El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1910-03-12
HISTORYOFTH The
OUARR|ES Of
BOWIE
$150,0O0 Already Spent De-
veloping Stone and Put
ting It on Market.
SURPRISES ANY
DOMESTIC STONE
Grades Up Equal to Marbles
of Italy and Is in Constant
Demand.

The history of the Arizona marble de-
posts near Bowie is interesting. In
1905, a prospector from Arizona sent
samples of the Bowie marble TO the
Kerr Marble and Stone company, OF
Denver, to be tested. The sample was
placed on the desk of ]. G. Kerr, presi-
dent of the company who has been
making study Of marbles for the past
10 years. He has examined every de-
posit in the United States either by per-
sonal visits to the quarry sites or by
means Of samples from the quarries-
In February, 1908, he visited the de-
post. as yet unworked, in the Chira-
cahua mountains of Arizona So IA
vorably was he impressed with the for
nation Of the deposit and the high
quality of the marble that he returned
TO Denver, arranged for the organiza-
tion of z company to develop the pro-
ject and disposed Of his holdings in the
Denver company. Associated with him
in the quarry company is Lawrence C.
Phipps. OF Pittsburg, one Of the ia
nous Phipps family, who are heavily
interested in the steel business at Pitts
burg. Gerald Hughes. son of United
States senator Hughes, of Colorado, is
also interested in the Arizona company
Il is capitalized for s1,000,000, andd has
already invested $4,000 in developing
the Quarries near Bowie.
Finest In Country.
The Bowie marble is pronounced by
New York and other eastern architects
and builders as being the finest in the
United States, surprising the Vermont,
Georgia and Tennessee marbles. and
equaling the world famous Italian and
Grecian marbles. 1t tests 99.eS percent
purs in carbonate of lime and has
crushing strength of 2,000 pounds TO
the square inch. Mr.. Kerr has a num-
Der of photographs of marble slabs
which have been taken from the Ari-
zona Marble company's ouarries, show
ing the beautiful qualification which
makes it so valuable commercially All
contracts made by the company for its
product specify matched marble, giving
the building in which it is used the APP
pearance which is sought for by the
famous architects One slab Of the Arr
zona marble is shown in photograph
with q perfect compass and square
formed in the compound veinings- This
is formed by reversed cheveron VEIN
ing, and is considered one OF the finest
pieces OF matching ever quarried. An
other photograph shows a sample OF
the marble with q japanese lily show
ing plainly in the dark colored VEIN
ing.
Samples Gratifying.
Samples of the southwestern marble
were placed on exhibition in the Metro
politan Life building in New York. and
were also exhibited before the leading
New York arhcitects and pronounced
the equal Of the high grade marbles
ouarried in Italy and Greece Mckfmm,
Mead & White, Carrare & Hastings,
Case Gilbert and other famous archi-
tectural engineers declared the output
of the Arizona quar-ies far superior to
the other native marbles of the United
States.
The new First National bank, Of Den
yer, which is now being built, has spect-
fled the Bowie marble for its interior
and exterior decorations, in the new
sl800,000 building now in course of
construction. Other large buildings in
the southwest, including a number OF
the new Fl Paso structures may be or
namented with the Arizona marble, as
Mr.. Kerr has been in conference with
number of the business men who are
planning to build soon.
Tho present plant OF the marble COM
pany includes all the machinery used
in a modern quarry plant A battery
Of three chandling machines. a $50 horse
power boiler plant air compressors and
air drills are installed and in opera
ton on the ground A small mill is
now being operated TO finish the ma
terials for q number of contracts where
tt is not possible TO finish the marble
on the job. a general store is also
conducted by the company to provide
the force of 45 men employed at the
plant with supplies. Later the plant
will be extended and the entire deposit
of marble worked as il is needed The
company is planning to develop the
property as rapidly as possible and
expect to be supplying the east Texas
California and southwestern demand for
building marbles within the present
year.
Faith In the West.
eft is extremely gratifying to me,
Mr.. Kerr said. Ito see the Texas cities
demanding higher grade OF marble Tor
their building than those of the east
and north That is true right here In
Ell Paso. The new bank buildings spe-
city marbles which are the equal of any
IN the country, and the bank structures
will be a credit to any city in the
United States. have cast my lot with
the southwest because I believe In 1t
not only in my own project, that OF
producing marble, but in the great pos
sibilities of the southwest in every
branch of industry. Marble Quarrying
is as exact a science as copper mining
and milling, and we propose to produce
and prepare the output of our prop
critics for the market in the most mod
ern way possible.
f''Our mill was built Of the first car or
concrete shipped by the Southwestern
Portland Cement company, of Ell Paso,
and all of our machinery has been
shipped either from here or through
here. While I am not an agriculturist.
I can see the greatest possibilities Tor
the valleys surrounding FL Paso on
all sides The trend Of immigration IS
southwestward in its direction, and
as soon as the government puts water
on these lands there viii be no limit
70 the resources Of the southwest"