The Republican journal., 1900-06-28
GRANITE QuARRY1NG AT FRANKFORT
From the Industrial Journal.


of 1000 it., is solid mass Of the finest
granite, while Mosquito Mountain, near
by, is also composed of granite, much
of it of excellent quality.
The scene of these extensive granite
operations is one of the most pictur-
esque in all New England and the view
from the quarry of the Mt. Waldo
Granite Company, high up on the rugged
slopes of Mt. Waldo, is one of great
interest. The quarries are at height
of exceeding five hundred feet above
the Penobscot river, and it can there
fore be readily imagined that the view
therefrOm is very expansive one. II
time affords, a further climb to the sum-
NIT will disclose to the view panorama
of very wide extent and exceeding at
Effectiveness, and here has been built by
Hayward Peirce, the granite manufac-
turer, commodious camp.
At the base of Mt. Waldo, and near
the waters edge, is the great building
erected last year by the Mt Waldo
Granite Company and in which are a
large crew busily engaged in finishing
great pieces of granite to be shipped to
Chicago for the immense government
building in progress of erection there.
This is undoubtedly the largest building
of its kind to be found in any Maine
granite quarry and is 209xs1 feet in size
and 80 feet posted. 1t is profusely
lighted and is admirably adapted for
the purposes required. A travelling
crane from the Scoville Iron Works of
Chicago aids materially in moving the
massive granite blocks, the crane hav-
ing a capacity of % tons. In addition
to this immense building there are five
other cutting sheds, two of these 16X13O
and three, 30x130 feet. There are also
two blacksmith shops and an office and
draughtsman' building.
Excellent shipping facilities by water
are afforded by the south branch of the
Penobscot river, there being wharf
frontage of 300 feet. and sufficient depth
of water for vessels of good size to load
there. At the wharf are two modern
derricks of 20 tons capacity each and a
big hosting engine with six drums,
three of them to each derrick, this hoist
ing engine being from the works of the
Rawson Il Morrison Mfg. Co., Cam
bridgeport, Mass. The shipping of
granite is also facilitated by travelling
crane on a car, this having been made at
the Industrial Works, Bay City, Mich,
and having a capacity of ten tons
The granite is brought down from the
quarries. which are high up on the
rocky side of Mt. Waldo, by a railway.
There are in all between 100 and 1900
feet of railroad track, part standard and
the balance three feet guage. The dis
lance from the wharf to the quarries is
5000 feet The railroad is operated bya
cable put in two years ago by the Roe
hlings of New York There is at the
quarrya hosting engine with four
foot drum and the round trip from the
quarries to the wharf and return is
made in twenty minutes. carrying a
load of twenty tons. In addition To the
above there is also a double drum
worked by a lever with windlass. There
is also cable from the Lidgerwood Mfg.
Co. of New y ork, 500 feet in length and
anchored at both ends; and in connec-
ton herewith, a Lidgerwood double
drum hosting engine. There is also at
the quarry a hosting engine from the
Rawson Il Morrison Mfg. Co., with
three drums to each derrick for general
hosting purposes. To supply water for
the hosting engines and for other pur-
poses there are tanks of large capacity
and water is brought to them through
pipes. Steam drills are employed at
the Quarries, and the equipment is in
all particulars the most modern and up
to-date Within the past two years
the Mt. Waldo Granite Company have
expended about $4,000 i'll permanent
Improvements. In addition to other
contracts considerable is done in the
line of paving and three-quarters of a
million blocks We're shipped last year.
Mt. Waldo has long been famous for
its granite and quarrying has been car
ried on there for an extended period OF
years. 1t was in the vicinity of half a
century ago that the late Geo. \. Pelrec,
father of the present proprietors, com
menced to operate there and associated
with him for many years was John I.
Rowe. Originally the firm was PIERCE,
4 Rowe and later PIERCE. Rowe Il Co.
In 1850 the business was incorporated
and is now known as the Mt. Waldo
Granite Co. Geo A. peirce died in 1873
and John T. Rowe in 1898. The direc-
tors of the company are John, HAYWARD
and Albert PIERCE, all of them SONS Of
the late Geo. \. Peirce, and Albert is
secretary and treasurer. John Peirce
makes his home in New York city and
has become widely known as granite
contractor. Hayward Peirce is a gradu-
ate of the University of Maine and
makes his home in Frankfort: he has
been a member of the Maine Legisla-
ture and has other extensive granite
interests. Albert Peirce who is Super
intendent, as well as Treasurer, has
served in both branches of the Name
Legislature and will probably be men,
Der of the Maine Senate the coming
winter.
There are employed at present at the
Mt Waldo Granite Co. about 40 cut
tiers, 40 apprentices and Is quarrymen
About two years ago strike was inau-
gurated at this quarry and since then
nOn-union men have been employed.
The cutters are largely Swedes and Ital-
ians, but are proving very skillful and
Industrious workmen. In years gone
by many large contracts have been filled
here, notable among them being the
East River bridge at New York. The
Mt. Waldo Granite Company are at
present at work on a contract for the
big government building in process of
erection in Chicago. The granite is
shipped from Frankfort by vessel to
Perth Amboy, n. j., and thence by rail
to Chicago.
The corner stone of this immense
Chicago building was laid in October
last, and it is anticipated some years