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Mont Saint-Hilaire Biosphere Reserve

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Explore The Quarry which disappeared

  • Drawing of 3 people watching a rock explosion on the mountain, with the forest in the background
  • Drawing of the mountain with the quarry in the middle
Bouton fleche gauche Bouton fleche droit

Drawing: Chrys Millien

Drawing: Chrys Millien

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Explorer THE QUARRY WHICH DISAPPEARED

Once upon a time there was a lucrative quarry on the flank of the mountain. Jacques Lefort, the owner, was proud of his enterprise. Road builders and contractors for private homes appreciated the durability and beauty of the stone. No one could match it. Lines of trucks loaded with rock left the big gray hole delivering load after load to the local contractors. Jacques Lefort could hardly keep up with the demand. At sunset the quarry's rocky face was transformed into a rosy curtain which would cloak briefly the rare minerals so sought after.

As time passed the people who lived nearby became upset about this terrible wound on their beloved mountain. Its green coat was being torn by a growing gash, its silence shattered by detonations, the adjacent forest covered by clouds of dust. The Lefort Quarry was a monument to greed and an assault against nature. They demanded that the eyesore be hidden by being transformed into a garden. Moreover, they looked askance at Jacques Lefort.

Jacques, surprised by the hostile reactions of his fellow citizens, asked them what to do about it. He couldn't close the quarry which was a source of pride for his family and which answered to the needs of the builders. How to hide the hole and disguise the wall while at the same time carrying on his business? He decided to consult the local notables. The mayor was on the citizens' side, the builders wanted no change, and the priest thought it was his right to excavate the rock. Finally it was Alain, the butcher, who gave Jacques a bright idea.
  • "It's easy, Jacques, you're to have to cease operations".
  • "Cease operations, Alain? How can I do such a thing?"
  • "You remember, Jacques, years ago when one butchered animals on the farm the sounds greatly upset the neighbours. They wanted to eat meat but they didn't want to hear the slaughtering noises Abattoirs were then built located far away where that business could take place discretely at a larger volume. No longer would the sounds be heard and one could buy meat at the grocery store. You too, Jacques, can hide your business and silence your critics. Everyone will be content".
  • "How, Alain my friend, can I hide all the machinery and how on earth can I silence blasting?"
  • "Jacques, excavate beneath the ground, conduct your operations under the mountain out of sight and sound".
  • "Wow, Alain! Mining corridors instead of a quarry. Good idea"!
Several months later Lefort organized a press conference where he proudly announced the end of the detonation noises, the dust, the processions of rock, the racket of machinery. Peace and quiet at last. He was planning for the transformation of the quarry into a garden of flowers, trees and waterfalls. The populace was blown over, incredulous. Why would he put an end to his operation? Then Jacques explained his plan to go underground, to dig galleries to mine the valuable stone. The trucks would be replaced by a silent electric tram.
  • That's brilliant!" shouted Alain, the butcher, planted amidst the crowd.
Everyone applauded and the press conference turned into a celebration. Next day the newspaper headlines trumpeted "the Jacques Lefort quarry to disappear ", "Jacques Lefort goes underground", "the secret development of Jacques Lefort". The citizens were satisfied for their mountain was finally going to heal its scars. They hadn't protested in vain. The builders were happy that Lefort would continue to deliver the fine stone for roads and houses.

While the landscapers were revitalizing the old quarry Jacque Lefort's workmen, inspired by superior mining techniques, began to dig out the corridors and galleries beneath the mountain in preparation for the installation of rails for the tram. While outdoors was quiet, in the belly of the earth the jack hammers and the explosives fractured the rock and giant fans sucked a fine rocky dust outside. The garden was magnificent with its masses of flowers, exotic trees, waterfalls and fountains, a corner of paradise for young and old. People blessed Jacques Lefort for his sheer genius.

Far beneath the ground Jacques and his equipment worked tirelessly to extract the precious rock said to be inexhaustible. For many years the trams went in empty and emerged overflowing from the deep corridors. Construction in the region boomed. Jacques no longer bothered to count the number of kilometres of galleries under the mountain, his men excavating and blasting everywhere. Sometimes when they found themselves under one of the valleys of the mountain they dug deeper, sometimes higher when beneath one of the summits. Patiently they hollowed out the mountain.

One summer night, while the townsfolk slept, a frightful rumble shook the area. From the mountain came a thunderous roar like an out-of-control freight train, shattering the quiet of the night. Sirens and the wails of terrified children were heard. An immense cloud of smoke hid the moon and a fine dust filled the air. Then, suddenly, all became silent. The news on the radio was full of contradictions.

When the sun rose the people saw to their absolute stupefaction that the mountain had disappeared, caved in on itself like a punctured balloon. All that remained was a strange disquieting green ruin striped with grey corridors and collapsed galleries. The forest itself was destroyed resembling a blanket of trees and smashed plants. The birds were gone. The beloved peak had vanished, a treasure lost forever. Fortunately on the flanks of the mountain the solid homes were relatively unharmed. There were no injuries.

The initial shock over, the people wondered who responsible for this horrific disaster. Everyone pointed at Jacques Lefort. As one emptied an egg, he'd dug out the mountain and reduced it to a shell. The mayor called a press conference to restore calm and announced plans for restoration.
  • "Fellow citizens, our mountain is no more and the cause is simple and terrible. In tunnelling dozens of galleries and corridors it lost its foundation and collapsed upon itself. We will find those responsible and determine the appropriate reparations. Everything seems to indicate that Jacques Lefort is at fault when he transformed his quarry into a mine. We will firm up our plans soon. Please be patient".

The citizens protested angrily and wanted to press charges. Then an old man approached the microphone and asked to speak.
  • "Why are you blaming the mine proprietor? Who wants the stone for roads and houses? Jacques Lefort works hard. Not one rock is lost; you probably even have some in your own homes. Yet you want the mountain to remain its beautiful self, showing no scars. Is this so different from the irresponsible fishing in our oceans, the slaughter of millions of chickens and pigs, the disappearance of our boreal forests? It's you who want the stone from the quarry, the difference being the work is done out of sight. Why is Jacques responsible if he provides the product you desire more and more of?"

The press conference ended in an uproar with a rain of excuses and accusations to which no one listened.

The green ruin of the formerly beautiful mountain has become a tourist attraction. People come from everywhere to admire and yet bemoan this dramatic event. They ask why such a thing was allowed to happen. The quarry had yielded its role to that of a mine which had subsequently eaten the mountain! Formerly there was a grey scar which had bounced back. Now there was only a strange hole which posed more questions than answers.

Kees Vanderheyden

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