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THE LETHBRIDGE QUARRIES.
■ For many years the quality of the blue
stone obtained from, the Lethbridge quar
ries has been acknowledged to be equal
to the "best to be had in the colony.
The fact that nearly the'whole of the
materiaT for the , bridges, culverts, arid
ballasting of the - Geelong and Ballarat
line was obtained from these quarries, is
sufficient to show the superior quality of
the stone in the vicinity. After having
been worked for years, and immense
quantities of rock taken out of them,
there appears to be no diminution what
ever. ■ The quarries have been for the last
eight years the property of that well
known contractor, Mr Clement Nash,
and he has in an enterprising manner set
to work to thorougldy develope their
immense resources, having, at the
present time, fully a* score of work
men busily engaged in opening up .this
splendid repository of building mate
rial. For some time past Mr Nash ha3
supplied many of the building firms in
Melbourne with this stone, and whenever
exceptionally large blocks have been re
quired he has invariably received the
order. The largest stone ever taken from
the quarries was one of 20 tons weight,
which was sent to Melbourne, and now
forms the third tier for the foundation on
which the CO-ton crane is placed on the
Yarra bank. Many stones have been sent
away weighing fully 13 tons, so that an
idea of the resources at Mr Nash's dis
posal is apparent. To move such immense
blocks as those referred to it is patent tq
anyone that a large amount of money
must beannually expended in labor and in
appliances to lift such enormous weights.
In order to complete the latter, Mr Nash
has recently expended very little short of
£1000. He has had erected a 14-liorse
-power engine supplied to him by Messrs
Humble and Nicholson, to provide a rest
ing place for which an engine-room has
had to be hewn out of the solid rock. Over
tills in a shed erected for the purpose is a
very powerful stone-crusher recently made
and patented by Mr A. Hope, of Mel
bourne, which is to be worked by the
engine. The crusher has patent cube
jaws, and consequently breaks the
stone square instead of splintering it,
a3 many machines of more gemote
origin have done. Of course this
was objected to, as it brought machine
broken metal into disrepute. The ma
chine in Mr Nash's possession, how
ever, breaks the metal in such a way
that only an expert could distinguish be
tween it and the hand-broken metal.
Yesterday the engine was started under
the direction of Mr Nicholson, and the
crusher set. to work. Both answered ad
mirably, considering it was the first time
that they had been tried. The stone,
when broken, falls into a shoot, which
conducts the metal into the railway
trucks which stand right beneath the
crasher, on a siding brought up from tho
railway line. By'means of this crusher
Mr Nash expects to clear the place of a
great quantity of the spawls which are so
great an impediment to the workmen. It
is calculated Jthat there are in the quarries
fully 40,000 tons of these, so that some
idea of the extent of the works can be
imagined. The crusher is guaranteed to
break up fifty tons per day, and as
Mr Nash has already found an opening
to dispose of some thousands of yards of
metal, he will soon begin to see a diminu
tion in his stock of clippings. The screen
ings from the crushing are the very things
required by the Geelong Town Council
and the neighboring municipalities for
making tar pavements. The difficulty ex
perienced in obtaining screenings has
compelled the Corporation to use gravel,
which does not make nearly so good afoot
path as the metal screenings. Mr Nash
will now, however, supply a want long felt.
A stone cutting-machine, to be worked
by the same engine, is being erected.
This will be for cutting stones up
to 12 feet in length, which will
be used for kerbing. In a few
weeks this will be in full operation.
At the present rate of progress it will
take centuries to work out the supply
of bluestone, which is almost inexhausti
ble. Recently Mr Nash purchased an
adjoining block of land which contains a
quarry quite as valuable as the one he is
now working. The quarries during work
ing hours present quite an animated ap
pearance. There are tramways extend
ing in several directions, on which are
trollies for carrying the stone to the railway
siding, whilst dotted about are huge cranes
in full swing, and which at times lite
rally groan with the weight which they
have to lift. Added to this is the musical
ring of the workmen's hammers, whilst in
future a contrast will be found in the in
harmonious sound caused by the constant
use of the huge iron jaws of the stone
cruatcrr-^- ~ ■' *
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