Heavy Industry Archives | Page 2 of 3 | Bedrock of Beachville: The History of Our Limestone Quarries

Blasting in the 21st Century

Video Clip: (00:25): The limestone industry has long been active in the Thames River Valley. Early on, to loosen the rock, blasting was done with black powder and […]

The Drilling Rig and Crew

The drilling crew stands before a drill rig with a tall, wooden mast. The mast supports the drill cable. On the floor, at the end of the cable, […]

On the Drilling Crew

When preparing to blast the selected section of the wall, drilling teams create holes vertically through the stone, starting a deliberate distance away from the wall’s edge. Each […]

Caprock Stemming at Stelco

In this image, a layer of rock has been cleared of overburden, and workers plan to blast through the “cap rock,” which lies over the desired limestone reserves. […]

The Locomotive in the Pit

This locomotive was used in the quarry pits of Beachville White Lime and North American Cyanamid for about 30 years between 1927 and 1957. It brought limestone from […]

Diverting Water

This image was taken as the top layers of brush, soil, gravel, and sand were cleared from the new quarry site in Beachville. On the right is a […]

Vertical Kiln Construction

In this image, two people work on a platform between two vertical kilns (the cylindrical structures) that rise from a building frame. Vertical kilns are sometimes called shaft […]

Arthur Lightheart Recalls a Loose Load

In this audio clip, Lightheart describes a risky incident his brother and Fred Downing experienced going up a ramp with a load of stone to the top of […]

A Line of Lime Products from North American Cyanamid

Towards the 1960s, Cyanamid had a designated Agricultural Products Department that developed various agricultural products and livestock supplements. They were perhaps most well-known for their line of “Aero” […]

Limestone Grit Samples

The samples shown here include Grade F Products, #3 Grits, #1 Grits, Lime Fine, Hydrated Lime and Grade B Products. They are labelled as a “Hi Cal” or […]

Cole & Hacker Quarry

Cole & Hacker was a recognized dealer in lime and building stone. The company hired hands to mine, burn, and transport limestone. It was heavily intertwined with other […]

Quarrying West of the Village: 1860 Onwards

At the centre of this map is the Village of Beachville. Above the Canadian National Railroad tracks (marked C.N.R.) are lots numbered 18 to 22. Lot 18 is […]