The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1893-11-08
UP WORCESTER BRANCH.
LUMBER Is KING, CALAIS HAS
SAND, WOODBURr rs ROCK
RIBBED.
Pu'namsville's Lumber MilIs-The Famous
Sugarplac, OF Calais 49, The Granite
Quariies of Woodbury. beautiful and
Lively Hardwicb village.

One fine October day WATcHMAN repre-
sentative set out to look up the interests
and industries of the towns up the Branch
and those adj AGENT, and to set forth the
same in narrative which might, perchance,
interest the WATCHMAN readers.
PUTNAMsvILLE.
The first place visited was Putnamsville
where G. G. Putnam & Son have headquar-
tiers for their large lumber business. After
enjoying good dinner at the table of g. G.
| Putnam, Jr Mr. Putnam very kindly took
the reporter through his mills. The saw
mill is run by wafer, the Branch, having
| about forty feet fall at this place, affording
abundant power. From the saw mill is a
| double. deCked track to the yards, on the
| sides of which upwards OF a million feet Of
lumber can be stacked. The yards are also
| connected by tracks with the dressing mill
| below. The dressing-mill has an area of
10 by ~ feet with an engine room IL 10y "a.
The mill il equipped with the latest i'm.
proved machinery aud a L. NJ. Nagle engine
of sixty horse power furnishes the reuui-
site power. Near by Is A dry-house 16 by
So feet and stOre-house 81 by "a feet. The
firm owns nearly 6 900 ac ~ of timbered
land in Mddlesex, Worcester and El more,
Rnd has saw mill in each of those towns.
The output from these mills in "A year is
about q 0O0 900 feet and it is all dressed at
Putnamsvile. The business amounts to
about 500, 900 year. The firm also owns
and operates a store in which they do a
business OF upwards of $50, 600 per year. o.
Ii. Culver, a genial young man, has charge
of the store aud is also bookkeeper aud
postmaster. G.. g. Putnam, Sr, although
eighty-three years old, is "a vigorous and AS
sprightly az many men of half the number
Of years. Mr.. Putnam can remembei when
land sold in this vicinity for ten cents an
acre which now would sell for $40 or 800
The best lumber would sell for "a thou
sand; now it will sell for $50 TO $40 per
thousand. Mr.. Putnam got out much of
the lumber for the state house.
WORCESTER
is a pretty little village eight and a half
miles from Montpelier. Although there are
many nice farms on the Branch the princi-
pal industry il numbering. At the village,
g. NJ. l. add has harnessed the Branch, thus
affording plenty of power for running his
saw-mill, dressing-milI and grst-mill. MIR.
Ladd furnishes upwards of 900 feet of
dressed lumber to the markets every year.
The lumber is drawn to Montpelier for ship
ment, giving employment to many men and
teams throughout the year.
Worcester ought TO have railroad. The
grade il easy, and, AZ the mountains are
well timbered, it follows that money in
vested in such a prof 'ct would at least, be
as safe and pay as well as most western in
vestments have lately.
About three.fOurths mile up the Branch,
Gorge h. stone owns a mill and gets out
about 100000 feet of dressed lumber "a year
and gives employment 10 eight or ten men.
Jason Jennings owns a mill up the Branch
about four mi es FROM Worcester and does d
driving business, AS also does A. III. Camp,
near by, who gets ont yearly about one
half a million feet. About two years ago,
II q. Smith put in sllinge mill near the
line next to Elmore. Mr.. Smith is not afraid
If Hulf al flrf4
gets out over 100000 shingles year. His
shingles are getting no wide reputation
that he can't begin to fiji all his orders, and
he yields the palm to none in the shingle
business. On the east hill, NJ. p. Wheeler
has saw-nlill and does much business.
CALAIS.
Passing over into Calais, many fine farms
and farm buildings We're found. Nearly
every farmer owns his fam free from debt,
but a conservative spirit still prevails and
the work is done in about the same way AS
father did it," Perhaps that is the best
way and IL looks the safest, as experience
often proves the best teacher, and the gen.
eral thrift seems 10 poiut that way.
AT Kents Corner Herbert X mt owns a
fine farm of about 200 acres, keeps twenty
cows and several horses, some OF which
he thinks ought to bring fancy price.
At the Corner, &. " Kent has a store, with
Frank Carr az clerk. This store on winter
evenings Is lhe scene OF many Oufst OF
elUquence and sally Of wit, and many there
be who get hit thereby At North Calais,
or Number Ten, as it is called by the ma
tives there are two stores, jewelers. shop,
wooden mill, grist mill, cider mill, etc.
just at the edge of the village is pond
three-fOurths by oue-half mile in siZe-a
beautiful object. Ten rods distant is an.
other about the same size, but is fourteen
feet higher than the other. Many people
from Montpelier and vicinity visit these
ponds during the summer
Over the hill toward East Calais, the soil
was found to be very sandy, and in a dry
time one moves in a cloud of dust H. is
sand everywhere. The village OF East
Calais is neat and tidy. despite the sand.
Here is the home of the Dwinells. On an
elevation overlooking the village is the res
idence of ex-senator Albert Dwinell. which
is model of convenience. Albert Dwinell
& Son own and operate saw mill, shingle
mill and clapboard mill. They have Just
put in a new thirty -nine-inch york Sue
cess water wheel of sixty horsepower,
costing nearly $500, thus insuring then.
abundance Of power. They have contracts
now for furnishing 500 900 feet of lumber the
coming winter, besides custom work, Right
here branch of the Winooski falls eighty
feet in distance OF fifty rods. Half wav
down is the box factory of Levisou &
Lamb, whose principal work is getting out
boxes for syringe companies. The firm em-
ploys ten men and doesa business Of about
81 900 a year. Mr.. Lamb is the manager,
aud he also keeps hotel, although it is not
known by that name. At the foot OF the
falls is the grist.mil recently bought by
Guy Bancroft, who has repaired it, put in
new watrr-wheel of forty horsepower cost
ing over $500, thus enabling him to grind
forty bushels of grain an hour.
East Calais is called Moscow by nearly
every one in the locality from the fact that
as the grist mill was being built-very early
in this towns history-one Of the grinding
stones, while being put in position, fell,
went through the floor 10 rocks below and
was broken, as was the hell in the once IA
nous capital of Russia Moscow.
SOME NOTABLE FARMS.
One-half mile south from East Calais,
George G. Slayton has a model farm. Al.
though he bought here only last spring, his
influence is manifest. He has recently put
in De Laval separator, No. ., and barrel
chnrn, which are TO be run by power "a
soon az the right kind presents itself. II all
goes we'll, this farm will be second to none
in town.
About one and one-half mile east from
East Calais, Charles Wing lives, and here is
probably the best sugar place and equip
Inent in large section of country. Mr..
A Inn tan los hut . ha