Democratic Sentinel, Volume 15, Number 25, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 10 July 1891 — Where Pumice Stone Comes From [ARTICLE]

Where Pumice Stone Comes From

We often hear it remarked, and particularly after an eruption of a volcano, that pumice stone ought to be plentiful and cheap, as quantities must have been ejected during the volcanic disturbance. As a matter of faot, however, none of the white stone in general use is obtained from active volcadoes. It oomes from deposits of the article discovered in one or two quarters of the globe, the best of which is at present to be found in the island of Lipari, situated in the Tyrrhenian Sea. The island is mountainous in character, and consists of tuffs and lavas, and of highly siliceous volcanic products. The district where the stone is found is called Campo Blanco, or Monte Petalo, 1,500 above the level of the sea. After riding a considerable distance, partly along precipitous paths sufficiently dangerous to be interesting, and partly through vineyards and over grassy plains, one almost suddenly comes upon a seemingly snowclad narrow valley inclosed by hills, also quite white, and the whole glaringly bright on a sunny day. Into these hills workmen are ceaselessly digging deep burrows, working within by candle light. In their excavations they oome across many lumps of pumioe stone, which are placed in baskets, subsequently being conveyed along the valley to the seashore, where small boats are loaded and sailed to the seaport near by, where the stone is sorted, packed, and shipped to distant parts, either via Messina or Leghorn.—Manufacturer and Builder.