Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1885-10-02
yERIONT's BUSINESS INTERESTS.
Lumber and Marble the Heaviest Indus
trics-Naluable Information.

trics-Naiuable Information.
from Bradstrcet's for September FL
This State has its least side
and "west side" in business as well
AS politics. the Green mountains form
ing the dividing line in both respects.
Apart from farming, which is general
interest, with well-known exponent of
one branch of it in the st. Adams butter
market, the most important business en-
terprises are the lumber trade of Burling
ton, the marble quarrying of Rutland and
its vicinity, and the Howe scale works of
| Rutland, west of the mountains; and
east of the range the Estey and other or
gan factories of Brattleboro, and the
Fairbanks scale shops at st. Johnsbury.
A considerable number of woollen mills
are scattered up and down the country,
and three or four cotton mills are to be
found in the Hoosac, Walloomsac and
Connecticut valleys but the textile indus
tries have never taken naturally to this
distant mountain region. Iannerles OF
course live here and there
In Rutland marble is the one thing
talked of. Vermont leads the other
States in the possession and utilization
of the beautiful rock, and Rutland con
trolls it all. The first quarry was opened
at Dorset in 1iS5, few miles away down
the valley, and many others have been
developed since then between Dorset and
Brandon, but mostly quite near Rutland.
In 1850 Vermont boosted of eighteen quar-
ries of marble and limestone, with S3.!OO,-
600 invested capital and 81 ,34O,OOO value of
product, or more than amy other state
could show At the same time Massachu-
setts had four quarries and there were no
others in New England. Several fortunes
have been made in Rutland marble, and
vet it is the common remark that more
money has been put into the pits than
taken out of them. The stone crops out
here and there all over the Green Noun
tuins. but is Of very uncertain quantity
and quality Sometimes thousands OF
dollars have been spent in getting off the
= surface formations and bringing the pre-
: cOus veins within reach, only to have 1t
discovered that they were not worth get
= ting at. This prospecting has about 1t al
. the risk and excitement of California gold
= hunting 1t is more than suspected that
7 some of the choicest deposits now beng
worked may run out, and shreWd capltal,
= lists are in the habit of buying all the lana
+ they come across that contains any pro
5 mise at all. The number of hands EN-
: pOyed runs well up into the hundreds.
r Like other things the marble business
has suffered from the dull times. n large
5 proportion of the product of our quarrles
S goes into cemeteries throughout the coull
=, try and when the living have hard work
j to keep alive the dead are APT to be lett
=, unmmOrtaliZed in stone. The prlnclpa
# concerns have maintained pool Tor Il
good while, contributing their quotas tt
the total outpOur and selling through one
agency the Producers Marble company
: The expense of duplicate branch offices II
l. the large cities is thus saved. The repre-
= sentatives of the combination abroad repor
trade improving particularly ut the south
Is Marble is used at Rutland for sidewalks
it.b
lie thing where stone is available, except bulld
ga ing. 1t does not wear well enough toproN'
. Il success in external construction III TIM
latitude.
Burlington proclaims itself the third lun
lie Der mart in the country. In dressed lumbe
&c il is probably ahead of all its rivals. In
he situation of the city, midway between tn
u; forests of Canada on one hand ana TN
~ multitude of consumers III southern Ne\
le England and the valley of the Hudso
IL river on the other, is the key to Its groWtl
le The most important companies nave yarO
IL at Ottawa or elsewhere in the Domino
he rs well as at Burlington, and brancI
e. offices i'll Boston and other cities. BY IA
N the greater part of the stuff received a
Is Burlington comes all the way by wate
he down the Ottawa, across the St Lawrence
lie through the Lachine canal, ana up Lax
(Champlain. Most of the remainder
freighted from Ogdensburg. There
- still timber in Vermont, but 1t Is ne
" handled at Burlington. w Hllc pllc lcdo
nc in the receipts, spruce following altel
s. The shipments are chiefly by rail, OWN
to changes in the way of doing busine,
e less actual stun will likely pass throug
s. Burlington hereafter than has been con
- monty received, or ut all events alalilng o
81 the receipts of any given year WAL ne
H. necessarily indicate a decline III relallN
! Importance as il shipping point. Nv
ne years ago, for example, 100000, 900 Zee
o. were received, last year -, 100000 feet, an
this year the total is likely to be even les
n One of the largest concerns says, by wa
ne of explanation that, with business ADM
ll- teddy somewhat dull and prices weak,
ne has left its supplies in Canada until wan
/. ed, instead of rushing them up the laR
III to be stored at home. But the aggrega
'sI of the years transactions has not 1alle
iie, away proportiOnally On the whole Il Ia
ne autumn trade is anticipated. signs
a general commercial Improvement a.
en- observed, and it is believed that mo
= building and satisfactory activity IN II
ce, lumber markets will follow ut no dlstal
VIC day
The farm crops of the State, as a Who'll
I'd have turned out well. Corn Is the chi
to exception the lack of hot weather for
lat fortnight past having been severely lie!
ais Having is over, with Unexpectedly sat-
IRE factory results There has been Of late
.X- super abundance OF rain, and the paStur
of every country, usually parcbed al
brown at this season, are as ffesh az
green as in May. Butter is commandll
better prices. Nevertheless, IN the Ia
of good crops rs well rs bad the popul
by ton of the hill towns goes on decllnln
while that of the villages upon the streai
at has II hardly perceptible increase