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Indiana University Studies 



has been taken out. The thickness of the workable stone is 

 about 45 feet and it is taken out in 5 channel cuts. The stripping 

 consists of about 10 feet of earth and about 5 feet of the over- 

 lying Mitchell limestone. In addition to this, quite a large 

 amount of the first floor is spoiled by mud seams which are very 

 pronounced in an east and west direction, which represents the 

 general drainage slope. A large quantity of clayey earth has to 

 be removed from the quarry working on account of the large 

 mud seams which penetrate the beds to a considerable depth. 

 The stone is quite coarse in gram, but very uniform in texture 

 and color. Practically the entire output of the quarry is a good 

 grade of buff stone. As the quarry working is opened farther 

 west, the blue stone begins to appear, and if the work is carried 

 still farther west a large quantity of mixed and blue stone may 

 be looked for. The stripping is constantly growing heavier, 

 and as the opening goes farther back into the hill, the disposal 

 of this waste stone will be a serious problem. The quarry has a 

 complete outfit of electrical equipment and the work is carried 

 on in a very up-to-date manner. The old power plant burned 

 down late in March, 1914, and the new plant had been in opera- 

 tion but a short time when the last visit was made. This plant 

 represents the best practice in the district, and the use of all 

 forms of recording instruments aids the engineer in getting the 

 best possible results from his machinery and m detecting any 

 unnecessary loss. 



The Furst-Kerber Mill No. 2 is located by the quarry of the 

 same company and is one of the best-equipped mills in the dis- 

 trict. 



The next of the ridge quarries is the old P. M. and B. (Perry 

 Mathews and Buskirk) quarry, at present the property of the 

 Indiana Quarries Company. This is one of the oldest as well as 

 one of the most famous quarries in this part of the State, and 

 indeed in the United States. It was opened in 1889 and has been 

 in operation ever since. It is located 1 mile north of the village 

 of Oolitic and about S}/2 miles northwest of the city of Bedford. 

 The hill quarries are connected by a switch with the Monon 

 railroad at Horseshoe. This quarry opening is the largest in 

 the Oolitic stone belt of Southern Indiana. The quarry at one 

 time consisted of a number of separate openings, but the floors 

 have been extended till they have joined and the new floors have 

 been extended north of the old openings. The Hoosier quarry, 

 opened in 1885, is a part of the worked-out quarry, as is also the 



