The San Francisco call., 1896-05-31
PLENTY OF BLUE ROCK
That Paving Material Is No
Longer the Product of a
Monopoly.
Warren & Ma ley's Extensive Plant
Can Furnish 1t in Large
Quantities.

|
on blue rock that will stand the rattlel
test for paving purposes is all nonsense
This reply was given to CALL represents
tive by c. A. Warren of the firm o.
Warren & Malley when asked to
! give the views of his firm on the
| question of street and other city improve
ments. After taking The CALL man
through the firms quarry he said: "Blue
rock is the basis OF the concrete which
forms the base of all bituminous rock
pavements as well as macadam.
Nov, know of no better illustration OF
the fact that it makes the best macadam-
lied roads than out in San Mateo County,
just beyond the SiI-mile House. The
county purchased 450 yards of blue rock
from our quarry to patch up the red rock
macadamlzed road. Where red rock mas
been used there are several inches of mud
after rain while with blue rock the mud is
scarcely perceptible.
"All accepted streets ought to be rem
dered comfortable and slightly and such
roadways made that the cost viii not seri-
ousiy discommode ths property-owners.
1t Is not reasonable to suppose that work
ing people can stand tax equal to the
property-owners OF Market street.
"a united effort on the part OF the people
to make San Francisco ahead of it's sister
cities at the present time would meet with
excellent results, as nowhere in the world
IS paving done as cheaply as in San Fran
cisco at present. Bond the city for the
necessary cost. Il will pay in the long
run. Work done by fits and starts is ex-
rremely costly.
''I am firm believer in the efficacy of
blue rock. Alameda has the cleanest
hao of-a 20 - H..tsf
which are macadamlzed with blue rock.
There are several firms now engaged in
quarrying it. The great trouble is that
the state is interfering with the industry
forcing great many large and expensive
plants TO compete with the prisoners al
Folsom.
Warren & Malley have a fortune in
vested in San Mateo County, nine miles
| from San Francisco, in a quarry, where
the system OF handling the rock is most
complete, and they can land it in San
Francisco at the lowest possible price.
The price OF labor. of course, is a great
factor. The plant in its entirety is larger
than that OF any firm of contractors in the
United States. Everything that they use
is manufactured in California.
1--WE make all OF our wagons, boxcars.
etc.; have our own blacksmith shops, and
continuously employ from 800 to 500 men,
frequently requiring $50 to 200 teams, be-
sides working fourteen portable engines.
our plant Tor Quarrying blue rock is 10.
Gated III the San Bruno Mountains, to
which we built narrow-gauge railroad
one and three-quarters miles in length,
At the approach to the wharf, which we
Dullt at large cost expressly for the
handling OF our blue rock, we were Obliged
TO trestle about 200 feet. -Four barges oil
6OO tons capacity each are required to carry
the rock to San Francisco.
Iipuf ht,p a
SIX tons each are used in carrying the rock
from the quarry to the city. The cars are
loaded on the barges and dumped but
once. 1t will thus be seen that the cost OF
handling has been reduced to a minimum.
with our present capacity we can deliver
oD yards OF crushed rock day and 35.00C
tons per month Tor seawall purposes. The
supply is almost tinexhaustiole
:"Our machinery at the quarry is perfect
II every detail, the rock being carried to
tie bunkers, which have 600-ton ca
| Iaclty, thence to the crusher, where IL
Tomes out for paving purposes. The
9gusher supplies an elevator belt on which
fae rock is carried upward sixty-two feet
70 revolving screen, which throws of
every particle of dust and dirt and then
eumps into a fiatcar. The cars go down
the railroad by gravity, but are returned
part way by horses and the remainder of
The distance by cable.
1t Will require $50, 900 tons Of this rock
TO build up the seawall OF the Fair estate.
We have the contract for doing that
york, grading and filling from Van Ness
avenue to Baker street on the one side and
from Lombard street to Lewis on the other.
"Ihe cost OF this improvement will be
about 100000. We also furnished the
9ock for the Alameda mole. Next week we
viii begin to I'LL up the Bay District race
rack. This will cost about $450,00O. In
All OF this, blue rock from our quarry will
be used. Thus rock loses but 1011 per cent
10 the rattler test, which is very small
we are satisfied that the supply will be
adequate to meet ali of the requirements
9f every San Francisco County contractor y