Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1889-11-22
VERMONT GRANITE.
Unsurpassed In Quality and IneNhausti-
BILE In Quantity.
Remarkable tsrowih Of the Industry
since 1850,

mont correspondent, contributed 10 that
paper last Saturday an article Of unusual
interest, ON the mineral resources Of the
state, with special reference to the granite
industry and the remarkable growth which
it has made during the past few years
In 1870 according to the census Of that
year, the total value Of the product Of the
gold, iron and copper mines Of Vermont,
and our marble, granite and slate quarries
was only S9Oj,ll In 1850 the value Of
these productions had grown to s2,2i3 1866
while their estimated value in 1883 was
$1,000 600, or more than three times as
much as in 1880 The granite quarried
and manufactured in Vermont in 1883 was
alone worth more than the entire product
Of the mines aud quarries in 1870
The gold mines in plymouth, the copper
mines III Orange county, the manganese
and iron mines in Rutland county, the slate
quarrir in western aud central Vermont
the limestone quarries in Franklin county,
the marble quarries in Rutland county, and
the granite quarres in Washington, Gale
donna and Windham counties, have all had
their greatest development during the last
two decades The granite industry was
comparatively undeveloped previous to
| 1870, and even in 1850 the product Of the
quarries was small that no statistical in
formation regarding the amount quarred
was contained in the tenth census. The
largest and most valuable deposits Of granite
we're, until recently, without railroad fa
cilIties thus necessltating the transporta
tion Of all blocks and finished work by
truck trains considerable distance at
great expense The extension between
1870 and 1850 of the railroad system Of the
state to the granite quarries at Barre,
| Wilamstown, DummerstOn, Ryegate and
/ Hhrdwick opened up to the trade Of the
country valuable and almost inexhaustible
deposits Of granite, and gave decided i'm.
petus to the quarrying and cutting Of
granite Previous to 1873 two or three
firms, operating many quarrles and EN-
ploylng dozen men, supplied all the de
mand for Vermont grauite-the demand
being local one From this insignificant
beginning the granite business has now be
come vast aud important industry, the
rough aud finished product Of our quarries
being shipped to all parts Of North Amer
ica The output in 1883 was 3G, 900 tons,
and the product this year will approximate
~. 900 tons, the production Of 30 quarrying
firms and 80 quarries. The industry gives
employment u some $500 men, and the
value Of the blocks and the finished product
this year will exceed - 600, 900
The greatest development Of the Vermont
granite industry has been at Barre and
Dummerston. at which places more than
~ per cent Of the entire product of lsSs
was quarried During that year 2l,ll1
tons were shipped from Barre and s6sl
tons from Dummerston.
The Central Vermont railroad company
extended ITS line from Montpelier to Barre,
a distance of six miles, some fifteen years
ago, and last year continued the road
known as the Montpelier and White River
railroad-to Wilamstown, six miles
further There are extensive and valuable
deposits Of granite at Williamstown, which
are now being developed with satisfactory
results About the same time the Barre
branch was built the Bratteboro and
Whitehall railroad was constructed its
main line sklrting the base of the DUN
merston granite mountain and passing
directly 10y the quarries The opening of
these roads afforded an all rail route for
the product of the guarries over the Cen
tral Vermont and connecting lines 10 the
markets of the United States
4 second outlet for Barre granite TO
eastern New England and points reached
10y the Boston and Maine railroad system is
the Barre branch Of the Montpelier and
/ Wells River railroad, which was built the
past year from Montpelier. This new road
connects al Barre with the railroad TO the
quar- es on Milestone Hill aud with the
main line of the Wells River railroad at a
junction near Montpelier Previous to
/ 1859 all Of the granite quarried on Milestone
Hill in Barre was teamed to Barre on heavy
trucks and at great expense. The trans
portation of the output of the quarries re
puired from $50 to l15 horses the greater
part Of each year. The granite deposit is
/ situated from 700 To 1000 feet above Barre
village, and project of a railroad to the
quarries has been annually agitated for
years Finally, in March, 1858, the propo-
sition to construct a railroad to the summit
Of Milestone Hill took shape. The sum Of
| $40 900 was subscribed by Barre business
men for building the road, and the Barre
railroad company was organized IN the
spring Of 1855 The first rail in the noun
tain road was laid November H. lSSS, and
the line was opened for business last June.
The construction Of the road was difficult
engineering feat, and the line is the most
complicated and interesting piece of rail
road track IN Vermont. The quarries are
but four miles distant, but the road runs
eight miles to reach the first quarry, and in
order to make the ascent it attains grade
of 264 feet to the mile in several places
There are sidings to some twenty quarries,
and the entire length Of main line and side
track is IS miles The Baldwin mogul
locomotives do the work on the road each
engine being capable of hauling 10 empty
cars up to the quarries, and bringing down
/ loaded cars.
The crown of Milestone Hill is now per
forated by 20 quarres and quarry land is
selling for $1,000 an acre. The finishing
sheds cover 90 acres, > 900 men are EN-
ployed in the industry all told, and the
value of the annual product of the Barre
uuarres is from million and half to two
millions of dollars,
There is an immense granite formation at
Williamstown, and the extension of the
Montpelier and White River division of the
Central Vermont road to that place year
ago, gave decided impetus to its dormant
granite industry. Montpelier ranks next
to Barre in the number and extent of its
granite cutting sheds, eight firms and 300
men being employed there in the industry,
The granite quarries at West Dummer
ston, owned and operated by the George f,
Lyons Granite company, are among the
largest and best in the state. Dummerston
granite has been extensively used for
building and monumental purposes during
the past decade, and the annual output of
the quarries has materially increased each
successive year since 1880 The quarries
are located on the line of the Brattleboro
aud Whitehall railroad, and side tracks run
direct thereto The total shipments of
granite from West Dummerston station in
1888 were S6Sl tons. Articles of associa
tiun for the organization of the George r.
Lyons Granite company. with capital of
SO 600, we're filed with the Secretary of
State in April 1889. The company have
extensive cutting sheds and turn out a
? large amount of finished work 1t was
here that the granite for the state mOnu
2 ment at Gettysburg was quarrled, includ-
, ing the beautiful huted column % feet
high
There is "a large and valuable deposit of
granite in the town of Hardwick, and eX
tensive tracts of quarry land have been
bought in that section by outside capitalists
4 the past year Berlin, Northheld, st,
g Johnsbury and South Ryegate also make
+ important contributions to this industry.
There is a good deposit of light pink and
I dark green granite in the towns of Wind
sor and West Windsor, the supply being
I limited only by the size of Ascutney
S mountain Ascutney granite was used for
d building purposes in Windsor fifty years
r. ago, aud it has stood the test of time ad
u mirably.
a IL will he seen from the foregoing
. sketch that the business of quarrying and
: finishing granite in Vermont is yet in its
- infancy, its development having practically
been confined to a single decade The de
II mand is in excess of the supply, the supply
is inexhaustible and the next ten years is
likely to see a growth far greater thar
that of the last ten.
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