The Granite Industry of Southwestern New Brunswick: A Historical ...

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50 The Granite Industry of Southwestern New Brunswick: A Historical Perspective When Henry died in 1908 at age 71, his sons continued the business for several decades, with John H. as mill manager and Charles W. as sales agent. Their cousins, John W. McGrattan and Thomas L. McGrattan (sons of Henry’s brother, John M.), joined them as stonecutters. The McGrattans closed the Roix Road Quarry (43) around 1910 but opened a black granite quarry (45) at Digdeguash Lake eight years later. They also reopened the long-idle Dawson Mountain Quarry (44) in 1923 to obtain stone for the Saint John drydock (see sidebar on p. 52). But as with the other granite firms, ill health took its toll and eventually led to company closure. John H. died in 1923 at age 51. Charles handled affairs throughout the 1920s and communicated with Dr. Wright in 1934 but died of lung cancer in 1936. The death of Charles essentially ended the McGrattans’ corporate involvement with granite. John W. and Thomas L. McGrattan (his cousins) began working for Milne, Coutts & Co. around 1935, with John as foreman. Their first job in that capacity was to oversee the procurement of stone for the new St. George post office, erected in 1935– 36. The walls of the building were rough blocks of deep red granite from a Milne Above: H. McGrattan & Sons, c. 1910. The company’s granite shed was situated on the west side of the Magaguadavic River (Map 4). John H. McGrattan, manager, sits low in the middle of the front row with a vest and tilted hat. Seated on his immediate right is French Meating, brother to Henry, Nicholas W. and Joseph Meating. SGHA, H141 Coutts quarry; pinkish granite from Dawson Mountain formed the trimstone around the windows. The St. George post office is one of only two buildings in New Brunswick constructed with blocks of St. George granite, the other being the town’s Presbyterian Manse, which is now a private home. The remaining McGrattans retired in the 1940s and died of silicosis: Thomas in 1946 and John W. in 1955. The H. McGrattan & Sons charter ceased in 1953.
Part One — The St. George District 51 Above: H. McGrattan & Sons, c. 1905. Note the name Utopia Granite Co. on the side of the granite shed. The barrels atop the roof were filled with water, serving as a primitive sprinkler system in case of fire. SGHA, 1004 Quarries H. McGrattan & Sons operates one area of red granite (Map 2, 43), one of light grey granite mottled with pink (44), and two of black granite (45 and 50). The company also owns and operates a finishing mill in St. George. Quarry 43 (‘Roix Road Quarry’) in red granite is located on a 200-acre property about six miles northwest of St. George (Map 2). The quarry is situated on the west side of Roix Road (Highway 760) at a distance of about one mile north of its junction with Highway 1. The quarry opening, which is about one quarter of a mile west of the road, is about 75 feet long, 50 feet wide and said to be 25 feet deep. The quarry has not operated since about 1910 and is filled with water. The stone is light red and yielded blocks of large dimensions. It polished well and was used chiefly in ornamental work. It is described by Parks (1914, p. 117). Quarry 44 (‘Dawson Mountain Quarry’) in pink granite is located adjacent to the Canadian Pacific Railway about 3,000 feet north of Highway 770 from Bonny River (Map 2). The 125-acre property is on the slope of a steep hill, which rises 235 feet above the level of the track, affording a chance for gravity transportation from any part of the quarry to the railway. Two derricks each of 5-ton capacity are located on the property, and a siding has been installed to facilitate loading cars. Prominent vertical joints strike N87ºE and are spaced 12 to 20 feet apart. The sheeting is approximately horizontal. Large dimension stone is available. The stone from Quarry 44 is fairly coarse grained, light grey and mottled with pink; it is sold under the trade names of Canada Pink and Rose Pink. An examination
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Energy and Mines The Granite Indust
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Energy and Mines The Granite Indust
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Preface and Acknowledgements iii Ta
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Preface and Acknowledgements v Pref
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Page 11 and 12: Part One — The St. George Distric
Page 59: Part One — The St. George Distric
Page 79 and 80: Part Two — The Hampstead District
Page 103 and 104: Appendices 93 class of stone his cu
Page 105 and 106: Appendices 95 It has long been the
Page 107 and 108: Appendices 97 Quarry 6, Map 3. View
Page 109 and 110: Appendices 99 Above left: Quarry 12
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Appendices 101 Above left: Quarry 3
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Appendices 103 Left: Quarry 46 (‘
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