Please also see Disclaimer. Granite quarrying is a year 'round operation for the Annisquam Granite Company. This is in contrast to previous operators with a more casual approach. Winter and Summer at the Annisquam Granite Company wharves. Notice the snow covered tracks in the left and right foreground of the Winter scene.
Ice breaking in the harbor is handled by company steam tugs.
Economical transport of these bulky, heavy, raw materials is important to the profits of the business. The Captain's previous expertise in steam navigation was well used. Add the steam railroads, steam rock drills, steam derricks, and steam powered tugs and ships, and steam mechanics make the difference for the Annisquam Granite Company. The steep track in the center of the photographs was used to haul loaded flat cars up out of Steel Derrick quarry, where gravity was used to send the cars down to the wharves. All the granite removed from the quarries is manually cut from the endless granite ledges that are beneath Cape Ann.