Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1891-12-18
PHOENIX, BRATTLEBORO, FRIDAY, DECEMBER 10, 1891.
THE WEST DOVER IRON MINE
ORE FOUND IN ABUNDANCE.
The North Adams Owners Think They
Have BonanIR---A stock Company
To Be Formed.

The North Adams Owners Think They
Have "a Bonan1a---A stock Company
To Be Formed.
From the North Adams Transcript
+. II. Beer, George y. Rich and W. II.
Bates, jr., of this town have bought an
iron mine at West Dover. VT, eight miles
from Wilmington The purchase includes
l25 acres Of land, in which there is de
post of iron ore that is believed to bc very
valuable. The mine is not new discov-
cry by any means About 20 years ago a
mining company spent many thousands Of
dollars developing the property and a large
amount Of ore was taken out and carried
by teams to Bennington and Troy. The
property sold at one time for $4,000. The
ore was said to be very rich, but the heavy
expense of freighting by teams caused the
mine to be abandoned. 4 forge va, in OPP
Grafton for time near the mine. Since
that time little has been said or known OF
the mine, and the property was sold at one
time for l24 cents an acre, including the
ore and thousands of dollars worth of tim
Der.
The company that originally operated
the mine was called the Trainor Mining
company. Mr.. Trainor, the head of the
company, sent some of the ore to England,
where it was ascertained that the metal
would make the best quality of cutlery
steel. Mr.. Trainor had jackknife blade
made of it and the blade was one of the
best This company sank a shaft 60 feet
deep aid ran two tunnels into the side of
the mountain, one 100 feet long and the
other $50 feet. Ore was found in album
dance and its quality was always consider
ed superior but the heavy expense of
freighting it by teams such long dis
tanCes to market consumed the profits and
the enterprise was abandoned. There
are people now living in Wilmington who
well remember when the mine was operat-
ed The mine is located near the road to
Somerset and is very accessible, the road
to Wilmington being Of easy grade and
one of the best in the region. \ shoot
can be built to carry ore from the mouth
of the long tunnel to the highway.
+. +. DOwlin went to Boston Thursday
with samples Of the ore, which were sub
mitted to State Assayer Sharples for analy-
sis. Mr.. Sharplcs gave it as lis opinion
/ that the ore was of high quality. but the
/ owners will base their calculations only
J upon the result, of scientific investigation.
/ They firmly believe they have struck a val
liable lind and are content to await the as
sayer's report Mr.. Beer has in his pos
session a piece of ore from this mine It
is 50 magnetic that even when wrapped i'm
a silk handkerchief and held under the
inch-thick shelf Of an oak desk il will cause
the needle of a small compass resting upon
the shelf to turn clear around. II is said
to be impossible to correctly survey land in
the vicinity of the mine, the needle Of the
compass being so much affected by the
mineral deposit.
All these things cause the owners to feel
that they are on the right track and if the
assay proves As satisfactory as is expected a
stock company 10 be known As the Valley
Forge Mining company, will be organized
at once TO operate the mine on an extensive
scale. Workmen were sent from this town
Monday to clear the shaft and tunnels Of
distractions that have accumulated during
the long years the property has lain idle,
and il is the intention of the owners To
push the enterprise with the utmost posi-
bile vigor. There is a good water power
near the mine which may be- brought into
use in connection with the work.
The revival OF this long dormant enter
prise is a direct result of the extension of
railroad facilities to Wilmington, for with
ont railroad transportation the mine rich
As it is believed to be, could not be worked
at profit. Mr. Beer says the route for a
railroad from Wilmington to the mine /,
very feasible and that it j, probable. should
the mining enterprise meet the cNprcta-
tions of its projectors, that the lIoosac
Tunnel ~ Wilmington railroad company
will extend its track to that point.