The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1894-07-06
A BUSINESS THAT PAYS
Scenes at the Pioneer Rock
Quarry-Working Day and
-Night-Large Orders.


An enterprise that is fast assuming large
proportions is the quarrying of building
stone at the Pioneer quarry IN Lincoln coun-
ty. Last Sunday representative of the GA
zETTE visited to the quarry and from Supt.
H. g. Luker, learned that they are unable
to fill their orders as fast as they are COM
ing in. The force of men employed was
augmented this week until now twenty.
eight men are engaged in the work. The
men are divided into two shifts and work
night and day and Sundays. Their wages
vary from 81 so TO 50 90 per day. During
the day time, the work of quarrying and
loading cars occupies the attention of the
force while at night the channeling ma
chine is in operation. This machine is
great iabor-saving invention. 1t is operated
ny steam power which is generated in
boiler about hundred feet distant; runs
on railroad track, and cuts channel in
the rock to depth of six feet. These
channels or grooves are cut parallel from
six to ten feet apart and six feet deep.
The rock is split up into convenient sizes
for shipment.
The stone is gray sandstone of an excel
lent quality for building purposes. When
first taken out it is quite soft and easily
worked but on being exposed to the atmos-
phere it becomes hardened until it will
stand pressure nearly equal to that of
granite. Hereafter with the aid of their
channeling machine they will he able to
get out from 1000 to 1900 cubic feet per
day.
ten tons. For this they receive, near as
can be learned, 40 cents per cublc foot on
board the cars at the quarry. This stone
is largely being used III San Francisco,
although several car loads have been
shipped to Portland. Nine thousand cubic
feet have been shipped to San Francisco
to be used in the construction of the
lSpreckles building. An order was re-
ceived last week for SO 900 cubic feet for
use in the erection Of the Parrott building
in the same place. Some of the stones or.
dered for special purposes are of an enor-
nous size, many of them weighing from
ten to fourteen tons each and being sufii-
cient to load single Car. The company
now have one ship under charter and hope
soon to have another vessel on the line.
The quarry is located about 1000 feet
, north Of Barney Morrison's place on the
Yaquina river. The Oregon Pacific has
, constructed siding and the blocks of
J stone are conveyed directly from the
, steam derrick. The land is owned by j..
M. Howell and the company operating the
business has secured nine year lease on
the ground. This company is composed Of
H. G. Luker, G. w. Davis and w. II.
Alexander, all residents of Salem. The
location of the quarry is a high bluff on
the right of the wagon road and at the in
tersection of two canons. Several lodges
OF an inferior quality of rock are found
above the stone used for shipment, the re.
moval of which is necessitate;; to permit of
the use of the channeling machine. At
paesent the surface upon which the chan
neling machine can be used is ab,ut 100 feet
long with an average width OF thirty feet.
T This area will be increased as rapidly as
possible to admit of the use of another ma
chine which at present is hardly practi-
cable. For George Lay Anaker, who was
recently killed by falling from the top of
, the bluff down perpendicular precipice of
, fifty feet to the ledge below, monument
six and one half feet in height is being
constructed by Supt. Luker. The monu-
ment is of handsome design and is being
, cut from stone taken from the quarry.
1t will be placed at his grave in Salem.
large watering trough is also being con.
structed on the ground for John Alberts, a
resident of Salem. From all indications
there is an inexhaustible supply Of this
stone and when once its excellent qualities
become known to builders there is little
doubt that it will be largely used. The in
dustry already yields good returns and
promises at day not far distant to be one
of the leading industries of the growing
county of Lincoln.
J Mr.. Luker, the superintendent, is a very
pleasant gentleman, and to him the
GAZETTE man is under obligations for
. favors extended.