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Stone Quarry’s
Winfield Courier, April 13, 1882.
But few of our people realize the magnitude of the stone business done at our quarries. We visited last week, in company with the Belle Plaine folks, the Schmidt quarries east of town. There are about twenty men at work there, part of them getting out the large rock for the government building at Topeka, others getting out flagging and smooth stone for sawing, and others at work dressing and sawing the stone into square blocks with cross-cut saws, just as men would work up saw-logs. A large number of teams are kept busy hauling the stone to the railroad and loading it for shipment away. Mr. Schmidt is now furnishing one hundred car loads for buildings in Wellington. Other towns are also making regular drafts on these quarries and the demand is increasing rapidly. What is most needed is a switch out to the quarries. If one was put in, stone could be furnished at about half the present cost.
Winfield Courier, January 31, 1884.
STONE.
A Company Formed to Develop the Future Leading Industry of this Section.
A New Quarry Opened and Switches Being Put In.
The Facilities of the Company Unlimited to Supply Foreign or Local Orders.
It has always been the thought of good businessmen in Winfield, from the time the town started, that one of the most certain and enduring elements in the future wealth of the city, was the seams and layers of pure magnesian limestone that crops out at the surface at such convenient distances from the future great city of the Walnut Valley. Up to the time of the completion of the first railroad, the quarries were worked for local purposes. The stone worked easily and could be put into foundations and good buildings cheaper than any other material. About this time our magnificent system of sidewalks was commenced, which has made the city celebrated. Flagging twenty feet square, and the surface as smooth as if it were dressed, was taken out, and published the fame of the Winfield quarries.
When the railroads were completed, it was naturally anticipated that switches would be put in by the railroads and that capital and energy would at once combine to develop this important industry; but months lengthened into years, and while Wichita, Wellington, and other cities wanted the stone, the demand could not be supplied, and they were obliged to go to Strong City and other places for both cut and dimension stone. Without railroad facilities, it was simply impossible, with the best endeavors on the part of the quarrymen doing business here, to supply the ever-increasing demand.
About two months ago an advertisement was inserted in the Kansas City Journal, offering to sell the brick and tile works located here, and in answer to that Mr. J. E. Parkins, of Kansas City, came here with a view of buying the yard. From the very first, his attention was attracted to the character of our stone. He talked with businessmen and showed thhat he had upwards of thirty years’ experience in quarrying, and in the erection of government buildings and railroad work, and that our stone was as good as any in the world; and he stated that with the completion of his contract of the Kansas City post office, he would open up these quarries. A company was at once organized and the Land quarry was purchased. The tract embraces ten acres, and is east of the Southern Kansas railroad, and about a half mile north of the cemetery.
A large force of hands are now at work grading for a switch, and room will be provided for twenty cars. The foreign output for this reason will be about ten car loads a day, and the necessary force to supply that demand will be at work during the coming month.
The brick and tile works near the Santa Fe depot now form a part of the Winfield Stone, Brick & Tile Company’s property, and the large engine now there will do the work of sawing, cutting, and turning the stone, in addition to its former duties. The stone that is to be dressed will be loaded in cars at the quarry and carried to the town yard, where skilled workmen put it into all the various shapes in which cut stone is used. It will be worked into many forms never before attempted here.
Additional machinery for making brick will be put in and a quality of brick, both pressed and common, will be furnished that is second to none in the market.
A storehouse for the sale of lime, cement, and kindred products, will be at once erected. The quarry and the yard will be connected by telephone.
The officers of the company are as follows: M. L. Read, President; J. E. Conklin, Secretary; M. L. Robinson, Treasurer; and J. E. Parkins, General Superintendent. About fifty men will be employed, and everything will be done that knowledge united with skill, energy with well-directed impulse, and capital without limit can do to make the stone interest the leading manufacturing industry of Cowley County. In this work we are all interested, and the COURIER wishes the Winfield Stone, Brick & Tile Company an unlimited amount of success.
