Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1883-08-23
GRANITEVILLE.
A Visit to the Quarrfes Which
supply st. Louis.
Magnificent Bowlders-The Won
ders of Red Quarry Land.
GRANITEVILLE.

Iron county, Missouri, IS miles from
st. Louis, the mammoth 9uarries OF
the Syenite Granite Company. from
whence the material with which the
streets of st. Louis are being recon-
structed. are located. This granite sec
ton is somewhat famous, as having
once been under the superintendence of
President Grants brother, ,Orville, when
the Government contractor, Schneider,
was developing the deposit in fulfilling
| contracts for the st. Louis and Cincin-
natl contracts. Mr. Schneider will also
be remembered as the first contractor
for paving st. Louis streets with gran
| ite. He found it much more convent
| ent and less expensive to cut up surface
boulders into paving blocks than to
quarry for the mineral. These blocks
were a failure, crumbling readily un-
der wagon wheels. Their use on the
street almost damned the entire idea
of granite reconstruction. On invita-
ton Of Mr.. w. r. Allen, President of
the Syenite Company, Post-Dispatch
reporter joined select party on Satur-
day evening, and visited the quarries,
remaining over Sunday. The party
was in charge Of f. w. Mott, Secretary
Of the company. Chauncey l. Filley
and Ira G. Terry were of the guests. A
delightful ride down the Iron Noun
tain road brought the party shortly
after dark to
THE STATION AND SHIPPING POINT
| of Middlebrook, where the switches
leading to the quarries, two and a half
miles distant, terminate. T. +. Walsh.
Treasurer and active manager of the
company, was at the depot with n
wagon drawn by two enormous Nor
man horses. The visitors We're soon
ensconced in the wagon, and then fol-
lowed q ride over the hills and far
away. The road could hardly be called
a boulevard. Mr.. Filley remarked that
a daily ride over it in a farm wagon
would certainly cure the most confirm
ed case of dyspepsia consequent upon a
torpid liver, in a week. A timid pas
senger suggested that as there were
deep gullies on either side of the road,
that the driver look out for bad places.
Mr.. Walsh replied in the language of
the Irish pilot that he "knew every
rock on the road" and as the wagon
just then ran over bowlder with the
effect of throwing all the passengers in
to the air as if they had been shot from
a catapult, he finished with the pilots
remark, land that Is one of them"
IT WAS AFTER 8 O'CLOCK
when the main street of the village of
Graniteville was entered. By the pale
rays Of the moon it could be seen that
there were about one hundred build
ings scattered about. A well equipped
general store, operated by the COM
pany, in which everything, from figs
and tin cups to bacon and seersucker
coats, can be obtained; a church and
assembly hall; and an attractive hotel,
located in the midst of beautiful park,
and surrounded by vine-clad veran-
dahs, were conspicuous objects on the
landscape. The hotel was erected by
the company and leased to August
Fromhold, than whom a more genial
boniface never lived. He had prepared
a hearty supper for the party. The
might ride in the mountain air had pre-
pared every one with a good appetite,
and nothing was heard but the sounds
natural to q feast of chicken and q
crunch of bone for some time. An adj
journment to the verandah for cigars
gave Mr.. Walsh and MIR. Mott ali op-
pOrtunity to state some facts regarding |
GRANITE AND GRANITEVILLE.
"On March 8, 1882, P. w. Schneider's
lease EXPIRED" said Mr.. Walsh. "He
was at that time working one quarry,
and during the ten years in which he
had lease had supplied the bridge and
the st. Louis and Cincinnati Custom
Houses with stone. On August 8, 1882,
The Syenite Granite Company was duly
Schneider's unfinished con-
.racts were taken up and fulfilled, one
# the principal being the enormous
that make the sidewalk
or the new Custom House. w. r. AL
en- had previously gone into the street.
paving business, and the demand for
blocks exceeded the supply. Three
lew quarries were promptly opened,
he new store and hotel erected, the mar
ow-gauge railroad, connecting with the
ron Mountain railroad and operated by
nule-power, was taken up and stand
rd gauge road admitting locomotives
o the quarry grade substituted,
THREE NEW STEAM ENGINES
we're purchased to operate derricks, four
team drills of the most improved pat
ern were introduced to take the place ,