The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1893-08-16
UP THE WINO0SKI
FROM THE CAPITAL TO THE HEAD
or THIS BEAUTIFUL RIVER.

field, Marshfeld, Cabot and Woodbury.
Fertile Farms, Prosperous People, and
Sublime Scenery.
Those who are whirled in palace cars
through the valley of the Winooski traversed
by the Montpelier & Wells River railroad
have little idea of the productive country
through which this river flows from its source
among the hills of Cabot until IL reaches the
capital of the state, nor of the sturdy, indie
pendent, progressive inhabitants OF the val
leys through which 1t finds its way. A repre-
sentative of the WATCHMAN drove over that
section of Washington county by easy
stages last week, and was impressed by the
scenic beauties of that part of the state, and
with the thrift and industry of its inhabit-
ants.
BATcHELDER's MILLS IN PLAINFIELD.
A halt was made at Plainfeld and the
leading industry in the place was Wis
ited-the steam mills of J. NJ. Batchelder &
Son. If the friends of Arch " around the
Exchange Hotel at Montpelier who believe
that pede" Is his strong hold had seen
him last Wednesday morning, they would
have been impressed with the fact that he
can labor as well as play, and as manager
of this large industry he finds an abundance
of work to do. When the newspaper man
called he was busily engaged in measuring
| carload of lumber for shipment, but found
| time to 90 to his office, where, as he filed
his corn-cob pipe, he gave some interesting
are run by both steam and water power.
| The dam at their mills runs back for dis
| lance of mile and half up the stream,
| but at this time of the year, especially, the
water power is not sufficient, and steam is
also used. In former years this firm has
dealt almost wholly in hardwood lumber,
shipping about three million feet annually,
| but this year they are manufacturing soft
wood, mostly spruce and Eastwood. The
products of their mills are largely shipped
| to Worcester and other points in Worces-
| ter county, Mass, although their trade eX-
tends as far south as New York. They en-
ploy, directly and indirectly, about sixty
| men, and for the past fifteen years have
done business of $4,000 annually. Their
| logs are all drawn in winter from radius of
| eight miles. The plant is valued at $4,000
and is running to its full capacity.
NO FLIES ON GEORGE.
If there is one man in Painfied more
| busy than any other, that man is George ID.
Kidder. Between building a new barn,
attending to his duties as postmaster,
| and supplying the mountain hotels with
| eggs, he has little time to tell long stories.
Mr.. Kidder is possessed of a large store of
Yankee shrewdness, thrift and tact that will
accommodate those with whom he does
business and at the same time put dollar
into his own pocket. In the spring he sup.
plies the farmers round about with phos-
phate, on credit, taking his pay later in
butter and eggs which he ships to the White
| Mountain hotels and for which he obtains
ready cash. There are no flies on George
he isn't still long enough to give them a
chance to light.
JUDGE, MONTPELIER BANKS ARE SOLID.
Judge Martin gave the WArCHMAN man a
cordial greeting, and was willing TO be
interviewed" Mr.. Martin has enough
land to make some men land poor" His
$50 acres in Plainfeld and $50 in Marsh
field require all his time and attention
" Have you read the presidents message
Judge, and what do you think of it?" asked
the newspaper man. Yes" replied Mr.
Martin with considerable spirit, "and
I don't think congress is going to do any
thing to help the hard times much. They
will be of different minds, and if they don't
get to fighting they will filibuster; and | am
not one who believes that the silver bill is
the cause of the present hard times-it is
the threats of the democratic party. To be
sure, they haven't carried them into effect
but they keep threatening what they are
going to do with the tariff, and it keeps the
whole country in suspense" The Judge
inquired anxiously if the banks at Montpe
lier were all right and, on being assured
that they were solid as the foundation Oh
which Cancels Hump rests he expressed
his qualification and at the same time his
belief that such was the case.
RUNS LIKE DUTCH CLOCK.
A decidedly ELUSIVE welcome was given
by Landlord Meader of the Commercial
House at Marshfield, and, although his
tongue is still hung on pivot, and runs in
several different languages, he has such q
happy faculty of caring for man and beast
that it is pleasure to be under his hosp
table roof. He persisted in calling the
Faber pusher drummer, and was Gu
rous to know what line of samples he
carried. His mistaken idea was humored
and he is yet in ignorance of the fact that a
roll of copy paper, spare note book and {
few necessary articles comprised the con
tents of the "drummer's" grip.
EDsoN's BUTrER-Box FACTORY.
There were no evidences of hard times a.
the butter-box factory of Eli Edison il
Marshtield, where six men are constantly
employed in the manufacture of the "Ne
Plus Ultra" butter-box. which is recon
mended by the leading butter dealers il
Boston as the best box on the market. Mr.
Edison manufactured the first butter. boz
that was made in Washington county. The
box on which he has won his reputation i,
OF hve-pound capacity, made of beech ant
birch, the bottom and cover being spruce
No steel or iron is used in its construction
which prevents any corroding or blackinl
the box. 1t is riveted with "copper" and tn,
bottom and top are pegged in. Mr.. Edison
ships 10000 crates of these boxes annually
which represents a business of over So 900
|
cut valley, North Haverhill being one O
the principal markets. Mr.. Edison buys hi,
lumber in the log and does his own saving
His pay roll will exceed $500 a year. Ell
Edison commenced making butter-tubs il
Marshfield forty-tive years ago and has
been in that business and general shol
work nearly all the time since. He wal
seventy-five years old last Sunday, and unit
within two years has taken an active par
in his business always managing it him
self Since going into the butter-box bust
ness he has given up the management to Ir
III. Edison, his son, who has the whole car,
and oversight of the work.
BEAUTIFUL AND FERTILE CABOT VALLEY.
The drive from Marshfeld to Cabot is on
to gladden. the heart of every lover of ma
ture Rocky hills and woodlands form
background to the rich meadows that lie OF
either side of the road the entire distance
The Winooski, contracted in this region t,
the size of respectable trout brook, wind
its way through green corn-felds and ripen
ing oats and barley, suggestive of the SOM
of one OF Vermont's poets, when she says
Winding through the verdant valley,
Like a shaken silver chain,
Flows the mountain. born WinOoski
To the beautiful Champlan."
HE COULDN'T BURY THE PARsON.