As an ardent student of history, I have always associated the descriptive "mountain man" with the likes of Kit Carson or Jeremiah Johnson. They were anti-social types that preferred communing with nature rather than people.
Recently that changed when I made the trek down Route 7 in Rutland County, Vermont to Danby Mountain. Looking at the mountain from the road I was unaware of anything going on there other than its majestic beauty as it rested against a clear blue sky. However, once we turned onto the road signed Vermont Quarries; I knew this was no ordinary mountain. I was to find that, behind its tree covered facade lays one of the most productive marble quarries in the world. And, I would meet the extraordinary "mountain man" responsible for keeping the operation running smoothly. He is one with the mountain where he works but is, by no means, anti-social.
Fields of pure white marble blocks cover the landscape outside the base of operations. We approached the entrance shaft where a workman asked our business. Once he had determined we were on legitimate business, we were allowed entry. We waited for our guide for less than five minutes. This man, Mike Blair, is an encyclopedia of information about all that goes on now and what went on before at the "Danby" quarry. He generously shared his time and his knowledge with me in an effort to help me understand the complex nature of modern marble quarry operation.
Mike Blair has been part of this operation for 31 years. He had intended to only work at this for a year or two following his graduation from Norwich University with a degree in engineering but he found the challenge and the constant change in the technology of mining too alluring to leave. Today the quarry has the most modern technology available. At one time the business required a hundred or more men to work in the mine producing blocks that would be loaded on railcars to be taken down the mountain to Route 7 near Bradford Lodge. Today, there are 25-26 employees who share two shifts. Each of these men has been trained to use the giant machines of operation. Mike knows the expertise of each of these men as well as the training they have received on a particular machine and, with this in mind assigns them their workspace and monitors their production.
I was curious about how deep into the mountain the quarrying went. Mike told me to think of a cake with many tiers. The quarry is in seven tiers or layers. This is difficult to understand when inside the mountain, because it looks like a big hall in a castle. Huge pillars of marble support the ceiling, lamps light the space and dampness causes it to appear somewhat foggy. It is easier to come to grips with the various levels when driving to a new area. That's when there is obvious change in level and altitude. I would find this out, after a thrilling ride down the side of the mountain to an area where work has begun on a new opening where giant blocks are being cut by a machine that looks like something from a science fiction movie. There is also a reopened work area that has been closed up since 1938. With its water covered floors, eerie lighting and giant blocks, this looks more like a movie set than a quarry operation. But, when driving through it, it becomes obvious that we are moving down into the mountain.
The technology I witnessed was beyond anything I could have imagined. Giant slabs of marble are moved along a conveyor belt, tipped, then grabbed by giant suction cups where they are turned and placed on another conveyor that moves them into a precision saw that cuts them perfectly to measurements preplanned by design. Water flows across the stone to keep the dust down and the cut smooth. An individual who manages a computer-like box of dials and switches does all this. An elevator moves the seven-foot, 28-ton blocks into place.
The marble in this quarry can be seen all over the United States. It is the purest of white with a slight sparkle. It polishes to whatever level of gloss the consumer wants. It can be carved into beautiful statuary or serve as flooring or decorative columns. A trip to Arlington National Cemetery affirms this beauty through the individual crosses for fallen soldiers along with other monuments. The Capitol Building in Washington, D.C. is also built from this stately, white marble.
Many stately homes have marble from this quarry in their floors, fireplaces, bathrooms and gardens. The marble is exported to foreign countries too. Soon, thanks to Mike Blair, it will be seen in Fair Haven, Vermont circling the town park where it will take the form of posts that will reflect the park's original fence design.
Vermont Marble blocks ready to be shipped out are starkly accented by the Vermont mountain skyline. Marble from this historic quarry can be seen all over the United States, including Arlington National Cemetery and the Capitol Building in Washington, D.C.
Down in the depths: cutting into the exterior wall to extract blocks. All quarry employees have been trained to use these giant block-harvesting machines.
Red dye marks the spot on this working face where a series of prime blocks were removed.
")