St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1886-03-18
LOCAL AND TOWN NEWS.
A WINTER PICNIC.
On to victory.-A Dinner in the Woods
and n good time generally.

facts concerning the development of
the lumber industry and also an idea
of the great extent of the forest region
of North Eastern Vermont. Last Sat-
urday a party numbering a couple
dozen or so, enough to comfortably fill
the cOsey, double barrelled passenger
car that does duty on the ''VictOry
branch" road, enjoyed an excursion to
and a winter picnic in these same Vic
tory woods. The facts narrated in
the previous article need not be re-
peated here for this party was inclined
more to pleasure than to business.
The schedule time for starting in the
morning was conveniently disregarded
and the mixed train announced to leave
st. Johnsbury at o'clock started out
at 9. There was brief stop at North
Concord and then the train took to the
Victory branch and to the woods. A
mile or so above DamOn's crossing the
takes Decline for the centre of Op-
erations in L. d. Hazen's modest ten
thousand-acre lumber patch and in a
few minutes we came upon a thriving
settlement set in the midst of the for
est as though it were lost in the woods.
This is "Hazen's mill" and under Mr..
Hazen's lead the party is shown the
establishment, this forest village where
| fully $50 souls are Eat home" and
where there are children enough to
make the largest school in the town.
single barn, still larger number of
horses in another and all the parapher-
MALTA of thoroughly equipped logging
establishment. The sights and sounds
are enough to stir the blood in the
veins of the LATEST of men. The woods
resOund with the ring of the choppers
axe and the ''gee haw" of the drivers,
while in the mills, saws and planners,
men and boys are all on the everlast-
ing jump and go, transforming the
monarchs Of the forest into beams and
boards as if by magic. At least $780,
600 feet of lumber will be taken out of
this district alone before the close of
the winter.
The inspection over, Mr.. Hazen leads
the way to the dining room where a
royal feast is attacked with royal APP
petites. Even the very holes in the
| 4 oil, fSN 40 of
the woods. After dinner the car is
conveniently backed up to the door of
the dining room and the company
leaves this busy place. 1t is short
run back to Victory branch proper and
there we go on again through the
woods to the North to G.. III. Stevens
& Co.'s mills, the terminus of the road.
Here Col. A. B. Jewett and Col. w.
P. Fairbanks, who with Mr.. Stevens
constitute the company" and own a
tract of from four to six thousand acres
of timber land, take the party in hand
conducting them first to the saw mill
and then to the dressing mill. The
same buzz and hum of industry is here
as at the other mills. Over 5000, 900
feet of logs lie in great piles about the
clearing. Stacks of finished lumber,
clapbOards, laths, etc, are on every
hand and all the men and boys and
machinery are on the jump and drive.
A million feet or more of lumber has
been prepared for market already and
at least another million feet of logs
will be cut making with those already
in hand a grand total of over 5000, nOO
feet for the winters work. These two
mills are connected by tracks and
about every facility known to modern
wood workers is at hand to aid in the
rapid and economical preparation OF
lumber for the market.
AS we board the train again for home
Mr.. Stevens produces the inevitable
box of spruce gum. We draw veil
over the scene at this point, while the
dignitaries of the party chew gum at
the rate of 100 revolutions per inmate
and with vigor worthy of a better
cause. During the days ramblings
the busy train men have gathered up
along the line 20 or more car loads of
lumber as the practical fruits of the
days work and when, little later we
left North Concord there were 90 car
loads of freight in the train.
Just before reaching st. JOknsbury
the company resolved itself into a COM
mittee of the whole and passed rous-
ing vote of thanks to Col. Jewett for
the courtesies extended by the road =;
to l.. D. Hazen for the visit at his mill
and for the dinner and to G.. H. Stevens
& Co., for the good time at their ex
| Oense