Winfield Courier, February 21, 1884. Mr. J. Leeds, Assistant General Freight Agent of the A. T. & S. F. railroad, was in the city Tuesday and made a visit to the Moore stone quarry on Black Crook southeast of town. The object of this mission is not known, but is probably connected with the building of a switch out to the quarry. One fact is certain and that is that our stone is attracting attention from far beyond the borders of the state. Its future development means great things for Winfield.
Winfield Courier, February 21, 1884.
An almost fatal accident happened Monday morning at Wm. Moore & Sons stone quarry east of the city. A blast was put in and the fuse fired, and as the men supposed the fire had gone out, they commenced to redrill the same hole and when near the bottom the blast went off. Mr. I. N. Johnson, Hoffman, and another man were doing the work and were pretty severely hurt. The latter saw the stones and dirt move in time to jump back and save himself injury, but Mr. Johnson was standing directly over the blast and had his face and arms completely peppered with dirt and small stones. Mr. Hoffman standing very near also received similar injuries. Dr. Padget was summoned and after dressing and examining the wounds, pronounced them not very dangerous, but the injured parties will be laid up for some time. The men, before redrilling the hole, had taken the precaution to fill it with water, else the effect of the explosion would have been fearfully disastrous. Powder can kick with more ferocity than a mule, and takes as much care in handling, yet the greatest precaution does not always prevent serious results.
Winfield Courier, March 6, 1884. Go to Alonzo Johnson’s Quarry east of the reservoir for the best of rubble and flagging. A large amount of well stone on hand. Leave orders at Lindell Hotel.
Winfield Courier, May 1, 1884.
Talk about building booms, but Winfield’s boom beats the world. Men are so anxious and eager to build that they have been hauling stone from Moore’s quarries at midnight, not even taking time to get the owner’s consent. Mr. Moore will have to put a time lock on his stone quarry if the boom keeps up.
Winfield Courier, May 1, 1884.
Mr. Chas. Schmidt has the switch into his quarries completed and is now loading rock direct from the quarry to the cars. He is shipping an immense amount of stone to Wellington and other suburban towns out west.
Winfield Courier, May 15, 1884.
A Business Chance.
On Monday Mr. J. E. Conklin purchased Read & Robinson’s interest in the Winfield Brick, Stone, and Tile Works, and is now the controlling owner of that enterprise. The investments now reach upwards of twelve thousand dollars. Under the efficient management of Mr. Conklin, this institution will prove a most valuable one, not only for the proprietors but the community at large.
Winfield Courier, May 29, 1884.
The Winfield Stone, Brick and Tile Company have the contract for furnishing the stone and brick for the Wellington water-works. It will require about one hundred and fifty cars of the various kinds of stone and cars of brick. Thirty cars of stone have already been shipped and the brick were billed today.
Winfield Courier, June 19, 1884.
Brick. On Monday, June 23rd, we shall open our second large kiln of brick. These brick are all hard moulded, carefully burned, and promise to be of as good a quality as ever furnished in this market. The present capacity of our yard is 20,000 hand moulded brick per day. Winfield Stone, Brick & Tile Co.
Winfield Courier, July 3, 1884.
AD. BRICK. The Winfield Stone, Brick and Tile Company is now making twenty thousand brick per day. These brick are all hand moulded and are pronounced by masons the best ever made in this county. They can be seen on Main Street in Jenning’s office building. Prices low.
STONE. We have re-opened the quarries on the land northeast of Winfield and will furnish at the quarries the best Rubble stone from $2.00 to $2.50 per cord of one hundred and twenty-eight cubic feet, and will deliver anywhere in the corporate limits of Winfield for $4.50 per cord.
These quarries are closer and more conveniently situated than any of the Winfield quarries.
We will furnish cut stone of any kind, either blue or white, at low prices.
We invite a visit to our saw-mill and brickyard in the southwest part of Winfield.
J. E. CONKLIN, President.
Winfield Courier, July 10, 1884.
AD. WANTED. 10 QUARRYMEN! WILL PAY Two Dollars Per Day For Good Workmen. Inquire at the Company’s office at the Brick Yard, or at the Quarry north of Union Cemetery. J. E. CONKLIN, President W. S. B. & T. Co.
