Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1876-06-10
INDEPENDENT GAZETTE.
Letter from Bert Darlington.

III NY lhSb TON YOU l Womb, IN my 4
next letter, go into detailed description
Of our water power resources. Since then /
Mr.. w. T. Jones, ono of our public spir- |
tied townsmen has circulated paper for (
signatures guaranteeing to meet the ex-
penSe of a preliminary survey Of our wa
ter power preparatory TO further steps in
the direction of its development. The
Browns decline to rebuild their paper mill
until they can have Il reliable anG constant
water power to supplement their stream.
They are willing to do their part in max
ing water power as they are strong be-
levers in the success OF any practical CT
fort that may be made. The question is
now fairly before the people of Whitefleld,
and believe they will give it full and
sensible inve LEGATION before they give it
up. If we have the flowage area for a
good water power, rs good judges believe
we have, the sooner we avail ourselves of
its advantages the better it will be for the
town, as it is doubtful whether we can
ever make dollar and carry it into old
age or business retirement by manufac-
turing our conbuStible products with
steam power We may make money this
year-though that is very questionable
and next year, but the average life of q
steam sawmill being only about five years
we are in danger of coming out poorer
than we began. Ordinary numbering in
this country has not on the whole been a
very profitable one aside from it's specu-
lative history in which we find both gain
ers and losers pretty equally divided. II
this falls under the eye of any old intelli-
gent lumbermaA who is familiar with the
history of numbering in Maine and New
Hampshire request him to turn back in
his mind and recount the men who have
paid all their debts and come out rich in
the numbering business. l have been
quite an observer of this phase of the
business, and if he would put away spec
ulativc gains would undertake to count
him out dozens if not scores of bankrupts
for each one of his rich ones. 1t is true
that good deal of money was made in
the numbering business during the war
when everybody had hat full of uneasy
currency, and when business of nearly all
kinds was carried on at handsome prof
it, even under loose management; but we
are now settling back into old times, old
incomes, and old business exactions again
and we must Judge our future by rational
instead of fictitious standards. l am &C.
quaintcd with the history of scores of the
old leading lumbermeu in the State OF
Maine and while very few of them have
carried on their business at regular IN.
nual profit and come out rich in their ole
age a very large number of them could
t not 90 back over their life, pay all theil
debts and have dollar left. In consid
: ering this question we should not forget
t that most Of the old anti-war lumbermer
of Maine have failed from one to even foul
four or five times during their business
} career, and if they were obliged to &C
: back and pay up, dollar for dollar, with in
, tercst, they would be bankrupt; but keel
] figuring and crafty settlements hav,
/ bridged some Of them over so that the,
came out ''forehanded" OF course if thel
$ cannot go back and pay all their debt
they have lost more than they have made
and according to my observation that il
the rule instead of the exception. Now
q such men as these-for there never was
g keener, closer, or more energetic class o
r men than these old Maine lumbermen-i
4 such men could not make money manu-
: featuring by water power what chanc,
a have we to "come out" rich, manufacture
J., ing by steam, which is great deal NOR
expensive power than water, and infinite
= ly more dangerous. Go through the his
tory of the business in this State previou
f to the war. Put the losses in one column
4 and the gains in another, let the footing
!. represent good and payable dollars an,
A cents, take them to our old gray lumber
+ men, tell them to choose between the tw,
. footingS, insight unseen, and I'll bet yo1
they would be as likely to take the blacl
q list as the white one. What is the lessor
# taught by these strange facts? Simpl
t this: we must get more money out of on
d raw material. We must have safe, tigh
q little water power with which we ca
$ make everything that is made of wood
q such as we have in abundance--and max
d it as cheap as anybody else. Then W
shall have town that you can tell you
mind to-a town whose life is not cramps
= and dwarfed by the capriceS of singl
= uncertain resource. Suppose the Brown
y and one or two other establishment
should burn up, what would be left of us
+ Our citizens stand on their precious cor
ner lots and count their thousands with
/. out realizing that the main value of thos
lots is pinned to the destiny of few oil
|, steam fire traps which are liable to tur
g to smoke and ashes any day.
ID Whitcficld is Que of the most trappy lii
tie towns in the State-a town that ma
\, well be proud of its history-but how fe,
villages there are the size of ours that ar
so completely dependent upon one uncel
T. tain line of business. Shrcwd men sc
& this and decline to put their money her
g. for fear our handspring may be bent al
in broken by fire and bring all investment
=. down to ruinous value. If we had
G. good water power in good hands it woul
M invite permanent and various investment
o. in which the town could enjoy hope