Lincoln County leader. [volume] (Toledo, Lincoln County, Or.) 1893-1987, 1894-07-19
AT THE PIONEER ROCK
QUARRY.
What a LEADER Reporter
Saw at that busy and
Industrious place.

SOudIN ID tuS lOlSSl SlOue quarry
Last Saturday a LEADER reporter
visited this place and found a gang
of men busy at work hoisting, cut
ting, trimming and loading the
stone onto the cars, and the hustle
and hurry in the works Indicated
that busin ess was not at a stand
still with them by any means.
The Pioneer stone quarry. whose
product is rapidly becoming famous
on the coast, is situated about 50
rods from the main line of the
Oregon Pacific road, and is con-
nected with the main line by a
spur which runs up 10 the quarry,
so that stone can be hoisted off the
ledge and loaded onto the cars a t
one handling. The quarry takes
its name from the old town cf
Pioneer, which at an early day in
the history of this country was
busy trading place, standing at the
head Of navigation on the river,
and was considered the most i'm
portant place on the Bay or river.
The quarry was originally a part Of
Barney MorTison's homestead, and
was sold several years ago to a
Salem gentleman by the name Of
Howell. In March 1895, a COM
pany was organized to open up and
operate the quarry. This company
was composed of Salem men, and
the most active members of the
company are D. Rynearson, H. G.
Luker, A. L. Headrick, and Mr..
Davis. The company began at
once to open up the quarry and to
place the stone upon the market.
The first contract of any material
size secured by them, was to fur
nish stone for the new city hall at
Salem. This contract was secured
in the face Of considerable opposi-
ton, as the stone was new, and its
good qualities unknown. Besides
it had been repeatedly asserted that
there was no building stone Of any
merit on the coast, except the
Tenino, Washington stone. The
Pioneer men placed their product
in contest with the Tenino stone,
and wherever a test was made it
was found that the Pioneer stone
was superior in resistance to weight,
was easier worked and took a nicer
finish, and better resisted the effect
of heat. Confident of these quail
ties the Pioneer men began TO
crowd for the coast trade. A rep
resentative was sent to San Fran
cisco, and interviewed the builders
of that city. A sample of the
stone was submitted, and it was
subjected to most rigid test, for
the builders Of the Sunset city
wanted none but the best stone III
their buildings. The Pioneer stone
stood the test and as a result several
large contracts were secured III
San Francisco, and large quantities
Of stone are being shipped there
now. So important has become
this market that large steam
schooner, the Scotia, is kept busily
engaged in carrying tile stone to
it, and contracts are on hand now
in sufficient amount TO keep the
Scotia running all the season.
At the quarry are employed from
20 to rs men at wages running
from $3.50 to So per day. The
quarry has heavy steam derrick
which handles great big seven and
eight ton rock with greatest ofease,
raising or lowering them a half
inch or fifty feet, as the case might
be with absolute accuracy. The
engine is presided over by Sidney
Wolfkill, formerly OF Yaquina, a
practical engineer, and is one Of
the most important positions in the
quarry. The new channeling ma
chine has arrived and has been at
work for several days. 1t is most
wonderful piece Of machinery. 1t
cuts a channel by means Of rapidly
descending chisels driven by steam,
and does the work very rapidly.
It seems TO have many great adj
vantages over the old method Of
blasting. The face Of the ledge is
kept as clean and smooth as It
could be kept if the stone were
sawn. None Of the debris that is
always present in blasting is now
in the way, and it makes the work
] oc La,Jt,.c, 30, ,,,,.et, A.. .k..u.