The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-11-13
VIRGINIA GRANITE:
PR0BLEMSSOLVED.
Hidden Wealth Of Din.
WiddieB Brought toLight
bykichmond Energy
QUARRIEs OPEN UP
q REA { w EA 1T III
Virginia, Rich in All Things,
Beats New England in It's
Granite showings-Dinwid-
die County Mines Being
Developed by a Rich
mond Enthusiast.
BY FRANK $. wOODsON,
Industrial Editor.

BY FRANK 8. WOODSON,
Industrial Editor.
Butterworth. Dinwiddie County, Va,
November 1.-THE Industrial Section
has on more than one occasion, many
more than one, perhaps. boosted that
somewhere In Old Virginia, either on the
top side OF Virginia's part OF the earth,
or under the same, or in the waters
thereof, anything and everything that
Is essential to the wealth and COM
fort and well-being OF mankind may
De found in greater or less quantities.,
mostly greater. I believe that is a
boast that has good foundation. and
that can be verified, but 1t would take
a long time to make the necessary in
vestigations to enable me to tell about
all OF this good old States hidden
wealth. wealth that even all OF her
own people have not yet commenced
to realize. and some have not yet be-
lteved In or dreamed OF.
had Hoard something of some vast
deposits of granite down here In Din
widdie county. and I had heard OF
Richmond and other Virginia cities
BENDING to New England and to Ten
nessce and to North Carolina and else
where to get the stone to make build
ings and window and door stills and
cappings. and to build monuments and
all that kind of thing. / thought pos.
sibly some folks oid notIknow about
Virginia's wealth in granite and SO.
on the invitation OF friend, I came
down here to sec for myself. that
might tell about 1t ALL
Virginia Granite for Thi, Country.
In this Immediate section there a
indeed vast deposits or granite of the
gray and blue and pink varieties. and
enough of II near to the surface to
keep all the Virginia city builders bi,sy
Tor the next hundred or more vears
maybe a thousand, but none OF the
auarries have been worked 10 any ex-
tent.
1t takes a great deal of money =,
Work granite quarry and a great deal
OF nerve on the part OF the worker to
rake the enormous investment In ma
cnlhcry, labor. etc, required to futiy
Develop quarry OF course. we ali
Know that quarrying stone has been
q more or less profitable business In
virginia. especially near around RichS
mond. for these many years, and IL Is
no secret that Virginia granite has
been shipped to many Northern cities
tor building and paving purposes, bu.
somehow there has been an idea that
New England must furnish the granite
supply for mansion building to tho
whole country. or at least the most OF
mat part OF 1t east OF <jle Mississtppf
hlVer. Ihat Is great mistake. Vir-
gina alone can supply the country, IL
capltal, and nerve behind that capital
VIII only get busy. The capital and the
nerve and the transportation facilities,
nave been lacking in Dinwiddie county
1or 10 these many years. Hence the
vast quarries and the wonderful gran
lte deposits and huge boulders I have
In>nQ Il .lft ,Nr
Ing mere idle since some great uplcaval
OF nature thousands upon thousands Of
years ago brought them to the surface
and made them readable.
Menacing Trouble.
6ut some years ago, by the building
Of the Seaboard Air Line through here.
the transportation facilities were sup
piled, and very recently considerable
nerve and not little capital found
their way down, here. and immense
granite quarries within a quarter to
half mile of the railway station are
being worked. and probably worked,
TOO. These requisites came in ene
person OF a. G. Belford. a well known
Richmond contractor and builder, q
man who for the past nine years has
been actively engaged In the good work
OF making Richmond bigger and lovlier
and more attractive. lie has built
houses. both public and private, under
contract in many parts OF Richmond
He built the Marshall High School edi-
nee, the Grace Street annex to Muir
phys Hotel. the Binswanger ware
houses and other large business houses.
and number of the Monument Ave
nue. and West End mansions and resi-.
dences. to say nothing of hundreds OF
smaller homes and residences
In the execution of all of these con-
tracts. Bedford found not little trou-
bic In securing the granite required
Tor various and sundry purposes, hav-
ing often to go to Western Carolina
and elsewhere for the goods and al
ways experiencing annoying delays. 1,
Was no unusual thing with him, as 1t
Is no unusual thing with other con
tractors. to have to walt weeks and
even months for a capstone or two or
a few window stills or step stones. or
for any other specific order for granite
of the right kind however small that
order might be,
Looking to Dtnwiddie.
Mr., Bedford heard something about
these deposits in Dinwlddie, and he |
gave them some Investigation. About
that time the United States government
got ready to build a bigger post-ottice
and custom house In Richmond, and
ANlt. 5beuIoId, contractor ike, was ready \
to put in bid for at least some part or
the work, and he Just had the nerve
to offer to furnish all of the granite re-
CURED. The specifications not only
called for a superior grade of granite,
but also that the same should cores
pond With and be alike and in all re-
spects as good as that of which the I
old building Was made, much of5which I
was to be.used in thoTrebuilding. New
England, North CaYolina and maybe |
Tennessee Furnished bidders for the
granite, but Mr., Bedford got the con-
CONTINUED on Fifth Page)
Monumental Annex Lots