The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1884-07-01
The State Industry.

i OF Tue origin Vi tue sldle INDUSTRY ana
its employments in the arts, says
The early history of slate is obscure.
Here and there few scant fragments
enable it to be traced back to the 14th
century. About the time King John,
of England, signed that famous docu.
ment. Magma Charta at Runnymede,
which contained the germs of that
liberty, the blessings of which we
now enjoy in this country. the earliest
quarries of North Wales began to
yield materials for the roofs of the
old historical castles of Conway and
Caerparvon.
The castle of Conway was built by
Edward /, A. d. 1888, for the pur-
pose of keeping his Welsh subjects in
check. Its location at the seaport
town Of Conway, on an inlet arm or
the sea, near the head Of Menai
Strait, and protected by a headland
projecting far out into the Irish sea,
was carefully selected by Edward,
having in view its accessibility at all
times by sea whatever the internal
state of affairs of the country around
might be. The "unconauered Briton"
had, after u severe and protracted
struggle, been finally brought into
submission at single blow IN 1877 land
English barons settled upon the con-
fiscated soil. A single uprising under
the leadership of Madoc in 1890
during which Edward found himself
besieged in his own castle, and re-
duced to great extremity by famine
disturbed the peace of one hundred
years in Wales.
A century later, Conway Castle
afforded shelter to Richard III, when
he landed in Wales to attack Boiling
broke. during the disafection of his
army and mobiles, but he was soon
lured from its protective walls and
delivered 10 his enemies.
This noble structure, though res
pected by parliament when it dismant-
led most of the other castles of Wa'es,
has fallen and crumbled before the
inroads of time and progress. The
Earl of Conway removed the roIf,
which was OF slate, and the floors.
One of the towers has a lar.e breach
in the lower walls caused by the in
habitants of the town undermining
while digging for slate. Eight arches
which once supported the roof still
few years ago.
The erection Of the castle of
Caernarvon was begun about the
same time as that of Conway by
Edward l, and owing to several in.
terruptions was not completed until
A. D. 1917. According to the
testimony of the earliest accessible
records, these two celebrated structur-
es were the first upon which it is
definitely stated that slate was used |
as roofing material, and to this period |
must be referred the use of slate as
an economical and commercial pro-
duct The records of the develop
ment of quarries are also very scant
In order to trace this development
more or less Systematically, it will be
to divide the slate region
IF North Wales into four districts:
he Lamberis (Nantlle) district
ying on the West, the Festiniog,
he Corris and the Llangollen dis
riots lying towards the East, in the
,rder named.
The quarries % the (13th century,
ire few in number and belong to the
irst or Llanberis district.
The only one at present in operation
definitely known to belong to this
arly period is the Cilgwyn quarry at
Mantle.
When Edward | visited Drwyscoed,
n North Wales, about the close of
he 18th century, he lodged in house
n Mantle rooted with slate from these
uarries. About the middle of the
asst century they were revived, aud
fter passing through many hands
nd periods of depression are now
lrgely and successfully worked. In
872 they employed 260 men, and
reduced 5000 tons, valued approx
mately at 1921, 900. There are other
uarries in this district whose origin
J unknown which probably belong to
his period.