Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1911-10-03
MUST GET BUSY.
To Win, Wausau People Will Have to
Get Away From Their Rip Van
Winkle LethargY.

In two previous issues we have at
tempted to prove to Wausau people
that a good, live Industrial organiza-
tion is needed here, and needed badly,
to prevent the city's decay. The
need of such an organization is man
ifested right at the present time, for
here is case in point:
For some weeks G. f. Hankwitz, a
manufacturer, has been dickering
with the Merrill Veneer company of
Merrill for the purchase of five acres
Of land for a site for factory. The
company has at last refused to sell
Che land, and Mr.. HankWitz is CON
Sidering other sites elsewhere. The
little village of Edgar over west of
US, which contains some huStling
people, has made the gentleman an
offer of ten acres of land, and will
also clear it of stumpS, etc, the whole
not to cost him one red penny. This
offer pleases him, and unless some
thing is done to sidetrack him he will
probably locate in Edgar. He is
purchasing machinery at the present
time, and will build somewhere. He
intends to eXpend about $4,000 in
the erection of factory for the man.
ufacture of broom handles, hammer
and ak handles, rolling pins for moth
ers-in-law, and other wood products.
In the course of year he will con-
sumo large amount of hardwood,
and Will'give employment to quite a
number of hands.
Now, here would be an opportunity
for Wausau people to get busy. No
doubt but what with exercising of a
little hypnotic power Mr.. Hankwitz
could be induced to settle in the
queen city of the valley. There are
plenty of sites here and any quantity
of the timber he would require is
available. Besides, he would have
better shipping facilities than he
would in either Merrill or Edgar.
Will our people get busy, or will they
continue to sleep?
No other city in the state can offer
better advantages for the establish
ment of diversified industries than
ours. Adjacent to Wausau are for
ests of hardwood which can be util-
lied in many lines of manufacture.
For instance, we have the material
at hand for a hub factory or wagon
factory-one which would employ
many hands and pay fair wages.
Out on the west side of Little Rib
river in the town Of Stettin, cover
ing large area, is deposit Of field
spar. Analyses of it have been made |
by PrOfS. Lenber and Daniels of the |
state university and by Karl Langen-
beck, an expert living in GAINESVILLE, |
0. The tests were made from sur
face rock, with more or less eXtran- |
eOus matter filtered into them, which I!
were not fair tests, but all showed :
that the feldspar is of q high quality.
The commercial value of feldspar de-
pends on its furnishing Q material
which will fuse to white mass when
used as fiuX for pottery. The tests
showed that the Marathon county
article would do this. Feldspar is
used extensively in the manufacture
of china and porcelain ware, glazed |
tile, pottery, stOneware, wood filters
and in certain kinds of glass. Now,
it is possible that factory for the |
of any one of these
might be located here. Few of them |
are at present located near the raw
Good clay is to be found |
here, and we have better advantages |
than has Winona, Mimi, which has
one of the largest pottery and earth
concerns in the world located |
in it.
Again, in Rib hill we have deposits
Of Quartzite of unlimited amount. |
Experiments have shown conclusive
y that this rock produces the finest |
silica, as well as having commercial |
value in many other respects. Silica |
las many uses and there are few |
silica mills in the country. One has
been located in Milwaukee which de-
pends for its supply on quarries in
Northern Michigan. The only use to |
which the Ma 'athon county quartz
rock is put at present is in the manu-
facture of sandpaper, while a quartz !
mill is grinding it into various
grades and shipping it. 1t is used !
largely by glass manufacturers, soap
factories, poultry food houses. etc. |
In fact it has many commercial uses, |
any one or several of which might |
be developed right here at home.
But, to get things started, there |
must be cooperative movement of |
our citizens, such as is expressed |
through the operation of live ad- |
association. The need of |
such body in WauSau is becoming
more and more apparent every day, |
and blind must be the man who |
thinks the city can prosper by sitting
still and letting other cities and vii |
lagos grab everything that comes
their way. Wausau has had repu-
tation for doing things-certain
things. We have a name which we
are all proud of, and to change one
word of Rienza's expression regard
ing the Romans, to be Wausauite
is greater than king" We have
never been claSSed among the dough-
heads, and by iinks We'll move out
OF Wausau before We'll be put in
that category. But something must