Mance: Quarry Industry of Southern Indiana 



45 



of mixed stone. The stripping consists of about 6 feet of red 

 clayey loam, which has resulted from the disintegration of the 

 limestone, and the upper channel cut which is also rejected as 

 waste. The work is being carried on on 4 separate floors and a 

 new one is being stripped. 



The Peerless mill of the same company is located just east of 

 the quarry opening and is operated in connection with the qtiarry. 

 This mill is very well equipped,, and was running full time when 

 visited. 



The third quarry of the Peerless district is the property of the 

 Ingalls Stone Company of Bedford and is located on the site of 

 the old Thornton ciuarry, about a quarter of a miie sotithwest 

 of the quarries of the Reed Stone Company and the McIMillan 

 Stone Company. This is about a quarter of a mile southeast of 

 Peerless. The stripping 'n this ciuarry is heavier than in the 

 other quarries, but no ^Mitchell limestone appears on top. The 

 thicker layer of stripping gives few seams, but still many north 

 and south seams as well as east and west ones are present. There 

 is a layer of impure Oolitic hmestone along the west side of the 

 quarry that acts as a protection to the underlying stone. The 

 bed of workable stone at this point is about 38 feet thick and is 

 taken off in four channel cuts. The stone is all a fine-giained 

 buff stone, but in some places there is a marked cross-bedding. 

 This quarry was first opened in 1895 by the Bedford Steam Stone 

 Works. The quarry is eciuipped thruout with electrical ma- 

 chinery, and power is purchased from the Southern Indiana 

 Power Company. The company is called the Indiana Limestone 

 Company. The present opening is north and east of the old 

 opening and the stone is thicker and less seamed than in the old 

 quarry. The stripping consists of 10 feet of earth and the tipper 

 10 feet of waste stone. The ground slopes to the north and west 

 so that both sets of seams are developed. 



Horseshoe and Oolitic. About a nrle due west of the 

 quarries at Peerless and across the Valley of Salt Creek, a high 

 ridge stands out above the valley. This ridge is known as Buff 

 Ridge and the quarries located along it are sometimes known as 

 the Buff Ridge quarries. These quarries are among the largest 

 and oldest in the entire district. The most northerly opening 

 is the quarry of the Furst-Kerber Company with their mill Xo. 

 2 located at the same place. The quarry has been in operation 

 only a few years, but in spite of this fact a large amount of stone 



