Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1855-05-26
MINERAL OPERATIONS IN wINDHAm
COUNTY ---THE SLATE QUARhiES
AT GUILFORD.

The mineral resources OF this county nave pech
less fully developed than those Of most Of The other
sections Of Vermont. Numerous quarrieS OF oil
the different grddes Of white marble have pceh
opcned In the western tier Of counties, and their
products have become extensively used and widely
known. Verde antique and green serpen'ine mar
BILE have been found in some Of the eastern couh-
ties, and quarries Of the former variety are now
worked On an extended scale in Ioxbury' marble
has been found in this county only at Jamaica, VIC
believe, and not there even In sufficient quantities
to warrant extended operations. In several Of the
towns comprhng the western tier in this county
limestone has been foundi and in Nottingham
! lime Of fair quality has been annually made TO
a limited extent In the northern part OF tbs
county, near TIN borders Of Rockingham and Graf
ton, is deposit 6soap stone that has been worked
for several years. aud considerable quantities Of
this useful article have yearly been prepared Tor
market at Me mill conzructel for that purpose, at
Cambrideport With one exception which We pro-
pose nothing now at length, the above are the on
" mineral resources in this region that have as ye;
proved productive.
/ On the western bank o. tho Connecticut river,
and lying parallel with Il, at a distance Of from
/ two 4 four miles, Is a deposit Of argillaceou', or
Roofing Slate extending from Bernnrlston, in
Massachusetts,. on the south to pu,uey on tho north
Throughout the greater portion Of this extensive
depssit the argacccus slate Is either 50 imperfect
IL Eliminated or so intcrmlngled with mica slate as
to render II yalualcss for roofing purposes. Even
this impure and crude article makes an excellent
material for rubblc work, ns one or two buildings
in this village abunlan,ly attest Nearly all the
quarries Of the pure argaoeous slate that are like
ly to prove valuable for covering buildings, and at
the same time will pay for working, are found in
Vernon and Guilford, the extremes Of which are
but little more than one mile distant from each
o,hcr from this losai,y the supplies Of slate for
this portion Of the State and the nsghboring coun
ties in New Hampshire aud Massachusetts, have
been procured.
These quarries have been extensively known
throughout New England, for nearly halfa century
as the ''Brueo ouarrlcs." short time aniece-
dent to the war Of 1872, Thomas Bruce, an Irish
man by birth and slater by trade, purchased this
property for an inconsileralle sum Of a farmer in
Guilforl who was, Of course, totally ignoran. Of
its value During the war which soon followed,
ana WINE Tue importation o. "e'" S'''e vas Nv
Aeh up Mr. bruce FURNISHES WV "''''" '''' ~
WIN une n's' ha'''o 7'hV' 'A' "a' WV w. -
mat N's'h''y' A'''r Une rss'o''u'" VI 49, NV
could no longer avail himself Of that market, as
the great expense Of land transportation destroyed
al eiAnee TOT e'"'Ps.i''0n NJ 'ns ss'-'" WV"
imported article. Mr. Thomas bruce, and, after
ms ueA'n' ms son, eoh,'nooi' 70 "o,A usSe qu''-
i''1 u"''' '"e ue.''n " 'ns i'''', ~ 'Ue V''
an eA'eu' n"''''u w '"' 'O'1'' u''H''' Du''"s
Tue 'u'Sslns 'ou' ''i's' " u".' io'-' '"e q'''-
ries were EASEL INC i'S'es Ie!i"s '"e uv"A' pr
square ior al inc s'a'e qu,'iS', anu '''s '''
then manufactured was la'' N All .ne Prne'p''
owns :" 1"u oo','' ,s'u' '''''' '"' ''''"
"0ro' =" n"uo'"' 'oHn
ih's valuable uep's' ne' On DO'ii sues ., a
snial rNu'e'' Tue "''l'"e running MAR" Pa'AiS'
win l's Sou'se ~ '''0 sue VI ''''s s',si'' .n0
.Ia.s.sl h,s'H~As nun D'A'ie'o'9 " "'s'""s'u'
T,is ~ ts-'i unSsnnony ny :, ASsss s'
OF mote s.''e rises VI eisner nASsSaA are very
regular, having direction North, deg, Fast, and
dip from 20 to 10 deg. West, or Is to 20deg. from
I pefpcndiculAr uHectvn- iuH7e-ahB shoh au e'-
ovation and dip il will be readily seen that the
slate can be quarred with the greatest facility but
little expense for dranage aud none Tor shafts be-
ing necessary. Indeed We can conceive Of no 9TH
opposition in which slate can be found 50 favorable
for cheap and rapid quarrJ'ng- The layers art
very uniform, and slate oil any required dimensions
can be readily obtained.
The quantity Of slate in this deposit Is truly M
exhaustble. It covers an area Of more than -four
hundred acres, and presents face from twenty to
hundred and twenty feet from below upwards
without going down to the level Of the road-bed
and after leaving sufficient fall for drainage and
the dumping Of the waste material. From thes'
data twill be readily perceived that no eomputa-
ton is necessary to show how long period mus
elnpsc ere these supplies will fail.
The slate obtained At the "Bruee Quarries' is o
a dark blue color and exceedingly durable Whit
entirely destitute Of those cubes and noules of iroI
pyrites which render slate from many other quar-
RIGS Questionable, it is 80 strongly impregnate'