The independent., 1907-04-18


751 feet long is exposed, and has beer
worked back about 80 feet, mining
out solid ledge of limestone 25 feet
thick. From this quarry it is esti-
mated that 100000 tons of stone have
been taken, or about $500 carloads
Work has been begun to extend the
opening about five hundred feet which
viii give it a frontage of nearly a
quarter of a mile. About eight or ten
feet of the middle portion Of the
twenty five foot ledge is pure enough
to be used in sugar refining and
hence is known as sugar stone Most
limestone from all these quarries is
crushed and used in concrete. in build
ings, and in street making. From this
district Lincoln receives moro than
2,030 carloads of crushed stone an
nuaiiy.
The bluffs along the lower Platte
also contain the most extensive
gravel pits in Nebraska. Between
Cedar Creek and Louisville are two
large gravel pits each having a
capacity Of several carloads day
Midway between Cedar Creek and
cullom is another large pit. The i'm
portance of this product is readily ap-
praciated when we remember its use
as roofing material. The numerous
pits in this region, many in operation,
some abandoned because of heavy
strippings, make the source of the
acres of gravel roofs found in Nebras-
ka. The gravel in the beds Is mrxed
with a great deal Of sand which Is
washed out before shipment.
The vicinity Of Louisville and
Meadow is probably the region of
greatest SAND mining activity. Five
large clam dredges are at work there,
one of which operates IN conjunction
with a sand pump which lirts the
sand from the Platte river into q res
ervoir from which a dredge loads it
into cars. The quantity of sand which
can be taken from one pit is well il
Illustrated in the case of the Atwood
Pit at Louisville, managed by Mr.
Rands This pit is located about one
hundred yards south of the chanhei
of the Platte river The land, use
less for farming, leases for about
800 per acre on account of it's sand
The pit was opened five years ago by
about one foot of the sur
+; as strippings. The sand is taken
out by q dredgc, called a clam on ac-
count Of the shape IL weighs about
5000 lbs. and operates on a double
cable, by means of a. draw cable at
tached to q twenty horse power engine
1t is lowered into the pit. On account
Of its weigh and shape it sinks into
the sand and fills, and automatically
closes when drawn up. 1t is then
drawn on the double cable to the side
Df the pit and against stripping de-
vice which causes it to drop its load of
nearly two tons of sand into a wait
ing car
When operating at full speed three
such loads are hauled in five minutes |
Or at the rate of a ton per minute. |
This one credge loads from eight to
fifteen cars per day during ten months, |
zach year, regardless Of rain or sun
shine. That process has gone on at th.s |
place for nearly five years aud has
only excavated a pit about 300 yards |
long, 100 wards wide, having maxi |
mum depth Of 45 feet. TIE operation |
described is typical. There are five such |
1redaes at work in that vicinity. at /
about the same rate which means an
average combined output OF thirty-ffve |
10 seventy cars daily. The upper sands |
IRE usually rather fine and are used |
extensively for engitc sand As dredg- |
ng is CARVED to lower depths the sand |
IS coarser and at a depth of seventy |
ave TO eighty feet contains much |
gravel All the sand is very angular |
md is Well adapted fer use in plasters.
blocks, street making etc. AS |
The sand is taken out clear water lakes |
IRE formed which serve for fish and ice |
akes. Thus the value OF the land is |
rather than diminished
When we are ten1pted to think of Ne
oraska as state without mineral |
wealth le- us bear in mind that she has |
he best Of the most important mineral I
in the world q fertile soil
ind excellent water. She also has al
most innunerable sandpits, a consider
lble quantity of gravel, numerous
luarries. and that she has district
embracing Louisville and Meadow. less
han three miles wide and Ten miles
ong, where the boom Of the blast is
leard on all sides in the evening and
where m'ny trairoads OF sand clay.
;ravel and stone arc mined weekly.