Bradford opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1874-1881, 1874-09-05
West Fairlee Copper Mines.

[ A resident In Boston, but well known her
'' has contributed sketch TO the Boston Jou
I nal which cannot fail to interest the readers {
, the OPINION, aud we republish it. The corre
pondrnt who writes under the noni4lc-plun
: of "Borax," should be credited with the touc
Ing piece of poetry published ON our frs
| page last week.
4 BRADFORD, VI, Aug. 1871.
The scenery hereabout for variety
beauty, picturesqueness and quie
grandeur is scarcely cXcelled in New
England. One view is particularly
charming and unique-from higl
. hill on the north. 1t includes the
! village, nesting under the hills on
the right, the luXuriant meadows
through which winds the Connect.
cut, spanned by the "Old Bridge
memorable in verse, and the New
Hampshire hills-which, reaching
down to the carpet of green by the
river side, rise in serted ranks on
they left as you look down the vale
far as eye can reach, towards Han
over, twenty to twenty-five miles
away, capped and headed by Moos-
ilauk at your left, the house on the
top of which, for the accommoda-
ton of visitors during "the season."
was occupied few winters ago, for
scientific observation. The scenery
spread out to the eye of the behold,
er from the top of this mountain is
regarded as much more beautiful
and satisfying, because less distant
and more clearly defined than that
visible at Mt. Washington. We
had last week an altogether novel
experience. Few of your readers,
we presume, are aware that there is
in Vermont u successfully worked
copper mine. Yet such is the fact.
Our friend Judge Strickland of this
place, who makes castings for the
Vermont Copper Mining Co., used
in constructing their furuaoes, and
who, by the way makes the best
paper cutting machine we have ever
seen, and some of the best plows,
including a "side hill," in the coun-
try, invited us to visit the mine with
him and Saturday we drove over
the same range of hills, though in a
different direction, which we crossed
in going to Montpelier, and thence
to Lake Champlain, through the
wild and picturesque valley of the
Winooski, to West Fairlee, thirteen
miles distant, following up a noisy
stream that flows in "a northeasterly
through partially wood
ed valley, in places wild and pictur-
esque, and empties with musical ca
lence into Waits river, about a
mile from this village. Little at
tempt at grain raising is made on
the farms, yet we saw many fields of
''stout' oats and few fields of corn
both looking well, but back ward.-
The sky was overcast and threaten.
ng, and when we were well up the
ascent we found the moisture of the
condensing into falling
mist, or fine rain. From the divide
or summit we caught glimpse,
through the trees of the cloud-cap-
)ed hills of New Hampshire. After
l three hours ride as we descended
he hill to the valley in which nestles
he small church adorned village of
West Fairlee, which with it's sur
'oundings had sort of strange ap-
)earance. we saw mile or more be-
iond, ascending from the arena of
IN amphitneatre Of hills, the smoke
Is of a great furnace. A half hour
ater, as we reached the outskirts of
he miners village, Gn the town of
Iershire) containing about thou
and inhabitants, we smelt sulphur I
MS fumes which had blackened and !
destroyed trees and all manner of
'egetation by the wayside, and COW S
red the hill in the immediate rear 7
# the works with a pail of black v
ess and death. /
After lunch we were introduced il
0 Mr. Lung, the superintendent, A
nd his brother, both formerly con- t
ected with the Revere Copper Go. q
Boston, who showed us attention, d
Durteously answered our questions j
nd allowed us to enter the. mine, G
rivilege rarely granted. Smith Ely Il
New York city is president of h
he company, and owns about two 6
lirds of the stock of 5OO,O 900 shares, C
ar value So, none of which, we t,
,ere told, is in the market. The v
)mpany employ about $50 men, e
DO of whom work in the mine and L
Ike out 1000 tons of ore a month, il
bout ten per cent. of which is cop o.