01.01.2014 Views

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

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

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

SHOW MORE
SHOW LESS

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.

Part One — <strong>The</strong> St. George District 57<br />

Characteristic Value Unit<br />

Specific gravity 2.924 n/a<br />

Weight per cubic foot 181.557 lb<br />

Pore space 0.535 per cent<br />

Ratio <strong>of</strong> absorption 0.224 per cent<br />

Coefficient <strong>of</strong> saturation: one hour 0.45 n/a<br />

Coefficient <strong>of</strong> saturation: two hours 0.66 n/a<br />

Crushing strength 38,906 lb / sq in<br />

Crushing strength (wet, average <strong>of</strong> three) 35,620 lb / sq in<br />

Crushing strength (wet after freezing) 34,000 lb / sq in<br />

Loss on treatment with carbonic acid & oxygen 0.00607 gm / sq in<br />

Transverse strength 3,545 lb / sq in<br />

Drilling factor 5.5 mm<br />

Factor <strong>of</strong> toughness 9 blows<br />

Townsend Quarry<br />

History<br />

<strong>The</strong> Townsend Quarry (52) was worked from 1908 to 1910.<br />

It was first mentioned in June 1908, when Tayte, Meating & Co.<br />

excavated black granite from the site. Epps, Dodds & Co. also may<br />

have removed some stone, but by 1911 the quarry was abandoned.<br />

Quarry<br />

<strong>The</strong> Townsend Quarry is located about 2,000 feet southwest<br />

<strong>of</strong> Stein Lake on a hillside at the south end <strong>of</strong> Russell Ridge. It<br />

is reached by going two miles northeast <strong>of</strong> Chamcook Station on<br />

the highway from St. Andrews (Highway 127), thence north on<br />

the South Glenelg Road for one and a quarter miles and hence<br />

northwest on a trail for about 1,600 feet (Map 2, 52). This is<br />

Above: <strong>New</strong> River # 1 Bridge, situated on Highway 1 just west <strong>of</strong> <strong>New</strong> River<br />

Beach Park. <strong>The</strong> bridge was constructed in 1943–46 <strong>of</strong> red, black and grey<br />

granite from the Stillwater and other quarries in the St. George area. GM<br />

<strong>The</strong> Bridges <strong>of</strong> Charlotte County<br />

During World War Two, granite from several St. George-area quarries<br />

was used to construct stone bridges in Charlotte County. One <strong>of</strong> these, the<br />

Stillwater Quarry (Map 2, 49), originally belonged to manufacturer Levi H.<br />

Young, proprietor <strong>of</strong> the Bolt and Nut Works <strong>of</strong> Saint John.<br />

Young opened the Stillwater Quarry in mid-1874 on property he<br />

owned by the Digdeguash River near Stillwater Bridge. He and his<br />

associates incorporated the Digdeguash Red <strong>Granite</strong> Co. in August 1875<br />

but apparently sold little or no stone.<br />

In 1943 the <strong>New</strong> <strong>Brunswick</strong> Department <strong>of</strong> Public Works reactivated<br />

the quarry to build several bridges, including ones at <strong>New</strong> River Beach and<br />

Moores Mills (Martin 1990b, p. 206–207).

Hooray! Your file is uploaded and ready to be published.

Saved successfully!

Ooh no, something went wrong!