Delaware gazette and state journal., 1902-12-25
QUARRY DEVELOPMENT.
Extensive Operations by Stewart & Dono-
hoe on the Brandywine.

Z
Extensive Operations by Stewart 8 Dono-
hoe on the Brandywine.
On tine banks of the Brandywine
River, opposite the little. village of
Kentmere, 10 men, mostly Italians. are
fast reducing mill of granite, los feet
high, to the level OF the railroad tracks
that skirt it The stone taken from
the hill is quarried by Hamilton
Stewart and Michael Donohoe and the
beautiful specimens of Brandywine
granite of wbicn the walls of the new
elevated railroad in this city are being
constructed, is taken from this quarry
under the experienced and critical eye
of City Councilman Stewart, who is a
quarryman Of wide experience.
The quarry was visited Friday
afternoon by a reporter of The Gazette
and the interesting and dangerous
work of getting out OF the rugged hill
of rock the symmetrical and valuable
blocks Of granite was fully explained
by Mr. Stewart. Realizing that the
work, specially tho blasting of the rock
is a dangerous business, Mr.. Stewart
remains at the quarry from early morn
ing until the close of the days work.
lie has had years of experience and is
known as a hustler, but at the same
time a careful and efficient manager.
Upon approaching the quarry the
reporters attention was attracted to
gang OF men who, with punches, ham
mers and wedges, were reducing big
unsightly blocks of rough stone into
small squares known as Belgian blocks
and Used for street paving purposes
1t is an interesting work. The opera
tor, who usually Is either cUlored
man or an Italian, will punch row of
holes in the side of y big stone, not
exceeding thre. inches in depth and
about four or five inches apart. When
this row OF little holes is finished small
wedges Of steel are inserted into them,
about three inches in length and a
little larger at the big end than the
hole. With small hammer these
wedges are driven home. The boulder
cracks and falls apart, split as il it
were block of straight grained wood.
The parts of the large stone are next
cut into small squares by the same
process of splitting and then pass into
| the hands of other workmen to go
| through a process called .reeling.
This simply is dressing them mp with a
peculiarly shaped hammer. The.Relgian
block then resembles large gray brick
an is ready to be laid in the street by
the hand OF the payior.
Three steam driven drills we're puff
ing away boring holes into the hill.
The holes range from 6 to 20 feet in
depth. In getting the stone out OF the
hill a row of holes, from five to eight
in number and to the depth of 20
feet are bored into the rock from above.
1 IL the stone is damp dynamite is put
| sx,AO he h11o 9 ~
| work is dry black powder is used, as it
gives better results. In exploding the
| powder or dynamite fuse with an ex-
| ploding CAP on it is used. The cap is
attached to a small insulated wire and
\ ia. exploded by anleIeetrie spark Some
| times it takes several blasts to cause a
successful ..fali'' of rock. After the
mass of stone has fallen there are a
number OF shattered portions left on
| the face of the main body of the quarry
side. These loosened pieces are pulled
down by the pioneers, headed by Price
Shelton, colored, who, with safety
rope around his body, climbs around
on the face of the cliff with an agility
that would interest an experienced
mountain guide. With his two colored
assistants he dislodged about eight
tons of granite while the reporter was
being shown around the quarry.
The rock loosened and dislodged by
the explosion and the pioneers now is
within the scope of the mammoth dor
rick of the quarry. This derrick is said
to be the largest If the kind in this
part of the country and it can pick up
and place in any part of the works,
boulders weighing 20 tons. The appli-
ance is So feet inches in heighth and
the boom is 80 feet inches long The
derrick is so nicely adjusted that il
Iiswesps around the quarry hole in a
rapid manner that is amazing for such
a heavy apparatus
There Is a smaller derrick in the
works that is used in lighter work. Ii
will lift about 1900 pound8 and is
used to a great extent in loading the
product of the quarry on cars for ship
ment
Stone for nearly all of the important
improvements. that are now going on
around Wilmington is furnished by
Stewart & Donohoe. They have enough
contracts ahead Of them to keep their
present force busy for two years. They
are furnishing the stone for the new
elevated railroad, the foundation stones
for the oonsumptive hospital that is
being constructed by the A. S. Reed Z.
Bro Go, at Farnhurst; the gFsnIte fol
the trestle work and.-osser railroad
work which is being done by Con
tractors McGaw & Gray at Stanton and
Northeast, and big contract fol
Rieter, Curtis d Hill of Philadelphia,
for work of the railroad company In
that city.
The output of the quarry is about la
tons daily. Seven carloads are shippel
on an Average every day. The holdings
of the company cover five acres anc
Mr.. Stewart says that the granite ex
tends from los feet above the Brandy.
wine down to China, and the deeper ht
goes the better is the quality of tn,
stone.
The firm has been in existence since
May 18th of this year and has not hac
single serious accident. The littl,
stone powderhouse that stands on tn,
side of bill a safe distance away from
the workings, often contains 10 25-pounc
kegs of blasting powder and 500 pounds
of dynamite.
During the coal famine the employees
of the quarry Jared much better thar
did many persons in city establish
ments. On the top Of the hill ther,
were a number of trees. They were Gu
down by the company and the mel
employed in the quarry were given per
mission to cut the timber into fireWooC
for their own usa without nharoe