Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1892-02-12
LuMRERlNG UP ROARING BROOK.

IOMBERlNG UP ROARING BROOK.
Few people in the village are aware
of the extent of the numbering opera
tions which Col. Thad NJ. Chapman is
carrying on less than five miles from
here. His domain consists of about four
square miles of woods in the extreme
northeast corner of the town of Middle
bury. 3 Most of it is on the high plateau
forming the top of the mountain as seen
from the valley, though it reaches on the
west down to the foot of the mountain
and extends eastward into Ripton.
One who had never been up there
would be astonished at finding so much
road as this is. The principal lumber
now coming down is spruce, but there is
on the tract large amount of birch,
both red and black, bes ides black ash in
the swamps and pines on the higher
ground. On one acre oyer back of the
mountain called the elephant" are 40
pine trees which will yield 100, 900 feet of
lumber at a conservative estimate. The
reason that these pines and other trees
still stand is that they never could be
gotten down. Why they couldn't will
be clear to the visitor before he reaches
them. But now there is a road up there,
and good one, too. 1t has been built
by Mr.. Chapman at. large expense for
the purpose of making his lumber ac-
cessible. 1t is mile from the foot of
the mountain up to the sawmill. The
road follows the banks of Roaring brook
for the major portion of the way. In
spots it seems pretty nearly straight up
and down and the curves on it are
numerous and sharp. But the roadway
is smooth as floor and hard, and the
size of the loads that come safely down
it-almost 5000 feet of sawed stuff at
clp-attests its suflicencv.
The sawmill was set up last fall 1t
is run by 80 horsepower engine and is
capable of turning out 100000 feet or
more of lumber month. a clapboard
machine has been added to the outfit
recently. The mill stands in a valley,
and into this valley converge all the
minor valleys of the tract, so that it is
downhill from every portion of it to the
mill. From the mill run roads in var-
Gus directions. The longest, up past Abb
bey pond and over into Ripton, is oyer a
mile in length, and, like the rest of these
highways, it is thoroughly built. Near
] n l., l..,
for the horses. and soon there will be
another barn and IA blacksmith shop.
The machinery of the mill came from
the mill on the Preston property in
| Waltham. The engine weighs eight
tons. 1t took five days to get it up the
mountain, and then the job could be ac-
complished only by the aid of the heavi
est blocks and chains procurable. The
mill building is roomy and substantial,
alfording space on its main floor for the
saving machinery and the clapboard
machine. And the owner does not pro-
pose to have it burn up, either. Two
not far away is cascade where the
brook that flows past the mill comes
over from still higher level of the
mountain. Mr.. Chapman has three
inch gas-pipe enough on the ground to
bring water from this fall down to the
mill, which he will fit up with sprnk-
lers, so that it can be kept wet down
from one end to the other if necessary.
Mr.. j. +. Goodroe of Ripton has en-
tered the employ of Mr.. Chapman as
manager. Over 40 men are at work eth
er in the woods, chopping trees or ex-
tending the roads, or at the mill, work
ing up the logs into lumber and clap
boards. The chief portion of the cutting
is being done on the part of the tract in
Ripton, but roads are building into other
sections, so as to have them reachable
when the trees on them are wanted, AL
together, this out-of-the-way mountain
region is busy place and an interesting
one to visit.