Work in the Granite Industry
During the late 19th Century, the granite industry in Barre began to expand rapidly, prompting the opportunity of new, high paying jobs for many Italian immigrants. Most of the Italian men in Barre worked in the granite industry, populating the quarries and carving sheds besides immigrants from other countries such as Scotland and Canada. Many of the Italian Immigrants to Barre came from Northern Italy, where they had prior experience working with similar stone and were specially trained with classical carving techniques. As a result of this, the Italians usually worked in the carving sheds rather than the actual quarries. Eventually the granite industry became so successful that Vermont was producing and shipping more granite than all the other states combined and Barre granite was known all around the world.
Life as a granite carver was hard work. Granite workers would be required to work six days a week, with a half day on Saturday and a day off on Sunday. In the morning, the opening whistle would sound announcing the start of the work day. Some mornings that meant starting work as early as 6:30am! Once the work day began, the men working in the quarry would use one of three methods to break off large chunks of granite from the cliff walls. These methods included blasting the stone with explosives, creating a series of small “hedge holes” that workers would use to carve the stone from the cliff, or “channeling” through the stone with the help of a steam drill. Regardless of the method, each of these produced the same result: a chunk of granite that would be sent along to the carving sheds. In these sheds the Italian carvers would use both hand and automated tools to carve the big chunks of granite into decorative pieces, like statues, memorials and gravestones, or building materials like pillars or blocks. From there, the granite would be transported several miles to the nearest railroad, usually via horse or oxen, and shipped off. However, the transportation process was changed in the late 1880s when a new railroad line was built to keep up with the increasing demand for Barre’s granite all around the world. The new line included stops directly at the quarries so the granite could be loaded from the sheds right onto the train.
At noon the whistle would sound again, signaling the break for lunch. Each man was given one hour lunch break; however, that was often not enough time for the men to walk home for their meal and back. Instead many would have lunches packed for them, by their families or the owners of the boarding houses they stayed at, and eat together at the quarry as part of the “Dinner Pail Gang.” For the majority of granite workers lunch consisted of bread, cold meats and cheeses, donuts, cake, two cookies, two pieces of pie, and two cups of coffee or tea. Following the hour break, the whistle would sound again and the men would return to work. At 5:00pm, the closing whistle would sound, signaling the conclusion of the work day for the quarrymen. For their day’s work, a granite worker in 1895 would make between $1.75 and $2.25, depending on their level of specialization. That is the equivalent of $63 to $81 in 2023.
Working in the Granite Industry was a dangerous profession for a variety of reasons. Firstly, there was the danger of working with large and heavy chunks of granite. These chunks, often weighing 60-100 tons, were lifted and moved by machinery that could easily malfunction or break. It was not uncommon to have seven or eight fatal accidents per year, along with countless serious injuries occuring due to these types of accidents. However, in addition to the risk of being crushed by falling rock while working in the granite industry, there was a far more widespread epidemic hunting the granite workers. Silicosis, a form of tuberculosis caused by the buildup of dust in the lungs, was the main killer of Barre’s granite worker population. Symptoms of silicosis included: coughing, shortness of breath, difficulty breathing, weakness, fatigue, fever, night sweats, swelling of the legs, a bluish discoloration of the lips, and eventually, death. Silicosis was an incurable disease and, as such, led many granite workers to die young. The average age for a granite worker was 28 years old.
The Italian granite workers especially suffered from this disease, as they were often the ones carving the granite in the enclosed sheds, inhaling the dust which was produced as a byproduct of stone carving. In fact, silicosis became such a problem that a new hospital, the Barre Sanitorium, was built in order to help treat silicosis victims. The Barre Sanitorium building is still standing on Beckley Hill today.
