Ohio & Indiana Stone Company - Greencastle
Source: Bedford Daily Mail 25 March 1916 (Sat) p 2
Greencastle, March 25 - Officials at the Ohio & Indiana Stone Company' splant, two miles west of Greencastle which was wrecked when 4,200 pounds of dynamite exploded estimated the loss of the company at $6,000.
The roof of two main buildings caved in, three large smokestacks were blown loose from their fastenings and other property about the premises badly damaged. The loss from the breaking of windows in Greencastle business houses is about $1,000. Hardly a house in town escaped damage.
Jim Mike, a Russian workman was the only person injured to any extent. He was in the main building of the quary plant and was struck by flying timbers, one leg fractured. Curtis DeRodes of Greencastle, time keeper was struck on the forehead by a board and a slight cut was inflicted. Mrs. Annie Callucio was knocked to the floor in her home a few hundred feet from the plant and was bruised.
The cause given for the explosion is that the dynamite was heated too much in being prepared for use. The dynamite was stored underground a short distance from the quarry plant. Steam pipes were run through the magazine to heat the dynamite. No particular person has been blamed for the error.
A pit about 30' deep and about 60' in diameter was formed at the plant for about two weeks. About 75 men are employed by the O & I Company. The main offices of the company are at Toledo, Ohio. - kbz
Source: Greencastle Herald 3 Sept 1908 p 1
.The Glidewell farm, just west of town, has been sold to the Ohio and Indiana Stone Company, which company will open up the stone quarries on the land and put in a large stone crushing plant. The deal was closed yesterday. There are 100 acres in the farm, it sold to the new company at $72. an acre. The Glidewell heirs, who owned the land, received $3,200 in rash and the old Jones homestead, near the Big Four station, for their land. This is considered an exceptionally good price for the property. C. 1). Mitchell of the Big Four Engineering corps, owned the old Jones homestead. He is one of the biggest stockholders in the new- company and probably will he general manager of the company’s plant here. AJ present Mr. Mitchell and his family are in the West on their vacation trip. The Central Trust Company negotiated the deal. Mr. Harris, head of the Central Trust Company real estate department, said this morning that the new company would soon begin to put in their crushers and clear up the land. The company will furnish the Big Four railroad with all the crushed stone it will use on its Indianapolis to St. Louis line. This will be a big contract alone. The only Big Four track from Greencastle to the quarries will not be turn up but will be used as a switch for the new stone company’s plant. – thanks to Mary Lou