Baraboo weekly news. [volume] (Baraboo, Wis.) 1912-197?, 1917-09-27
STAUDENMAYER
DECLARES PARK
CAN BE SAVED
Clear Understanding Scope of Law
Forbidding Blasting at Devils
Lake
(Madison Democrat)

An earnest effort has long been
made to clear out from Devils Lake
State park company which is blast
ing rock and transporting it to Illinois
points for the making of crucibles to
fire brick. The last legislature passed
one bill forbidding blasting in public
parks and another appropriating $780,
900 for the removal of the company
to another site a few miles east of
the lake. But things have not shaped
up. Blasting continues. The last
bluff is having all it's picturesqueness
ruined. 1t has been said that the
$4,000 was not enough for the re-
moval and that the blasting prohihi-
ton was nil.
But Senator George Staudenmayer
of the Sauk- Columbia district says
the blasting can be stopped and he
explains that the money for the re-
moval was only granted after its ade-
quacy seemed certain. He writes thus
from his Columbia county home:
Right to the Point
To the Editor:
I encolse a copy of the dynamite
law passed by the last session of the
legislature The passage of this law
was intended to prevent the use Oh
any explosive within the confines or
any state park. The Martins proper
ty facing Devils Lake is entirely with
in the confines of Devils Lake State
park and therefore is clearly under
the operation of the law.
When the agreement was made and
the law passed to remove the refrac-
tories company about one and one
half miles east from it's present lo-
cation on the east bank of the lake a
sufficient time had to be granted the
company to operate it's plant on its
present location to enable the con-
servation commission to construct a
spur track to site secured for its
relocation The dynamite bill then
pending was. amended by inserting
therein, "this act shall not prevent
the use of such explosive on any
property which is. under development
on July 1, 1917" 1t was clearly under,
stood by all parties connected with
this agreement that work could go
on as before on the company'S own
land, consisting of 81 acres, but no
work should be begun on the Martin
property which the refractories peo-
pie held only under lease.
Some little work was being done at
that time in preparing to build an ex-
tension to their track on the Martin
property, but no effort had been made
or could be made to quarry stone on
July 1 of this year.
Regarding an article which ap-
peared in the Sank County Weekly
News in it's issue of September 13
that the amount ($3O,00O) appropri-
ated by the state was not sufficient
to build the proposed sidetrack, | can
only say that an engineer in the en-
ploy of the state, under the direction
of the state railroad commission, aft.
er due inspection estimated the cost
$4,000, and the amount Of $30000
was deemed amply sufficient to carry
out every provision of the act.
George Staudenmayer.
Law on the Subject
Section l. A new section is added
to the statutes \to read: Section
4391m. Any person who discharges
or explodes or causes to be discharg-
ed or exploded for any purpose any
dynamite, blasting powder or other
similar explosive at any piece or
point within the boundaries of any
park owned by the state Of Wiscon-
sin, unless the use of such explosive
is necessary for carrying on works
of Improvement done by, for, or un-
der the authority of the state, or done
by. for or under the authority of the
county or town wherein such park in
whole or in part is situated, shall be
deemed guilty Of misdemeanor and
upon conviction thereof shall be pun
ished by a fine of not less than fifty
dollars nor more than one hundred
dollars, or by Imprisonment in the
county Jail for not less than thirty
days nor more than six months, and
for second or subsequent offense by
both such fine and Imprisonment.
This act shall not prevent the use of
such explosive on any property which
is under the development on July /,
1917.
Section 2. This act shall take effect
on July 1, 1917.