New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1916-02-02
GRAVEL PITS BRING
WEALTHT0NBW. ULM
LARGE INDUSTRY WHICH IS AL
MOST UNKNOWN TO THE
- GENERAL PUBLlc.
NEW ULM GRAVEL NEEDS NO
WAsHlNc{IAND BUT LIT
TLEf SCREENING.

II some one should ask you what the
largest industry of New Ulm is, next
to the milling industry, what would you
say? 1t is safe guess that few people
could give correct answer to question
OF this kind. 1t is an industry which is
giving employment to more men than
even the Roller Mills, but which is sell
dom thought of when New Ulm is men,
toned. 1t is the gravel industry. :,
Have you ever visited the gravel pits?
East, south and west Of the city they lie,
most of them within the city limits. Moth
ing romantic or impressive about their
looks, simple holes in the grounds they
are, yet they have been for years, and
probably will be for some time, source
of considerable income to New Ulm.
Not only gravel of every grade, but the
best kind of sand for building purposes,
is scraped out of these pits and used in
the city or shipped out. According to
a rough estimate there are about twenty
Of these gravel pits around the city.
Nature Did the Washing.
There is gravel and gravel; but only one
kind of New Ulm gravel. It has this
one great advantage, that it is already
washed clean of all clay. Gravel may be
found almost anywhere along the Mime
sofa, and even on the uplands in Brown
County, but as long as this has to be
washed to remove the mixture of clay,
the added expense will prevent it from
coming into competition with the New
Ulm product There is a reason for
this ''favorite child' attitude of Provi-
dence toward New Ulm. Several long
centuries before the noble 'Arminius
lifted his monitory sword over this city,
centuries even before he rose in righteous
wrath against Varrus in the Teutoberg
forest, the place where New Ulm stands
now was covered with the swirling waters
of two prehistoric rivers. 1t was in the
days of Lake Agassiz before the time of
the Oldest "old settler, with not even the
scoop artist of the Review to report the
event. But these mighty rivers left be-
hind them the circumstantial evidence
OF their activity in the shape of deposits
of gravel and sand. New Ulm is built
upon land thrown up in the eddy formed
by the confluence of these rivers. The
gravel and sand were washed clean of
all impurities, and what is more they
were carefully deposited in strata upon
strata, so that now this gravel may be
dug out in every desired grade of fine
ness. 1t does not have to be screened;
and the sand is sand, and not hetero-
geneous mixture Of gravel, stones, sand
and clay.
How the Pits Are Worked.
The city of New Ulm has it's own
gravel pits, which supply it with mater
ial for its streets and other public works.
Several of the neighboring farmers make
this profitable side-line; most of the
gravel industry, however, is in the hands
OF contractors and builders who work
the gravel pits in connection with their
operations.
The digging process is simple enough
at the present time when the supply is
SO abundant and so readily accessible.
First the covering of soil and clay is
stripped off, and then the gravel loaded
by workmen on. wagons, and hauled to
the cars to be shipped out or to it's de-
stination in the city. Of course as the
gravel is removed, the pit becomes
narrower, until it becomes necessary
either to abandon it for new place, or
to put in side-supports of wood. If the
lot is narrow, or near a street or alley,
the pit becomes worked out in a short
while. It is not known definitely just
how far the gravel and sand strata ex-
tend; but it is certain that they do extend
deeper than it is practicable to work
them at present. AS the pits are worked
out they are being filled in with the strip
ped covering of new pits and made ready
for agricultural or building purposes. .
The three heaviest shippers are the
New Ulm Brick and Tile Co., John
Bartl and Fred Schaefer, each of whom
sends out between three and five hundred
carloads year. The New Ulm Ice
Co. and various other local contractors
also accept contracts for gravel and sand
at times. Since each carload contains
from twenty to thirty cubic yards and
the price per yard varies from sixty to
seventy-fve cents one can readily under
stand the magnitude of the industry.
-Four different grades are used, the fine
sand, coarse sand, medium gravel and
coarse gravel. The fine sand is used
mostly for plastering purposes and the
coarse sand for tile and concrete work.
The medium gravel is used in making
concrete, especially for sidewalks, and
the coarse gravel is used for foundations
and gravel roads. Mr.. Bartl has re-
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