Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1873-07-03

or less extent VIII be hereafter, but the |
signs of the times Enthusiastically indicate
that the manufacture in this country
will be largely increased in the future.
The price of labor in Europe is adj
vancing, and in some places has come
nearly up to the American Standard
No product in the worlds industry is so
generally needed and demanded as IRON
In this country the timber is fast disap-
pearing, and iron and stone must take
its place. Not only is it wanted for
rails, cars, steamers, and locomotives,
but it must be component part of
nearly all machinery, tools, implements,
and thousand and one of the utensils
in our modern industry, and is also
now being used for architectural pur-
poses. No other article has so general
or so extensive use.
A man without science, then, if toler-
ably well informed, could now see the
probability that ''new localities of the
ore" will be sought out and new furnaces
will be erected. There seems to be no
question left i'll regard to the demand
for iron-it will be wanted, all that can
be manufactured.
This then is one reason why our capt.
talists and men of science should turn
their attention to the question can the
manufacture of iron be made profitable
business in Vermont? We must con-
cede, however, in the outset, that unless
we have the ores sufficient in quantity
and quality, it is useless to hope for
proftableiron manufacture in Vermont !;
but that is the very question to be set
tied. An address was delivered at Bur
lington by Hiram A. Cutting, NJ. D.,
State Geologist, at a recent meeting at
that place of the Board of Agriculture,
Manufactures and Mining. He is evil
IDENTIFY a cautious man, and studiously
avoids encouragement when 1t might
tend to useless expenditure in mining ex-
periments.
He says "Our mining interests in
marble and slate exceed that of most
other States perhaps | might say any
others; but in metallic ores, of which l
shall more especially speak, our rocks
are too old and compact, or too nearly
connected with the glacial drift, to have
many mines of great value or extent.
Our mountains of lead, silver and iron,
Notwithstanding their traditional sub
sanitation, do not exist in fact"
Again he says, ''It is true that some
mines of iron and copper have at certain
times, and do still, pay profit to their
owners; yet the record of disaster in
comparison, is fearfully large"
And he further says: ''The iron ores
of Vermont have been smelted with
profit in several places, as at Brandon
and Plymouth; yet there has doubtless
been more time and money wasted in
various attempts to open productive
| mines from worthless indications of
from than all that was ever realized by
those that owned successful veins. We
! can hardly expect TO compete with the
more valuable mines of Europe, or the
mountains of iron in Missouri; yet as
| the freight adds continually to the value
of iron, the tins will come when We
can, probably, produce iron for home
consumption at reasonably paying rates. -
Here, then, we have the wisdom OF
the State Geologist on this subject, and
to make the best of it we do not find ii
very encouraging to the prospective iron
y,EN l..
| examined the several localities Ill Tie
State where iron ore is said to exist, he
does not inform MS. 1t is true that the
working of iron in Vermont commenced
almost with the settlement of the State.
FORCES were built in several towns soon
after the revolutionary war, and before
1900 several blast furnaces were in
operation, and using the native ores.
Quite early after the beginning of tho
present century, a furnace was built by
Rathbun & Vaughn in Tinmouth, one
by John Conantin Brandon, and another
was built in Clarendon. A little later
another furnace was built in Forestdale
in Brandon, known as the Blake fur.
mace and another in Pittsford, so long
operated by the Changers. There are
men now living who well remember thai
each of those furnaces employed large
numbers of workmen, and did a heavy
business, and they well remember toe
that each establishment procured its orr
in the vicinity; and more than this, they
remember that they did not ceaae to rur
by reason of the exhaustion of their orr
beds, but from other causes.
If these same establishments coulC
now be put in operation with the sam,
force of workmen, and do the same
amount of business they once did, i
would add a thousand to the population
of Rutland county. Whether the bust
ness can be revived in those localities
with success, is the question. Thos'
living in the vicinity, and who claim t.
know, say the ores there are inexhausti
BILE; the writer does not pretend t.
known, but certain it is that there wa
no want of ore when these furnace
ceased working, and it is known, too
that the Tinmouth ore has been and i
now being taken in considerable quaint
ties to the Burden Iron works in Troy
and to the Plymouth (Vt.) works. Thu
Burdens have iron ore beds in Benning
ton and SALISBURY, and have formerly
taken large quantities of ore from them
The quarrel in Bennington county owe
the railroad connections at the Stat
line has, to a considerable extent, inter
rupted their working these mines, but i
is said that an abundance of good quail
ity of ore is there.
Now if it is true (and the writer doe
not say it is or is noD that there is al
abundance of iron ore in the old ore bed
at Brandon, Pittsford or Chittenden