Photographs of the J. K. Pirie Granite Quarry Photo Group #2
Located in Williamstown, Vermont
These photographs were taken by Fred F. Pirie. Several of the photographs are dated in 1939 and 1940s. The photographs are used with the permission of Paul Wood, at the Vermont Granite Museum. Most of the photographs have been contributed by Paul Wood and Andreas Kuehnpast. The photo captions were written by Paul Wood. The Vermont Granite Museum welcomes contributions of photographs, etc., relating to the Vermont granite quarrying industry. (Please note that the photographs are not presented in chronological order. Peggy B. Perazzo)
49. Yet another quarry-bottom view with boom derrick.
50. Slightly different angle of photo 49. Two worker scaffolds visible in right background.
51. Quarry-bottom view showing two long detached quarry blocks. A jumble of drill steels, cable and other equipment.
52. The blocks at quarry bottom ready to be lifted out.
53. Quarry bottom with derrick mast visible.
54. Another view of photo 53.
55. Quarry bottom showing a very large blasted-out block. This will have to be further reduced by splitting with wedges and shims in plug holes before lifting out of the quarry. Note the ladder with safety handrail coming down the quarry wall on the right.
56. Another very large blasted-out block. I don’t think this is the one in photo 55. Although I don’t see any drill holes, it looks like a smaller slab has been split off the large block. Or, maybe it broke off during blasting. This slab looks to be still too big for the derrick and will have to be further reduced.
57. Another very large blasted-out block.
58. Massive grout piles. It’s hard to tell but there may be a locomotive (belching smoke) pushing a grout car on top the far right grout pile.
59. Quarry wall from rim to bottom. Note the nicely laid masonry wall at the right background which seems to have made possible the stoneyard above it.
60. Buildings at quarry edge. The small building with cantilevered observation room may be an office. The next building behind is an engine/compressor house. The large barn-like building with large door and canopy may be used for equipment storage.
61. Quarry edge with boom derrick and derrick engine house behind. Another barn-like building in the right background.
62. Another group of quarry-edge buildings with a couple more barn-like structures.
63. A close-up of the area shown in photo 59 and 61
64. More small quarry-edge buildings, including a derrick engine house and boiler house.
65. Photo showing both a quarry-bottom boom derrick and quarry-edge buildings – two with smokestack and presumably boilers.
66. Quarry-edge stoneyard with boom derricks – one lifting a stone. Two derrick engine houses in the background.
67. Wintertime quarry-edge view of boom derricks and buildings.
Building types:
*Small shed-roof building with a wall of windows – Derrick engine house
* Small shed-roof building with smokestack
– Boiler or compressor house
* Small shed-roof building with cantilevered observation room
– Office
* Large barn-like gable-roof building with large door(s) and often cupola – Large equipment storage?
* Small narrow 2-story gable-roof building - ?
* Medium-size gable-roof building with smokestack and wall of windows facing a boom derrick - Combined boiler house, compressor house, and derrick engine house?
* Very small shed-roof building with few or no windows – Tool and small equipment storage
68. Quarry-side stone yard with two derricks, two derrick engine houses and a boiler house.
69. Quarry-edge boom derrick with its engine house. The bull wheel turning cable is visible between the engine house and the derrick.
70. Same view direction as photo 69 but showing broad view of quarry bottom with derrick.
71. Same view direction as photo 70 showing the guys of the quarry-bottom derrick. Presumably the guys are anchored at the quarry edge.
72. Another view similar to photo 71.
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