Excerpt from Stones: For Building and DecorationSince the appearance Of the first edition of this work there has been a very notable increase in the output of building stone from American quarries. How great this has been cannot be stated, unfortunately, since statistics are not available, but it is probable that the total annual output, as well as the amount Of capital invested, have both more than doubled. This is due not merely to the opening up Of new quarries, but also to an enlargement Of those already in existence and a very great increase in their equipments. Where but a few years ago hand labor or at best a few steam drills were chie¿y relied upon, one now finds numerous and expensive machines in the form Of steam-drills and channellers, while at the yards are pneumatic tools, planers, . Lathes, polishers, saws, and grinding beds representing Often an outlay Of many thousands Of dollars.About the PublisherForgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.comThis book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully, any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.