The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1889-02-01
MANkATo STONE IS ALL RIGHT.

A concerted effort is being made by
Interested parties to prejudice the Hen
nepln avenue commissioners against
Mankato stone. In the bids recently
opened for furnishing stone for the new
court house at Minneapolis Ring & To-
bin bid 30 cents per cubic foot, Breen,
OF Kasota, &c., while the Mankato quar-
rymen, Messrs. Widell & Petersen and
Maxfeld & Coughlan bid "a cents. This
made difference of Sc, 600 in favor of
Mankato stone and Minneapolis tax
payers. and in order to justify the COM
missioners in throwing out the Mankato
and Kasota bidders and paying Ring &
Tobin IL, 600 more for their Kettle river
stone an organized effort is being made
to decry the merits of the stone quarried
in Mankato. Ring q Tobin have issued
a circular containing letters from num-
Der of parties, including Mr.. Barrett.
the president of the st. Paul board of
public works and architect Haley, whose
unsavory connection with the Blue Earth
county court house is well known. 1t
is well-known that there is thin strata
of rock IN the Mankato 9uarries which
is quite soft and unfit for building pur-
poses. 1t is very pretty, white stone,
however, asd easy to work and it has
doubtless been put into work by some
INSCRIPTIONS contractors. Upon this
alone are the lasting qualities of Manka-
to stone decried. A few years ago when
Ring & Tobin had quarries here, there
was nothing too good to be said of our
stone, but since their operations have
been transferred to Kettle river it is
very natural they have changed their
views. The fact that the unseasoned
stone they furnished for curbing pur-
poses at st. Paul has proved failure is
nothing against the merits of the stone
which other quarrymen furnish for
building purposes. AS to architect
Haley's pronunciamentO, no one ex-
poets him to be favorably disposed to-
ward Mankato after his dismissal from
the court house superintendency. The
only stone that cracked in that building
was that put in by Mr.. Haley's specifi-
cations and of quality which any quar-
ryman who valued his reputation would
not have used. 1t was of the soft layer
which our stone men never use for 9TH
er purposes than rip rap.
The attempt to decry the.lasting quail
ties of Mankato stone is ridiculous.
Hundreds of buildings throughout the
Northwest attest to its excellence, while
several immense bridges across the
Mississippi and Missouri rivers stand as
monuments to its wearing qualities I'M
der water or exposed to the atmosphere.
Mr.. Saulpaugh, one of the most ex-
perienced and best known bridge build
ers in the West, stands always ready to
vouch for Mankato stone. Prof. Minch-
ell, the state geologist, Prof. A. F. Bech-
dolt and President Soaring have all per-
soually testified to the merits of the
stone quarried here, and if the Minneap-
oils commissioners allow themselves to
De wheedled into paying Sc, 900 more for
stone of no better, if as good quality,
they will be doing their county an in.
justice. The contract should be award.
ed to the Mankato men and they will
furnish stone that cannot be excelled,
unless granite is called for.
The contract calls for 1900 carloads OF
stone and we hope our local quarrymen
may not be figured out of the job by any
such injustice as this effort to libel the
product of our quarries.