The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1891-11-06
ReadsborO-wilmlngton.

nave Oeen notable days Tor these towns.
An excursion ran from Wilmington to
North Adams on the first day. The ex-
cursionists were met by committee of
the Tunnel City, people, John H. Flagg,
Chairman, at Hoosac Tunnel and accom-
panied them to that place. A banquet
and open-handed hospitality followed.
The return excursion from North Adams
to Wilmington yesterday was met in like
manner by the Associate Citizens COM
mittee and the free-handed hospitality of
that Mountain town was disbursed to the
uttermost. This formal opening of the
Deertield Valley railroad completes a
work that was the dream of the fathers
many of whom sleep long before the
| project was accomplished. Our readers
will recall the various attemps to build
this road. Even as we write the vision
of the car wheels, rusty with age, which
Enos Adams made for Benoni Tyler for
his bennington and Wilmington" rail
road rise before us. A road was once
talked of from Brattleboro to Wilmington
and thence it was to run to Bennington,
but nothing came of it except talk"
Meantime the present road has been built,
the story of what has been accomplished
being told in various forms (from which
we quote), by the Brattleboro Reformer
and Springfield Republicans:
The old part of the road from the tun-
mel to Readsboro was constructed between
1884 and 1886 by d. H., j. c., and Moses
Newton of Holyoke, who had built and
were operating pulp mill at Readsboro.
The people at Wilmington, 13 miles up
the valley, had been talking railroad"
intermittently for many years. The route
over the mountain was surveyed long
ago when the Fitchburg engineers were
seeking some outlet from Massachusetts
into New York to escape the tunneling
of the Hoosac mountain. About 10 years
ago another attempt was made to build
road from Brattleboro and thus bring
Wilmington into closer communications
with the county seat and natural market
of all this region. The late Edward Cros-
by of Brattleboro was tireless advocate
of that scheme and he deserved success.
But when the enterprise seemed already
sure of consummation it was paralyzed
by the vote of the commissioners. That
was BrattleborO's last chance. The iron
horse soon appeared from another direc
tion.
The road intersects the Fitchburg at
the Hoosac Tunnel station and following
up through natural thoroughfare
between abrupt mountains and along the
banks of the dashing waters of the Deer
field, it affords a charming picture to the
traveller. The first station reached is
Monroe bridge six miles from the tunnel
where the push and enterprise of James
Ramage, the head of the paper company
which bears his name, is everywhere
shown. On the opposite side of the river
are the substantial mills of this company.
while on the terrace above are the pretty
homes of the operatives, including the
handsome and costly dwelling of the wide
awake proprietor who has just completed
a fine town hall in which all public meet
ings can be held.
A large dam supplies, ample water
power, and the very air of the place is
surcharged with the spirit of push and
progress.
On we go to Sherman station, where
the lime kiln of II. A. Hicks & NJ. B.
Bishop furnish business for the railroad
and employment to several hands.
Readsboro fourteen miles from the
tunnel and until now the terminus of
the little road, affords striking illus
tration of the effect of railroad COM
munication and of the power of manu-
featuring industries to foster and en-
courage public spirit in building up a
town. Here dozen or more busy in
dustries are found, while the growth of
the town in the past half dozen years ap-
pears phenomenal.
Among the important manufacturers
is Metal Edge Box company, owned
and operated by the Newtons and Phila-
delphia partners and all under the
watchful eye of Supt. H. X. Blanchard,
and employing IS hands.
The Readsboro Chair company en-
ploys about the same number of hands
under Superintendent F. W. Gipson,
Moses Newton being the president and
E. j. Bullock, treasurer.
The Readsboro Leather Company
owned and operated by D. j. Barber &
Sons, employs 80 hands, while the Deer
field River Company's machine shop is
operated in connection with the railroad
and gives employment to a number of
mechanics.
The Readsboro Paper Company has in
process of construction new mill which
is expected to employ at least 80 hands,
under the proprietorship of John c.,
and Moses Newton. Stoves BOSS sap
spout mandatory has capacity of
100000 spouts annually, besides his
bucket covers.
Then there is the Deerfeld River
Lumber Company with its manufacture
of 2j,OOO feet of lumber daily. A small
bakery supplying something like 400
loaves of bread daily, and weekly pa