Bradford opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1874-1881, 1877-01-27
Vermont Copper Mines.

Vermont Copper Mines.
Mr.. EDITOR: l visited the Yer
mont Copper Mines, at Ely Yer
mont, a few days since, and instead
of the dullness, inactivity and sus.
pension of business that character
ICES very many villages, and even
extends throughout the country, l
was astonished at the thrift, activity
and enterprise manifested there.
1t more nearly resembled some
great thoroughfare in the city than
a secluded village among the noun
tains of Vermont.
The street was thronged with
teams freighting cord wood, and
lumber, of which large quantities
are there annually consumed. Some
bringing their produce to market
and others from the surrounding
country to trade at their mammoth
store, where l am told ten thousand
dollars of goods are sold monthly.
William H. Long, ESQ.,, the Super.
intendent of the works, land who
by the way is very accommodating
to visitors, as are all the overseers)
informed me that they consumed an.
nually two thousand five hundred
solid cords of wood, and about eight
hundred thousand feet of lumber ;
that they have erected, the past
season, forty buildings, the lumber
for the same having been mostly
furnished from Judge Beams mills
at West Fairlee.
The furnace building including
the recent additions, is now four
hundred feet in length, containin 6
sixteen blasting furnaces, with a
capacity of erecting several more,
which they purpose to do.
The annex to the furnace build
ing is two hundred feet in length
and contains forty.eight roasting
furnaces.
They are now using some seven
Gy horses to do their freighting to
and from the railroad.
The mine is in a splendid condi.
tion, and is yielding large quaint
ties of rich ore, and, in short, every
thing, throughout all their works,a
pears to be in an exceeding pros
porous condition and bespeaks an
unusual degree of system in all its
arrangements, which is exceeding
ly creditable to the Superintendent
and overseers of the works.
And much credit is due the ven.
cradle President, Smith Ely, Esq,
(whose name the village bears), for
his enterprise, activity and persist.
ence in business, in bringing the
mine up to its prerent prosperous
condition, and establishing it upon
its present, permanent basis.
But few men, at an advanced age,
could he induced to vacate a beau.
tiful residence, in desi rable local..
ty, in the great city of New York,
with wealth sufficient to live at ease,
with desirable surroundings, and
with his family, locate among the
mountains Of Vermont, enduring
the severity of her climate, and in
vesting his wealth, in searching for
the hidden treasures of the earth,
with very many doubts of success.
All of which he has done, and
the result has been exceedingly ben.
efcial to that section of the State.
The mine is now giving employ
ment to five hundred workmen, and
in these times of inactivity and
stagnatiOn Of business is feeding
and furnishing twelve hundred per.
sons, or more, with the necessaries
of life, some of whom might other.
wise suffer for the want thereof.
Hence I say that not only the i'm
mediate vicinity in which the mines
are located, but the State itself,
owe to him a large debt of graft
tude for the capital is all taken
from the bowels of the earth, which
might otherwise have laid there for
yet to come; and increas.
es the wealth of the country. All
such enterprises should meet with
encouragement, and have the best
wishes of all. A VISITOR.
TEMPERANCE MEETING. The an.
nual meeting of the Orange County
Al II