The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1906-06-28
AN INTERESTING TRIP
The Editor and Family on Their De-
IightfuI Vacation With National
Editorial Association.

Saturday morning after many hand
shakes and goodbyes to friends in In
dianapolis and those of the delegates
who could not accompany the editorial
excursion, our party arose early as we
were scheduled to leave the Union
depot promptly at Z o'clock, travelling
on special train of eight Pullman
sleepers and baggage car, over the
Big Four railroad for our four day trip
to visit various points of interest in the
state of Indiana. Our first stop was at
Terre Haute, where we were given a
royal welcome and ride over the city
in trolley cars. 1t is typical Indiana
city, with population of over $4,000, an
increase of $4,000 since 1900. It has
many manufacturing enterprises with
IA railroads and interurban lines.
Here is located the largest and finest
distilleries in the world, which last year
paid over $14,000,000 internal revenue
taxes, the largest car works in the state,
grain elevators, canning plant, stamping
works, rolling mills, immense glass bot
tie factories, while all around the city
are coal mines, brick and tile works and
good agricultural country. We cross
crete bridge costing $271,000, and We're
taken to the high bluffs, "on the banks
of the Wabash far away" where a beau
tiful view was had of the city and the
Wabash valley. Returning to the city
we were taken to one of their fine parks
where luncheon was served, and
speeches were made by some of the
leading citizens. 1t was with regret
that our two hours sped away and we
returned to the station where our train
left over the Southern Indiana road,
known as the John R. Walsh road, which
he built to secure an outlet for his
Oolitic stone quarries at Bedford and
the coal mines at various towns. Our
next stop was at Linton, the center of
the Linton coal district, in which are
located some SO mines whose capacity
is about $4,000 tons daily, requiring 1400
cars to transport the coal to market.
Over 6,6OO men are employed in these
coal fields, one half of whom live in
Linton. The average wage scale is
about $3.50 per day, the monthly pay
roll being over 100000. 1t is estimat-
ed that at the present rate of mining it
will require 12S years to exhaust the
coal already located. Nearly all the
miners employed here are American
born, there being but few foreigners,
and nearly all own their own homes.
There is not a single negro or Chinese in
Linton. Our party inspected two Of the
mines and at one of them we were taken
down into the mine about hundred
feet deep to find it electric lighted and
with an electric railroad to haul the
coal to the hosting shaft as it is an old
mine, in operation for more than 25
years and the entries run back for sew
eral miles. We were loaded in coal
cars which were filled with hay and
made trip OF over a mile underground
and saw the miners digging the black
diamonds with electrical machinery. A
sumptuous lunch was served in beau
tiful grove near the mine.
From Linton we were taken So miles
southeast to Bedford to visit the great
Oolitie stone quarries, the most cee-
brated quarries of Oolitie limestone in
the world, and it was one of the grand
est and most interesting sights on our
trip. Although it was Saturday and our
train Was late in arriving the men
worked two hours overtime so that the
editors could see how the stone was
quarried. The stone lies in great de-
posits hundreds of feet 10 depth and is
cut out by great steam saws, being
quite soft when first taken out, but
hardens rapidly when exposed to the
air. The Bedford stone is almost iden-
tical with the Portland stone of England
which was used in so many prominent
buildings centuries ago, which are still
in splendid state of preservation.
Among such buildings may be mention
ed st. Paul's Cathedral and Westminis-
ter Abbey, London. The Bedford stone
is widely distributed, being used extern
sively IN all parts Of the United States
and Canada. Among the prominent
buildings which have been recently
constructed of this stone are the Polk
county court house at Des Moines, the
Agricultural College at Ames, Univer-
sity of Chicago, Federal building at
Indianapolis, and some of it was used in
Icons fine new school building. Stone
is now being quarried for the Trinity
and Borael buildings in New York city,
which will require 1900 car loads, and
800 car loads for the new state house at
Frankfort, KY. While we were at the
quarries 80 car loads were being loaded
to be shipped to Regina, Saskatchewan
for new city hall. After we had
watched the various methods of quarry
ing, cutting and turning the stone we
were taken in charge by the citizens OF
Bedford and given carriage ride over
the city. The city has six stone
churches each built at cost of about
100000, and all ofsthe stone used was
donated. We doubt if there are six as
fine church buildings in any city twice
as large as Bedford in the world. TIE
editors were entertained at supper at
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