On a summer day in 1979, the first multi-ton block of Indiana limestone arrives in the unfinished stone shed. Master builder James Bambridge is at the controls of the overhead gantry crane. Apprentice Timothy Smith is in the background. The arrival of the first stone in the stoneyard signifies the beginning of the Dean Morton era of stonework.
The stone along with several smaller ones came from the Indiana Limestone Company in Bedford, Indiana. Once on the ground in the stone shed, the stone received the blessing of the Diocesan Bishop Paul Moore Jr.
The arrival of the first stone was accompanied by some smaller stones. Master Mason Chris Hannaway used the smaller stones to begin teaching the newly hired apprentices. The first skill involved handling the mallet and a broad chisel. Hannaway taught the apprentices the chosen finish for the exposed front side of the stone. Boasting is the name for that finish.
A boasted or droved finish is a very common type dressing of stone. The surface of the stone is covered with parallel marks that may run in any direction. A boaster, which is actually a wide edged chisel, is used for this purpose.
Fast Forward From The Arrival Of The First Stone
One sunny afternoon, years later, stoneyard manager Eddie Pizarro, who grew up in Spanish Harlem, picked his way through a side yard littered with limestone blocks. Those blocks were waiting to be hoisted 200 feet up the South Tower. He ticked off the names of the men who had worked on each piece.
“I can tell from the boasting marks, he explained, noting that the lines the chisel leaves are different for each person. “I can even tell you what kind of mood the carver was in the day he did it. When you work on a stone, you put your heart and soul into it. The stones here will tell stories for centuries to come.”
– Eddie Pizarro
- Special thanks to Pamela Morton and Tim Smith for providing photos
- Smithsonian, December 1992, Vol 25 number 9