Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1873-05-29

1879, when he raised q ueTTlck, cOH-
menced work vigorously, and was soon
producing roofing slate of an excellent
quality. Other parties, attracted by the
success of Mr.. Bardwell, one after an
other, purchased or leased adjacent
lands and opened quarries-all finding
slate similar in quality and texture to
that found in Mr. Bardwelfs opening.
Now, one standing at Bardwell's derrick
first raised, can count fourteen at as
many different openings or quarries.
Some openings have been made further
south, and in the vicinity of the West
Pawlet railroad station, and in all there
are now seventeen quarries opened and
actively worked in the town of Pawlet,
of which Mr.. Bardwells was the first
opened. Two hundred men are now
working them, and are making at the
rate of 5000 squares of roofing slate
per month.
Among the parties engaged in these
newly opened quarries are M. w. Bard
well, Bardwell s. Jones, Jones & Evans,
Williams Pierce, Mr.. Warren and
Warren Thorne, Hugh w. Hughes,
and j. J. Williams. .s'
The colors Of the slate are green and
purple, and so far as developed, the
kind and quality appear to be much the
same as found on the Rogers farm in
Poultney. The two are supposed to be
on the same vein, known in Poultney as
the "Grifith and Nathaniel vein" 1t is
a very fine working slate; none are yet
found that work better.
The rapid Development of this interest
is unprecedented in the history of slate
working in Western Vermont, with ev-
cry indication of a continuance and in
crease of the business in this locality.
True, we cannot now speak with GER
tainty as to what extent this interest
may, in the future, be developed in the
town of Paulet. The openings now
made there possibly may have discovered
all the slate there is there of value for
working. The probability is, however,
that other successful openings will be
made, but to what extent no one can tell
at present. Parties are eagerly prospect
ing, and will be likely to bring out more
sooner or later, if more there is. There
are as likely to be failures here as else
where. Openings have been made and
abandoned in Poultney, Castleton, Fair
MD IIorNS In S11nh the CtnPly
has not proved good, or they have been
left for quarries promising better re-
turns
The discovery and working of slate in
Pawlet may be regarded as fortunate for
that town as well as for Granville, To-
Gated near, and the interests of the peo-
pie of those localities demand that they
should reasonably encourage the prose-
cutiOn of this new enterprise In that vi
cinity. We say reasonably encourage,
and so we mean. We do not mean that
any man should be fiattered with the
idea that he will become suddenly rich
by finding a slate quarry and working it,
or that he will by engaging in any bust
ness. Some fortune-teller or SOOthsayer
made a resident of Pawlet believe that
some rowing Spaniards had, in an
early day, buried a large quantity of
money on Haystack mountain, in that
town. With hazel-rods be found the
spot (or thought he had, and spent
months in digging for the supposed hid
den treasure, of course without success.
No such tomfoolery as that should be
encouraged. The Spaniards did not
bury money there people do not dispose
of money in that way if they are lucky
enough to get it.
The Creator in His wisdom has inter-
woven in the materials of which the
earth is composed, valuable mineral sub
stances, and designed that man should
utilize those substances for his own COM
fort and happiness but He designed
this to be done or effected by mans
skill and labor If money could be so
revealed as to give every one aprivilege
of taking what he might choose, it
would work the speedy ruin of the
race.
At the present prices of slate in the
market, the production in Pawlet would
amount to about $4,000 per month. 1t
takes $4,000, or about that, to pay 200
worbmen in the time, and will require
some portion of the remainder to pay
other expenses, and we hope there will
be, after paying all expenses, a sufficient
margin to handsomely remuperate the
ptoprietors for the risk, venture, inter-
est on capital invested, and for their la
Dor and time spent, and we think there
will be- ...-..
But why should the people of that
| locality encourage this new enterprise in
their midst? The reasons why are OBJ
vious to us, though it is one of the most
difficult things to accomplish, to make a
large portion of the people see and be-
| lieve that manufacturing results in any
benefit to any body but the manufacture
er. Let us look at facts, and reason a
little with our Pawlet friends.
The town of Pawlet is one of the
best agricultural town in Rutland coun-
| ty, and is the best in Fairhaven Probate
district, consisting of nine towns, unless
we except Benson, which by some would
be, by others it would not The real
intrinsic value of the soils in Pawlet is,
| in our Judgment, at the lowest estimate,
% per cent. above the soils of Poultney,
Castleton or Fairhaven, while the latter
towns for the last few years, have stead
lily increased in population and thrift,
| and Pawlet has lost. Pawlet, by the
census Of 1910, contained 174S inhabi-
tants, Poultney, 1880, Castleton 1869
and Fairhaven only 633. The increase
of each of these towns. in population
from 1910 to 1850, was little and in
about the same ratio. From 1850 to
1860, there was decrease in each of
them, except Fairhaven; wher there