Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1914-04-14
|IUPERVIS0RS GO
70 INSPECT SITE
FOR ROCK QUARRY
,..eial Committee Visits Stapp
Farm in Mil Creek Near
Milan.
K MUCH LIMESTONE HERE
.,.ioa,ina Feasibility Of Establish
t,u stoeksee TO Work County
Prisoners.

,-rss,ieation Of a site for a stone
for county prisoners was TAX
:, today by the special committee
- At the last meeting of the coun-
hoard. Chairman George Rich
"A and Supervisors James Nc
1 80 :. r. Wright, Fred Grahund
= z.rh Einfeldt. went 20 Milan and
--..5 ont 10 the John Stapp farm a
---,rs of miles south and east OF the
.r-.gs which has been suggested as
4, ste OF operations il the plan OF
---s-vfsor Wright for a work house
ssopted The committee was named
: .srr~fuc out the terms OF a resolu-
=, introduced by Mr.. Wright provid-
- that an investigation of the feast
sTi,v OF erecting a $4,000 work house
y undertaken
NJ Stapp owner OF the land visited.
Ears 10 either sell or lease tract
:, the banks OF Mil creek which is
,,usidered suitable for the purposes
-sssrred 10. Limestone crops out and
IA be easily secured. Mil creek hav-
~ worn a canyon through IL to a
tso,h OF nearly a hundred feet. The
r1ue for the most part is IL process
q, disintegratiOn. so that getting e
,vt and pulverizing IL would be easy.
Suggests Stoekade.
Mr.. Wright believes that the county
esu well afford TO erect a stockade on
tbs land 10 furnish permanent quar-
tsrs for such prisoners as may be eli
lbls 70 do this kind of work Such a
structure. he argues. would not be
costly. the prisoners themselves be-
tnE able TO do most OF the work. When
oaee provided. a couple of guards
would be sufficient TO look after all
tie prisoners the county would be
likely to have at any time.
i is Mr.. Wright's idea to quarry
and pulveri=e the stone for road build
ag purposes. In all probability a
great deal OF stone will be used on the
roads OF this county during the next
few years. The Stapp farm is central
Tor the lower end OF the county and is
-oi far from highways which are now
Z fairly good condition and less than
! milo from the Peoria branch OF the
Rock Island read.
IN Davenport. Mr.. Wright points out,
he number of prisoners in the county
al Is seldom greater than so. There
re now about 40 men there and they
re kept az work breaking stone in the
'asement Of the Jail In Rock Island.
there there IS nothing for the prison
rs to do. the number is now about so,
lzryiaz from 10 to 80 most of the
Inc. Mr.. Wright believes that the
rorkhOuse mas 2 good deal to do with
-seping the number down in Dayen-
'ort and the absence OF one helps
well the number in Rock Island.
Cost Of Hauling Heavy.
Hauling stone 20 the jail to be brok-
q and then taking il away again in
Olives a great deal OF expense. In
act, the labor Of the prisoners Is prac-
ieally wasted % far as any actual
ain derived therefrom is concerned.
Nth the prisoners taking the stone
ron the quarry and pulverizing II on
ae ground. however. Mr.. Wright
fgues that the industry would almost
not quite pay its own way and there
.ould be the advantage Of keeping
ne prisoners busy and at the same
me Encouraging many who now
pend most Of their time in the county
estile from committing crimes and
coming public charges.