell Granite Company’s quarries were located here. The 1899 order from architects Heins & LaFarge for eight massive columns came here. They were to be 6 ft. in diameter and 54 ft. high standing on 15 ft. high pedestals. As a result, the Wharff Quarry on Vinalhaven began the work on this granite from the sea.

Because of granite, towns like those on Vinalhaven grew rapidly. Vinalhaven had 1200-1500 men working at its peak. Demand for granite quarrymen encouraged immigration from Sweden, Finland, Scotland, Ireland, Spain and Italy. Being close to water gave Penobscot Bay’s granite industry an advantage. Shipping granite was cheaper and more efficient by schooner, sloop and barges. This was true until the end of the nineteenth century. Improving rail service allowed other states to participate in the granite trade. Finally, greater transportation options ended Maine’s 100 year dominance in granite production.

Wharff Quarry, Blocks for Cathedral St. John the Divine — Wharff Quarry, Vinalhaven. Merrithew Glass Plate Collection, Vinalhaven Historical Society.

Vinalhaven’s Wharff Quarry

The quarry from which the the columns were obtained is remarkable. The production of pinkish-grey granite of great transverse strength and freedom from seams, checks and flaws was possible. Certainly these would be fatal to columns of such large dimensions. Consequently, it was thought to be about the only quarry in the United States that could produce monoliths of the size required. There is only one instance of larger columns worldwide. The Cathedral of St. Issac at St. Petersburg, Russia columns are 55 ft. high and 7 ft. 3 inches in diameter. Above all, the quarrying of such huge masses is an operation requiring the greatest care. Any false movement would readily ruin the work of weeks. The efforts in Vinalhaven to produce this granite by the sea were followed by the engineering and scientific community of the day for their unique challenges.

granite stone blanks, Wharff Quarry, Vinalhaven, Maine — Granite stone blanks, Wharff Quarry, 1901. Merrithew Glass Plate Collection, Vinalhaven Historical Society.

Quarrying

The quarrying is accomplished entirely by drilling and wedging. No blasting is possible for the reason that the stone would be shattered and flaws produced that would affect the integrity of the finished work. For the same reason quarrying cannot be carried on during cold weather. The holes are drilled from the top and side of the mass to be loosened, and in the direction of the grain of the granite. Most noteworthy, the only defect likely to be encountered is a black knot or a “growing fast” which spoils a stone.

The block in the featured image above is 64′ x 8.5′ x 7′. It weighs 300 tons. From the quarry face, which is at about ground level, the stone blank is moved about one quarter mile, slightly downhill to the lathe on steel rollers, drawn by steel cables and a hoisting engine. Furthermore it is held back by cables to prevent “running away”. Near the lathe, the blocks are rounded by hand to within 3 inches of the finished surface.

Quarry face and lathe — Lathe in operation, partially rounded block and quarry face in background. Merrithew Glass Plate Collection, Vinalhaven Historical Society

Next Week – Part II of Granite by the Sea will take a closer look at the unusual lathe that turned and polished the columns. Also, an unforeseen problem will be reviewed.

-Engineering News, Vol. No.23, Dec. 3 1903

-Vinalhaven Historical Society

Divine Stone

Milestone Reached

Post author By Roger Murphy
Post date April 2, 2020

Apprentices gather around milestone 1000th stone — Manny Alvarado, Jose Tapia, Bishop Paul Moore, Jr. Nelson Otero. Cynie Linton, Pony Baptiste, Dean Morton – May 1981

The 1,000th stone cut became a milestone reached by the stone yard. Therefore church and diocesan officials and the apprentices celebrated the event. The completion of the towers of St. Peter and St. Paul requires 24,000 stones in all. These two towers are on the cathedral’s west front. The 1,000th stone will go up on the southwest tower. It sits here on Timothy Smith’s banker.

Apprentice Timothy Smith, who had some prior experience working with stone, won the lottery to carve the 1,000th stone. He cut it from a block of Indiana limestone. It is an intricately carved pier stone with base. The stone weighs about 1,350 pounds.

The following photo appeared in The Living Church. It is the 130 year old publication of the Episcopal Church in America.

Under the guidance of the master builder and the master mason, the 12 apprentices are learning to cut and “boast” the stones. The boasting patterns, used on the exposed exterior surfaces, are individual and unique to the style of each stone cutter. A boasted finish is also called a droved finish. This type of finish contains intermittent parallel lines which are horizontal or vertical or inclined. A boaster chisel creates the finish. The chisel has a width of approximately 60mm. As a result this finish allows the small play of light and shadow on the highly placed stone that is more significant than a smooth surface.

The Proud Dean

Timothy Smith, Phillipe Petit, Dean Morton look over 1000th stone

Dean Morton took advantage of opportunities to show off the stone yard. One such opportunity was the recent milestone reached with the cutting of the 1,000th stone. At left, tight rope walker and celebrity Phillipe Petit is looking over the stone with the dean and Timothy Smith in his favorite red hat.

Divine Stone

Poets’ Corner carved letters

Post author By Roger Murphy
Post date February 29, 2020

Letter Cutters working on The Poets Corner — Poets Corner

Letter cutters from the venerable John Stevens Shop are seen in this photo from around 1983-1984 working the Poets’ Corner carved letters. It is located in the Arts Bay of the nave of the cathedral. The man on the left is John Everett “Fud” Benson the current owner of the shop. It was founded in 1705, therefore one of America’s oldest continuously operated businesses. It has been owned by the Benson’s since 1927.

Divine Stone

Flying Buttress

Post author By Roger Murphy
Post date February 18, 2020

The architectural firm of Heins & LaFarge was chosen in 1891 from 68 proposals for the design of the cathedral. It was an eclectic design scheme combining Byzantine, Romanesque and Gothic. The design called for these flying buttress to reinforce the crossing arches. The cornerstone was laid in 1892. The foundation is of Maine granite and concrete. The main walls and superstructure are Mohegan Golden Granite quarried near Peekskill, N.Y.

The crossing is created by four monumental round arches supporting a dome. The massive flying buttress strengthens the crossing arch. In this initial construction period (1892-1911) the crypt, choir and crossing were completed.

Cathedral June 26, 1908 — Buttress July 24, 1900

The photos here were provided by Timothy Smith