|
118 COLORADO LAC.\ZI\E
<br />sallied into Castle Rock, there to part compen}• in short order,
<br />with ;he small r=meant of their week's waves.
<br />The town was bxming. Almost ever}• issue of the paper
<br />stated that "tlte cif}- was full of people }~esterda}." The stores
<br />remained npeu rn the ecellines to accommodate the ranch and
<br />yua:•n• trade. and the taverns received their share of business.
<br />A news item from the'•fadge goner}- in the Castle Hnck newspaper
<br />cf Oct. 10, 1551. rbserced: "`.iany of the men got too much
<br />taoole-foot ]azt night and the result was that several got into a
<br />Sght. and got their time checks this morning. Still business
<br />goes on."
<br />In \ocember, 1851, Silas ]Sedge secured the contract to fur-
<br />nish the stone for the dew Antlers hotel to be built in Colorado
<br />Springs; also for the Culleee, and far )fr. ~Ceitbrec's residence.
<br />The hotel alone required nearlc a thotuand carloads of stone.1°
<br />On \ocember 23 of this same Gear the first fatal accident
<br />occurred at the gnarrc. The engile of the construction train was
<br />going up to relieve the stone-trai^ which was snowed in at the
<br />goner}-; it was running backward and Conductor Parrish was
<br />standutg on the back end of the tender. It struck a flat cal' covered
<br />with snow with such force that the car was thrown up and cut
<br />off )fr. Parrish's leg at the kne^. The engineer stopped the bleed-
<br />ing as best. he cotild, wrapped the poor fellow iu a blanket and
<br />]eft him 1}in~ in the sr.ew until he could walk the mile and a half
<br />back io Douglas for Help. )ir. Parrish died shortl}- after reaching
<br />the hospital."
<br />In the earl}• part of De;ember, 1A51, the Colorado Stone Com-
<br />nana- was organized avid filed a:~ticles of iucorpuratioll with L. Hill,
<br />B. Flamnar, A. H. ternfleld, J. Curler and )f. I. Clifford as di-
<br />rectors. The capi:sl way $SC,000. The place of business was des-
<br />ig:ated as Cas"" Yc~S:.
<br />i'he largest onlc:•op?ing of lat-~ roac in Douglas county was
<br />Inr•:ted on the ranch ~~lr~ngiut% to Pi.i~;;nt O'Brien, who had pur-
<br />ch~sed. the gttar-c let;, .'..r,m .^,rn~-:! c.Cm. J. Pahner, to add to
<br />i,is rasturr acre,:~~." ::'~r. i'B:icu l:aJ ^:~ve: woreed the quarries.
<br />T`_-. t'oiorado Stoar. ~ ~r.::pauy acyni-rr1 the lease to this land and
<br />began preparat~'ns to farce cut stone.
<br />In the fall of l:i?! !`!~ Dcu~, it and Rio 1~rande Railroad began
<br />]acing A spur up SrC: r:. l;ulch to t:•e O'Brien quxrry.1° By _llarch,
<br />1662, two miles weer ec•mple;ed to the lower camp. Later, the track
<br />~•Caatie Ratk R<mrd Journal, \ov. SS, ]881.
<br />+'lt„d.
<br />~F7on Ue Ahstrct of 7'Iile throu6h the courte~>' or Nr. Ed. Seldenttlcker
<br />of C; xtle Rock, mho now holds t}ie wDStrsctt to the old puarn' lands.
<br />~)fr. Arthur nidN t)', Contulting Engineer of Ne Dtnver and Rlo Crnnde
<br />Rtilrtad oRlce. Den•'er.
<br />I
<br />i
<br />THE QUARRIES OF THE CASTLE ROCK AREA 119
<br />was eatended two miles farther up the gulch, when the upper
<br />camp was opened.
<br />With the completion of the spur from the railroad. the
<br />Colorado Stone Company was faced with another problem-how
<br />to get this rock down from the top of the mesa to the railroad cars.
<br />To haul it all dow^ ili the flat '-ow-wheeled wagons used in the
<br />goner}-, was aslow- and costly process. The problem finally was
<br />solved b}- the building of an incline tramway to the top of the
<br />quarry. A drum was installed in the quarry around rrbicb earl'
<br />a cable, each end of which was attached to a small tram car. The
<br />loaded car was started down the inclil:e from the quarry, end this
<br />would pull up the empty car sttached to the other end of the
<br />cable. An offset was provided half way up the incline so that the
<br />loaded car going down mi!+ht. pass the empt}• one coming up.°°
<br />The contract for stripping the entire surface of the stone was let
<br />but was not completed until _lfa}•, 166?, whe^ work began in
<br />earnest at the O'Brien quarry. Ia the meantime, howecel•, az fast
<br />as the surface of the rock was cleared ,uarr}• men were set to
<br />work getting out the stone.
<br />The Castle Rock Record /aurrrcl was ever a booster for the
<br />lava stone industrc. Iu the issue of December 2r, 1S51. it carried
<br />the fallowing criutic remark ty the editor. "Stone agents in
<br />llencer are ;uarrcling over the recent letting of the contract to
<br />furnish etcr.e for the Citv Hell. «tich ever wac it terminates. one
<br />of the Castle Fvxk quarries wiU let it." One did.
<br />Oa February 1, 1SS?, a private school was opened at Douglas
<br />by Diiss ~Creck; it consisted of the quarrt-me^ who were working
<br />far Tir. )iadge, mostly Swedes. She had about tweet}- pupils an3
<br />need!eas to sa}- equal interest was manifested b}• tbese''industr:ous
<br />foreigners" in the stud}• of. the English languAgc and the pretty
<br />:~hcol teach. ns ~.~1L"
<br />'!"_r; ~rst sarions :c:i:?e::t at the O'Brien quarry occurred in
<br />?iarac !S~Z. _'.I'. I::mgd::'.aer, a quarryman, was eery seeerh•
<br />1.'l i+:r^..,i by falling sten :•. :1e was undermining and s;ruc> or:e
<br />bl:!'~ the nan}-, bri:~gin~ '~I! the oserl}•ing rock crashing down open
<br />;titd. `:se sAme we.t.:1 r. "handsome young quarrymen, )ir. A. a.
<br />ancaron" had his~toe pinched of! nt the )Snags quarry end was
<br />unable: to return to work .'.ar a few weeks."
<br />i?^ )Say 1^v, trtgt:dv again struck the O'Brien quarry. Two
<br />wor.`.mrn, TitomAS '.P. Cnrro'.1~ and Calcio Brooks, were working
<br />side by side nt the base of a ledge of rock rising twelve to fifteen
<br />feet above them. Loose rubble. broken be a blast, rolled down
<br />vlbld.
<br />Cattle Rork Rteord Joun:o 1, Ftb. 1, 188:.
<br />nlbid., Mvth SS. lBtS.
<br />
|