MICHIGAN ROADS AND FORESTS. 



15 



MICHIGAN MAS BIG 



MARBLE DEPOSITS 



The Michigan Marble Company, articles of 

 incorporation for which will be filed with the 

 Secretary of State at Lansing shortly, has been 

 recently organized with the view of exploiting 

 the Verde Antique marble deposits, located 

 about six miles northwest of Ishpeming. Ex- 

 pert mineralogist? who have seen this marble 

 pronounced it as fine as any in the world. It 

 is of a beautiful green shade, with red and 

 white and stripes of a still deeper green run- 

 ning through it. For interior work it furn- 

 ishes a material that is unapproachable foi 

 beauty. It is also susceptible of a far higher 

 degree of polish than ordinary marble. The 

 natural supposition that the stripes are in 

 reality flaws and that the marble would easily 

 split through them is entirely erroneous, as 

 it is of the same degree of constituency 

 throughout. Relative to the veining George 

 W. Xewett, mineral statistician for Michigan 

 for the year of 1395, says in his report 



"The Verde Antique is full of veinings of 

 delemite, and this, with the variety of shading 

 of colors, makes it very beautiful. To the un- 

 iniated the veinings look like fractures. They 

 probably were at some time) the delemite hav- 

 ing formed the cementing material, but these 

 parts are really stronger than where the rock 

 does not show them. It is the network of 

 veinings that pronounces the rock Verde An- 

 tique, and it is the feature that proves its 

 valuable character. It is used for interior dec- 

 orations and gives the richest possible finish." 



The quarry was first located many years ago 

 by Julian M. Case, who spent a fortune in ex- 

 ploiting it. He went to England in 1890, and 

 died while engaged in effecting a sale of the 

 property, having already sent for the deeds. 

 At that time only a small amount had been 

 taken from the quarry, and it had been utilized 

 solely for exhibition purposes. While the 

 exact amount of marble contained in the 

 quarry is problematical, the promoters claim 

 that there is enough to keep the market sup- 

 plied, at the rate at which they intend to 

 extract it, for the next hundred years. The 

 marble strata is of remarkable thickness, as it 

 has been tested to a depth of 750 feet, and the 

 marble at that depth was found to be of a 

 much better quality than that at the surface. 



Y\ hen an explosion of gas wrecked the Min- 

 ers' National Bank, at Ishpeming, over a year 

 ago a Verde Antique slab, which was used as 

 a money counter, was blown through the front 

 window and shattered in the road. Though it 

 had been in use for many years it still retained 

 a high degree of polish and had broken in a 

 jagged manner, without any respect to the 

 direction of the veins. 



At the Chicago Exposition in 1903 the Verde 

 Antique had a section in the Michigan mineral 

 exhibit and attracted much attention. Many 

 who saw the specimens have since visited the 

 locality from which they were taken and ex- 

 pressed surprise at the quantit}-, as well as the 

 quality, of the marble as it appeared in the 

 quarry. This quarry is believed to be the 

 only deposit of marble in quantities of value 

 outside of the little that is now found in the 

 old world. The marble was first discovered in 

 Italy and was largely used in the decoration 

 of the Roman palaces. The veins in the Ital- 

 ian quarry there were very narrow and the 

 supply is almost exhausted. 



THE OPEN SHOP. 



''It is stipulated in the rules of some labor 

 organizations that apprentices must not be em- 

 ployed, and why? Because they will learn the 

 trade. Mechanics are not more allowed to be 

 made. I know what I am speaking about; I 

 have studied the question. I say there is no 

 greater despotism that rules or reigns on this 

 earth than labor unionism. 



"The source of a fear which cannot be exag- 

 gerated is the entrance of labor unionism into 



politics and its adoption of socialism and an- 

 arch}' as a creed and doctrine. It is a despot- 

 , ism which threatens our democratic institu- 

 | tions. It clutches by the throat our plainest 

 and most fundamental liberties. 



"It makes the absurd boast of having pro- 



: duced the wealth of the world by the labor of 



: the hand. How much was there in the world 



so long as the hand was the only thing that 



] worked? It was only after the brain began 



to work and men discovered ways of develop- 



i ing the resources of this earth by the forces 



: of nature and by a thousand inventions which 



the man who worked with his hands tried to 



destroy, that hand work did anything above 



the rudest forms. In the polite arts the hand 



follows the ideal. In the practical arts the 



hands follows invention. 



"The labor of this world today is brain labor 

 and the hand toiler has the easier job a thous- 

 and-fold. The brains of wealth are furnishing 

 the laboring man with his chance today. 



"Everybody will sympathize with the organi- 

 zation of the workingmen for the improve- 

 ment of their condition. But all men should 

 resist the tyranny which oppresses both busi- 

 nes and the free American citizens who choose 

 not to organize." J. R. Day, Chancellor Syra- 

 cuse University. 



BIG DEMAND FOR RAILROAD TIES. 



"The tie proposition, how best to secure 

 them, and at the most advantageous price, !s 

 one that is just now causing the officials in 

 the construction departments of the railways 

 much concern." says an Upper Peninsula rail- 

 road man. "I believe, and I have heard other 

 railroad men who have given the matter ser- 

 ious consideration, say the same thing, that 

 the time is not far distant when there will be 

 very few timber ties available. 



"With ties selling at the prices that have pre- 

 vailed for more than two years past the job- 

 bers or some one else must he making big 

 money. Ten years ago the railroads could buy 

 the very best ties on the market for 18 cents 

 each, but today they are paying 65 cents for 

 ties, some of them not of the very best qual- 

 ity. It would not surprise me to see the price 

 go higher, as in many districts the railroad 

 companies are entirely at the mercy of the 

 timber owners or jobbers. 



