The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1890-03-27
Vermont sIate-Brief Description of its
Uses and the Me hod of Quarrying.

Vermont sIate-Brief Description of Its
Uses and the Me hod Of QuarTying.
A correspondent of the Troy Times,
writing from FaiThaven, says:
A prospectus of a Southern investment
company, which graphically describes
the pecuniary benefits, large profits and
enormous dividends certain to accrue
from an investment in its stock lies
before me. The deposit of slate is said
10 be POO feet thick and 800 feet broad.
This slate, it is claimed, will proved a
most valuable material for various pur-
poses, among which is the manufacture
of billiard tables, ''the facing being so
perfect as to require little, if any dress
ing, except the squaring of edges"
This method of quarrying slate is en-
tirely different from anything that is
practiced in this section. Fairhaven is
headquarters in the line of slate. The di-
versitied slate interests of this communl-
ty are larger than in any other town or
city in the United States. The milled slate
stock is superior to that of any other
section of the country. The principal
manufacturers of slate are men of practi
cal experience, being the pioneers of this
industry. The man who marbleized the
llENl Sldlt llldllltl Ill blllN 10 sum
engaged in active business in Fairhaven.
The largest manufacturers of billiard Ia
bles in the world obtain their material for
the beds from Fairhaven. Considerable
labor is attached to the manufacturing
of billiard tables The mill men buy the
stock of quarrymen. After it reaches
the mill it is sawed, planed and worked
down upon rubbing bed. 1t is further
1,,,. Ii Had xypply hnfppn
| it is shipped to its destination. This
company would experience serious diff
culties if they attempted to place the
stock from the quarry into the hands of
manufacturers of billiard tables without
going through the process of milling, as
described above. The ordinary quarry
man of this section is satisfied to com
mence active operations when he finds a
ten-foot bed. Twenty and thirty foot
beds are the exception among the slate
quarries of this vicinity.
Capitalists of Vermont assume risks in
companies in Southern or Western States
that they would not look at in their own
State. The prevailing desire is to in
crease the rate of interest and conceal as
much as possible the whereabouts of
their investments. The Odious tax law
and the expense of maintaining the pro-
hibitory law reduces the rate of interest
more than two per cent. These barriers
once removed. Vermont would retain a
large amount of capital and take upon
itself new life
The superiority of the mineral deposits
of this section is an established fact. The
marble of the South is available for in
terror work only, while the slate of that
section is affected by frost. Large ship
ments are now being made from Fair
haven to principal cities throughout the
South. W. Z. Lloyd Il Son are now Ell
gagged in filling an order of 400 squares
for Australia. This firm is now about
three months behinds orders. The diff
ferent slate mills are crowded with or
ders for building material. The demand
for all the mineral products of this State
is larger than in any previous year.