Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1873-05-22
Written for the Rutland Herald-l
The Slate Interest of Western Ver-
mont.
No. 3.
(pouLTNEY. ooNoLupEp.l

The increase of the slate business has
of late been more rapid in POultney
than In the other towns named. Six
years ago the business in Poultney was
mainly confined to what was done in the
Eagle, and the Farnum and Hooker quar-
ries in the north part of the town. All,
or nearly all the others named, have,
been opened since, and several of them,
as will be seen, within the last year
Fairhaven and Hydeville lead in the
amount of mill stock manufactured and
Poultney now in the amount of roofing
slate made.
The roofing slate trade in Western
Vermont has heretofore encountered OBJ
stacles that now in a good degree it is
in position to overcome. Large
amounts have been imported to this
country from Wales, and by reason of
the low price of labor there, it could be
shipped to the United States of Ameri-
ca and sold here at less price than the
Vermont slate. Pennsylvania, too,
produces slate, and has the advantage of
Vermont in cheap transportation. But
the Vermont slate, as it is seen and
known, must, and already does, success
fully compete with the Wales and Penn
sylvania slate by reason of its beautiful
and varied colors The Wales and Penn
sylvania slate is black, or a dark dull
color, and the Pennsylvania fades. In
Vermont we have a variety of colors
red, green, notified or clouded green,
purple and variegated, consisting of two
or more colors on the same slate; and
in different quarries, different shades of
the same cOlors are found. We are in
formed that the green variety is nowhere
found in this country or Europe, but in
the Vermont quarries, except green of
an inferior quality and texture in Maine.
In this we may be mistaken, bat such is
our information from intelligent slate
dealers. When we speak of Vermont
slate, generally, let it be understood that
we intend to include what lies along on
the State line in the tow ms of Hampton,
Granville and Salem, in the State Of
New York.
There is an increasing demand for the
unfading green slate. Some three years
ago Mr. Vail of the Vermont Union Co,
at Fairhaven, and Mr.. Hughes of the
Eureka in Poultney, conceived the pro-
ject of opening a market for this va
riety of slate in England. In accordance
Herewith, Mr.. Hughes prepared himself
with samples and sailed for London.
The result was an order for a cargo of
slate, which was filled in due time from
the Eureka quarries on the Hooker farm
in POultney. Several orders have been
received since and promptly filled. Mr..
Vail now has an order from England for
eight or ten thousand squares, and Mr..
Parker of Poultney, who is engaged to
furnish port ion of the slate, informs
us that the London order requires diff
ferent size from the ones more general
ly used in this country, and that the
London and California orders will ex-
haust all of the required size of unfad-
ing green that will be made in.the town
of Poultney the coming year.
So it will be seen that market is fair
ly opened in England for Vermont slate,
when at the same time the Wales slate
can be purchased there for about one
third of what the Vermont slate costs de-
livered there. The explanation of this
is found in the colors of the Vermont
slate. We are not aware that it is
claimed that the Vermont slate are any
more durable than the Welch, bnt the
Englishman, when he wishes to crafty
his fancy, does not count the cost. Or
ders now frequently come from the
Pennsylvania slate regions for the Yer
mont slate. This, we well understand,
is to obtain the fancy colors. 1t isquite
common now to see several colors taste
fully arranged upon the same roof, so
as to give pleasing effect. To do this,
the Vermont slate must be procured. as
the variety of colors cannot be obtained
elsewhere. In the erection of public
buildings about the country, the Yer
mont slate are now more frequently in
demand than ever before. Mr..
Parker of Poultney has obligated
himself to furnish four hundred squares
towards filling an order from San Fran
cisco, which are to be put on public
school buildings in that city With
these facts it must be evident that the
colors of the Vermont slate will enable
the producers to compete with producers
in Pennsylvania, Wales or elsewhere.
though Wales has the advantage in cheap
production, or cheap transportation
In looking up this slate interest we
have taken care to get what information
we could, as to the the economy of
slate roofing. The red slate stands
highest in market, and sells from seven
to ten dollars per square. They are a
hard slate to work, and comparatively |
few roofing slate are made from this |
variety. They are valuable for tile, and