"There has never before been a time when 

 ties were in such demand. During the past 

 year some of the railway companies have not 

 been able to get them as rapidly as the} 7 were 

 needed. Most of the companies now have tie 

 buyers and inspectors working among the job- 

 bers. The latter are no longer obliged to seek 

 a market for their ties, as the companies are 

 glad to take them off their hands. Many larg? 

 orders have been placed during the past year, 

 and the Upper Peninsula dealers have had 

 their proportion of the business. The railways 

 are not confining their ties to anv one icind of 

 timber. The Upper Peninsula was at one time 

 a heavy producer of cedar ties, but the number 

 obtained in this region is being reduced gradu- 

 ally. 



"The railroads are using more ties now than 

 at any previous time. They do not last as long 

 as they used to, when there was less traffic 

 on the lines. The roadbeds have to be kept in 

 good condition, and there are a large number 

 of men constantly employed replacing the 

 wornout ties." 



dent, sold its entire holdings in the vicinity 

 of the Blind river, in the province of Ontario, 

 to J. J. McFadden, of the Canadian Soo, and 

 William A. Mallory, of Ottawa. 



The Dominion company was originally or- 

 ganized by Mr. Thompson, who is also secre- 

 tary and manager of the Wolverine Cedar & 

 Lumber Company. The Dominion company 

 has successfully operated along the Blind river 

 in Canada, and its holdings were very extensive 

 and valuable. The amount of money involved 

 in the deal was a little more than a million 

 dollars, and it seemed like the days of old Me- 

 nominee to have so big a deal pending between 

 local and outside lumbermen. 



Messrs. McFadden and Malloy are we:! 

 known Canadians. They were formerly as- 

 sociated with J. R. Booth, the lumber king ot 

 the dominion, and they will actively develop 

 and carry on the original plans of their new 

 acquisition. 



Mr. Thompson had associated with him in 

 the Dominion Lumber Company the follow- 

 . ing Geneltmen: Charles G. Foster, of Milwau- 

 ikee; Daniel Wells, of Escanaba. and Robert 

 ! Bruce Dolson, of Blind River, Ontario. F. H. 

 : Trudell handled the legal end of the transac- 

 ! tion. 



J. O. Blixt, of Iron Mountain, has com- 

 pleted the sale of twenty forties of timber 

 land near Granite Bluff to the Peninsula Box 

 & Lumber Company, of Menominee. The 

 consideration was SS.OOO. The timber will be 

 cut this winter. Mr. Blixt has also sold to 

 Edwin Freeman, of Iron Mountain, eight for- 

 ties of timber land east of Merryman, the con- 

 sideration being $4.500. 



$1,003,000 TIMBER DEAL. 



A million dollar timber deal has been closed 

 in Menominee under the active direction of 

 John M. Thompson. The Dominion Lumber 

 Company, of Canada, of which he is the presi- 



CONCRETE POLES. 



An Indiana company has been organized 

 for the manufacture of concrete poles for lin,> 

 work. A series of continuous rods of twisted 

 carbon steel especially prepared for the pur- 

 pose are held in position and hound together 

 i by a special steel wire from the apex to the 

 ] base of the pole, and the poles are mpuldccl 

 ;in adjustable forms. 



All large poles or poles over thirty-five feet 



will be constructed in the holes by upright 



forms, says the Electrical World. Gains for 



, cross arms, holes for bolts and steps are 



i easily provided for while the concrete is plas- 



; tic. 



A thirty-foot pole of octagonal section co-i- 

 ( structed a year ago in a horizontal position. 

 I hauled nine squares and set tip with cross 

 | arms, subjected to two summers aiid a win- 

 i ter with wires attached, is stated to show no 

 j perceptible wear or injury from use or the 

 elements. 



Some severe tests made with poles con- 

 structed in this manner show that though 

 i very hard and durable and apparently rigid 

 I a surprising elasticity is displayed. For in- 

 j stance, a pole thirty feet in length when sub- 

 j jected to a strain of 3,100 pounds at the top 

 j deflected from a straight line thirty inches 

 before cracking the cement. A cedar pole of 

 j like dimensions broke at 2,200 pounds, thus 

 showing in the concrete pole a 50 per cent 

 greater power of resistance. 



Even the cracking of the cement did not 

 apparently weaken the strength of the con- 

 crete pole, since the re-enforcement then be- 

 comes active and takes the entire strain. In 

 addition to the great strength imparted to the 

 cement shaft by the carbon steel twisted rods, 

 the spiral coil binds the body of the concrete 

 and at the same time imparts additional 

 strength both horizontally and longitudinally. 

 Accurate acounts of all expenditures for 

 labor and material in the construction of thejc 

 poles are stated to show that under average 

 conditions the first cost of these re-enforced 

 concrete poles is about equal to or slightly 

 in excess of the cost of cedar poles set in 

 the ground. With re-enforced concrete poles 

 the renewal cost incident to the use of wood- 

 en poles is entirely removed, as the former 

 are absolutely indestructible. 



Frank Bushnell, of Lake Linden, has five 

 logging camps in operation in Keweenaw coun- 

 ty and each camp will have from 35 to 40 men. 

 John Morrison, of Calumet, has two camps 

 already established, and will operate several 

 more. Dave Kingston, of Eagle Harbor, will 

 run two lumbering camps this season in Ke- 

 weenaw. Batt Quello. of Calumet, also is op- 

 erating a lumber camp in .Keweenaw county. 

 Another single camp is also to be operated in 

 Keweenaw by Sam Lafleur. 



