The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1867-09-05
800 .

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N ,ee.it saereoi. Our ride Up de fivsf'
The opposite bank, vss pleasant one. ~
,he roads were good md Ne sesaerJ de'.sn'
ful: and 70 made noss that for We axe q
v.r;ety. and - : means Of extending 'n.H
oh..rv.t;ons. our citizens would 90 vei'o
~ .heir r.ute By m occasional drive ACROSS
~. river. We make this reeonnsaaanon,
!. !, understood, With no sinister de0ss o.
incr,e.iDr The revenue Of the Ferry Conpe-
~. Notwithstanding that useful inss''s'.0n
b.d the good taste 70 chalk oar hass on INC
occasion. -
l6,. miles mp the river, We found fa'ssfson :
lTimberman, with lot Of hands, loadins I.
lboa, With stone for the Quincy Bridge. And
on The bluff in their rear, our friend Col.
|McLauehry, Of Carthage, was engaged win
i another lot Of hands, qaarryine ont the foc1,
vh;rh was rolled down the bluff, and hauled
10 the bank of the aver BY oxen, in the Old
i fashioned way. .
4 half I mile below We found . splendid
. o..rrv opeped and worked BY Col. hcDow>
, ell and Guy Wells. Indeed, the bluf for >
long distance up and down the river IS .
con,;nuou, ledge Of the finest building stone
:. have ever seen in large quantities. This
: .,r... Of 6ne stone 10 some twenty feet deep
. ~ an average, aud has bat shallow cover
! ;ns Of earth to be removed in order to lay II
omen to the operations Of the qusrrymen. y
. !. on.rr;ed out with great facility, and with
d the least possible waste from debris or ex'
). ltr.neous after Of any kind, the entire
;. on.,ry seeming to consist Of solid stone II
n regular layers
Col. Mcdowell has turned his oxen out
!. and, in parerthesis, wants to sell them' ahe
has re.orted 10 q scientific combination
mechanical powers and agencies 70 NOV
the stone from the quarries to the boat
Tn the frot, of the bluff, and along tn
outer edge Of his quarry, he has con
10 structed a substantial railway, with doubl
IN track 10 transport the stone from the quar-
,e to the waters edge. With an immense Gel
bs rick. which may be moved from place 7
Mace. As convenience demands, he lifts tn
stone from their natural bed, when broke
into suitable blocks Of from one to three 9
ID four tons weight, and swings them on to IN
ts car. which runs down the bluff on an incline
ey track of some forty. five degrees, and whenI
Of reache "a its destination, another derrick, sis
he liar to tina. at the quarry, lifts It OF an
w swinpr il on to the boat. Then up goes To
IN empty car, drawn to the quarry by the ioade
be ono coming down, and thus the seessap cor
tinues.
:, The stone is piled up there by Nature,
= the bluff. in inexhaustible quantities, and tn
power to remove them can be applied an
:. Increased to an illimitAble extent. Hence
- the only limit to the production OF stone fro'
= that quarry must be found in the demand
:. and it would almost seem as IT the deman
- would also be limitless. Aside from ordln'
" ~ building purposes, Quincy has already r.
sorted to these quarries for stone for tt
is, bridge at that place, and St. Louis IS like
in to follow her example, to say nothing OF OF
own bridge. And then right opposite tne'
ur ouarries, across the river, immense quantiti'
ne If stone will be required for the improve
m ment of the Rapids, and the construction
I'm the capacious locks and the massive walls
that magnificent work. And soon the Sta'
:. House, and other public buildings at "
Moines, and other points up the Valley, vi
= find it to their interest to send here for IL
:. very best stone for such permanent stru
lures that can be found in the West.
The character Of this stone is unquestlol
:, ably SUPERIOR in many respects to any to
- ound in the Valley. When taken from Il
= quarry it is worked with great ease by Il
~ chisel, but 1t hardens by exposuia and q
- pears like granite. Many blocks OF the sto
got out and squared by the chisel from htte'
10 twenty years ago, lie around loose, with I
chisel marks as clearly defined now IS on I
Fas day they were cut, while the moss cover
go stones show not the slightest indications
me sttrition or decay from the effects Of time
oe- weather.
.u After examining and admiring to Q
:, satisfaction the extensive ledge of rock, Al
the admirable facilities for getting them OF
-, and after witnessing the rapid descent of
loaded car down the track with thunder
:. sound, we accepted the invitation Of Color
- Mcdowell to quarry dinner, and, as IN Of
bound, not 10 speak of the promptings OF a
). petite. did ample homer to the bountiful Dos
BY eating larger quantity of provisions II
shorter time than on any previous occasi
n Of for ten years. Without caring specially
W. increase the number Of diners at the Qra
!. Is Boarding House, we venture to assert, tn
He our own experience, that . ramble of
ade a day through the quarries will induce '
At orous appetite 10 the most dainty eater.
cas- Being pressed for time, we did not II
has out Of the way TO visit J. B. Knights t
quarry of magnetism limestone, from VIII
tern he is furnishing stone for the Stste House
) on Springfield, Illinois. We called halt
; he John MeCunes quarry, where We found
any admirable quality of stone, from which
F. Allen is procuring . supply for his mi
is sion at Des Moines, which is said to be
ring finest dwelling house in the State.
lave quarry seems good one, and the stone
and mirable OF its kind; but the strata is not '
iain thick, and the proportions Of the qua
nth. seemed diminu,ive, after our visit to tn
of the Mississippi Bluffs.