Block Looks Right for Arlington Tomb

MARBLE, Colo. – The replacement process for the Tomb of the Unknowns – arguably the most-famous single piece of marble work in the United States – may be well on its way with a block good enough to sculpt.
In fact, the country might end up with two.
A 191-ton, 18’ tall block of white marble, cut in early July at the Yule Quarry near this southwestern Colorado town, should meet the requirements for a new monument at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va. Crews for Sierra Minerals Co., the operator of the quarry, went through several false starts earlier this year in selecting a block, but finally cut one of the quality and color needed for the national monument.
Sierra Minerals undertook the project last year to find a stone to replace the original tomb that holds the remains of unknown soldiers from both World Wars and the Korean War. The original stone for the monument came from the Yule Quarry more than 70 years ago.
The crack likely began developing as long as 60 years ago, with subsequent repairs failing to stop the stone split. Sierra President Rex Loesby first noticed the crack in a 1990 visit; eventually, he went to cemetery officials, who approved the replacement last year.
Original plans called for the block to be removed and shipped to the East Coast for sculpting. However, fundraising is planned to pay for constructing a facility to carve the stone in the town of Marble, with work performed by local artisans and supervised by a world-class architectural sculptor now living in the area.
The project, sponsored by the local Marble Historical Society with an anticipated cost of $2 million, would include the finding and quarrying of a second block. Initially, the second stone would be a backup if problems arose with the first block; after that, the second block would be sculpted to be a twin of the tomb and remain in Marble for public viewing.
The target date for replacing the tomb itself at Arlington National Cemetery is May 2005, although there’s no firm timetable.

©2003 Western Business Media Inc.