Daily Republican., 1888-09-18
aKAFIrE oUARRIEs.


Riddiea' wOOds-W hat They Were and
Wbnt They are Used For-Remtnis-
ceDses Of James Riddle wine
trAnite- QuarryinE 0rAnIte-aranlts
sent everywhere.
"Tap. tsp, tsp" sounds the drill
hammers IN what used 20 be weli-known
as Riddles woods. Interminglsd with
the TattlinR taps OF these little drill
hAmmsrs are the more musical and
resonant sounds OF the drssaers nDd
clippers IS they fashion the irregular
OlooAa OF blue BrandgWins granite into
beautiful tagging, crossing, stems.
posts and curbing. The different sounde
are prod duced by the different positions
In which the huge blocks Of gtanlte are
placed. II long slab, suitable for
crossing or curbinR, Is plAoed upon Hup
ports couple Of feet high, mLAical
sonnd follows the stroke Of the ham % er
upon the chisel, 81 marked that ths
term ''sinRi1g rocks" might apprO
priR:ely BIS applied. All over this r. oky
knoll Of some twenty, Ave acrea thsfe
sounds are heard. for here are three
small quarIies and one very large one
The Brandy vine Granite Oompany --in
constant operation, all employing about
&MD MAu0b
These two and a qusrter.hundFed men
are literally disemboNelltng Riddles
woods, and the scenes now met With nte
vastly different from those with which
WtlminRtoniRns generally were fA.
miliar with . quarter OF century OF
more ago.
Thote Who ara not yet even pass ths
middle ago Of life recolleot we'll when
these woods wsra the principal resort
OF local excursions and picnics. Great
harvest homes have been held there,
such Rs are mot Attempted at the pEessnt
day.
They may have been political, relig-
ious or social but in ell cases q great
gathering in Riddles Woods was An
event In which all WllmingioniAns
Claimed q right TO participate. The
woods we're wonderfully adapted to
these large gatherings. the only draw
bkok being the want OF water, which
could not be procured except at the vii
iBge pumps that lined the bIoW OF the
hill boEdtriDG the Brandy wine or from
springs along this historic stream. This
Inconvenience however, was often
made up by long line OF hose reach.
tng from q huge tank on top of the hill
TO well sone plRoe down the hill, aud
q friendly Fire Company Ctf3rtd it;
services and an engine to force the
water up. Books and bouldere Of un!-
Que shape formed BeAtB and tables and
gometlmes platforms from which ora
tors made polished and pointed speeches.
Awsy back 10 those gears interminglst
With the stately forets t1e1s VAS an un.
derRTowth OF smaller trees which have
entirely diBappeared before the march
OF industrial improvements. One OF
the lateat large gatherings in these
Woois Was great Sunday school re-
union OF all the Protestant Sunday
sehoolE OF Wilmington and vicinity un-
der the direction ofJAmee N. ClemmeF,
q vocal musician OF considerable note
and prominence In those days. By the
time the front OF the procession had
reached the woods and WAS disOAudine
the rear was pagsl1g up about Fifth and
Market streets. l. was q great gather
ing, but the concert whioh wGs TO be
held IN the grove did not aiEs up to ex-
peotatinnB.
Who did not know the proprietor OF
this romantic hill? 1he name Of James
Riddle Was q household word In those
days, and the marble shaft Ia Ms.BAlem
cemetery will be moro potent in after
generations 10 perpetuGte his memory
than 1t Is TO the present, by whom be
was wellknOWn. he came here from
AvondAle, Delaware Co Pa, in 1915
and flied an important place In the ria
ing Industries OF Wilmington, In tie
Methodist church auo in society. An
IrlahmAn by birth, he possessed that
warm, friendly temperament, ohaEao,
terlstio Of that people, and to all his
latch string was Always on the outside
Of his door. How timeB chAnRel James
Riddle lies In Mt. Salem cemt terry, his
son Leauder, honored In church and
State while living lies beside him, The
widow IemHins Amongtt US, and n
daughtar, with her husband, w. nj.
FleldR, will 10 few days return from q
year and q half Bojourn and travel
through Europe. With Mr.. Riddle
came q nnmter Of mill operatives from
Delaware Co., but only two or three are
here now. 0ac of them Is VIM. Wier,
who, with his two SONG, reside near the
mills, and are engaged In roller cover
ing Another Is VIM, Webb, resident
In the vicinity. Wr. Wier wes amongst
the fiist members Of Mt. Salem NJ. r.
church, organised In lsi7, MAFoeliuz
Keen was the htst preacher OF that
ohuroh, and dying before hts year OK.
Plfeui Junu hifRlu hAti tOCal minleLkEt
filled ont the yssr, The hfBt regular
preacher WAS Mr.. Boswell aud ha Waa
followed by Rsy. Newton Heston.
But We ara getting away from the
woods and from the q1arries. Lot us
say however that MT. Riddle WAb very
careful OF this picturesque and roman
tic grove, bat now business mAkes itI|
and sentiment yields TO advan-
cling indussriss. Now 8 few words
more atouE the quarEies and the Bran.
dywine granite.
A representative of the REPUBLICAN
recently chanctd this way and gathered
a few notes In regard to the granite in
dustry, which, within few years has
gained sulh wonderful headway. These
granite hills ON both sides of the Brandy
wine have been leased for a term of years
to the "Brar dywine Granite Company" by
W. NJ Field, who is President OF the
Company. This company has sublet
part of the premises to others who are
also engaged in quarrying, The first ~
fall 10 the course OF the REPUBLICAN
was the quarry operated
by Richard Walker, who employs about
eight hands, several of them being Ital
ians. Mr.. Walker is engaged in getting
out building stone curb, flag and gutter