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<br />
<br />Braving subzero winds, workers are constructing a steel superstructure
<br />of the new plant.
<br />
<br />New Crushing Plant for St. Cloud
<br />
<br />Shiely's crushing and screening plant in St. Cloud is getting
<br />a new lease on life -- and the rebirth is taking place in tempera-
<br />tures with wind chills as low as _500,
<br />Shiely has operated the plant since entering partnership
<br />withA. C. Petters in 1946, becoming sole owner in 1970.
<br />Originally, the plant was designed to produce ballast for the
<br />old Northern Pacific Railroad, now part of Burlington North-
<br />ern. Very little modernization had taken place over the past 25
<br />years, and last fall a decision had to be made to shut down
<br />what had become an unprofitable operation or rebuild it.
<br />Shiely chose the latter course, based on projected profits
<br />'from a more efficient, lower cost plant and a more profitable
<br />quarry operation. The new plant will provide increased pro-
<br />duction with greater control of aggregate gradations.
<br />Directing the project is John Knutson, who recently re-
<br />turned from Denver after building a crushing plant for Cooley
<br />Gravel Company. He is now Area Manager for Shiely-Petters
<br />Crushed Stone Company, responsible for production, commu-
<br />nity relations and aggregate sales in St. Cloud and north-
<br />western Minnesota. He reports to Joe Shiely III, Chief Engi-
<br />neer, J. L. Shiely Company. Frank Googins remains president.
<br />The only part of the old plant remaining in the new opera-
<br />tion will be the primary 42" gyratory crusher. Other major
<br />components have come from the just/completed Libby Dam in
<br />Libby, Montana. A 6 cubic yard electric Bucyrus-Erie will re-
<br />place smaller shovels. Large 4".6" drill holes will reduce the
<br />number of blasts required and improve fragmentation. New
<br />dust control devices will minimize problems caused by crush-
<br />ing and screening.
<br />Without modernization, the St. Cloud plant would have
<br />been unable to compete in the premium aggregate market,
<br />nor would it have been able to continue employing the men
<br />in St. Cloud, many of them company veterans.
<br />Burlington Northern will be a major customer of the new
<br />plant. The railroad has begun upgrading mainline track grades,
<br />and prefers the St. Cloud granite because of its hard, durable
<br />characte?::~tics. Ballast shipped from St. Cloud goes west to
<br />~~ ",~~'~iIiehJal divide in Montana and as far south as Chicago.
<br />"'~"'The'\>riew plant will be ready for production April 1, and its
<br />_crew is looking forward to many busy years ahead.
<br />
<br />Shiely Hosts 150
<br />at larson Open
<br />
<br />Neighbors
<br />HOlJse
<br />
<br />October 30 was rather cool and damp. But the atmosphere
<br />was strictly "sunny and warm" at Shiely's Larson quarry.
<br />
<br />The occasIon was an Open House for Shiely's Grey Cloud
<br />Township neighbors, an important facet of continuing efforts
<br />to apprise the public of company activities and plans for the
<br />quarry on upper Grey Cloud Island.
<br />The guests, about half of them children, were divided into
<br />small groups and told about the various products of Larson
<br />quarry and where these products are used inthe Twin Cities
<br />area. Movies explaining the importance of quarries and how
<br />they aid the community at large were shown. Another film
<br />detailed the need for blasting solid rock before it can be
<br />crushed into the many sizes of commercial aggregate. The
<br />groups were also informed of 811iely's plans for the quarry
<br />once the rock has been removed. Discussions centered around
<br />,future use of the area and were followed by question-and-
<br />answer periods.
<br />
<br />Shiely's guests also saw a demonstration of blasting by rep-
<br />resentatives of the explosives supplier. A normal blast of
<br />10,000 tons of rock was detonated for observation from about
<br />a half-mile. An expert explained the function of a seismo~
<br />graph, used to measure the vibration caused by the blast. An
<br />audiometer also measured the amount of noise it generated.
<br />To emphasize Shiely's interest in its continuing good neighbor
<br />policy, the guests were shown dummy electric caps which re-
<br />duce vibrations and were told that fewer shots are being deton-
<br />ated now than five years ago because the company has in-
<br />vested in larger diameter drills. These fewer shots have substan-
<br />tially lessened the frequency of sound and vibration distur-
<br />bance around the quarry.
<br />To provide the guests with a lively view of how a quarry
<br />operates, buses were used to tour the premises. As it does
<br />every -working day, the shovel loaded the trucks that haul
<br />broken rock to the crusher and the screening sections.
<br />On the river, the. M/V Mary Jenny gave towhoat rides, an
<br />especially exciting treat for the kids. "Sandwiched" between
<br />these many activities was a catered lunch, compliments- of
<br />Shiely.
<br />
<br />All in all, it was a very successful day, because it gave
<br />Shiely an opportunity to show its Grey Cloud neighbors how
<br />very much we care about being good neighbors 365 days a
<br />year. And they liked what they heard and saw.
<br />
<br />
<br />150 neighbors.came to the Open House, and were given group fours of
<br />the quarry.
<br />
<br />Shiely Plays Key Roles in NCSA Design Meet
<br />
<br />Participant and host -- Shiely was both at the National
<br />Crushed Stone Ass'Qciation Design Seminar, held October 14 at
<br />the :rv.Iinnesota Club, SL Paul.
<br />The seminar drew, 130 TVZin Cities architects and engineers,
<br />as well as crushed stone producers from Minnesota, Wisconsin,
<br />the Dakotas, Michigan and Canada. It was part of a national
<br />effort by the industry to promote its material to designers as
<br />base application for parking lots and streets. A special session
<br />was devoted to' emphasizing marketing con-cepts for producers;
<br />and architects and producers, including Shiely, met jointly to.
<br />hear of design.'method?:l1sed by the Corps of Engineers.
<br />Following lunched1i';"if~_ .qroup took a dovmstream trip on
<br />the Ivlississippi River frCirri':,b'hiely's Distribution Yard "A" to
<br />the company's Larson - stonl"! quarry. Most of the stone base
<br />and size aggregates from this quarry are barged to the three
<br />Shiely distribution yards. Visitors viewed a rock blast of 8,000
<br />tons.
<br />
<br />The Larson visit was followed by a bus tour of the Shiely
<br />sand and gravel plant on lower Grey Cloud Island where cur-
<br />rent rehabilitation of worked out areas was observed. Trees,
<br />grass and cropland have been restored in a continuing redevel-
<br />opment effort.
<br />
<br />Shilling Park was the final stop. Here, a demonstration of
<br />the strength of crushed stone was conducted on a newly built
<br />road and parking lot. A loaded two-axle W ABeO . 48-ton
<br />scraper was driven over' a raw subbase to show the depth of
<br />impression. Then, the_scraper was driven over an area where
<br />the subbase had been compacted, to demonstrate the impor.
<br />tance of compacting the supporting soils. Finally, the loaded
<br />scraper stopped on six inches of compacted crushed stone
<br />base, showing little evidence of tire marks.
<br />Among Shiely participant-hosts at the seminar and tour
<br />were J. L. Shiely III, Lowery Smith, Frank Googins, John
<br />PaIda, Carroll O'Boyle, Bob Beeler, Larry Oster and Ken Flam.
<br />
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