The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1893-08-30


He Heard-The Governor Paine Farm
Reyiving Business of the Town.
Equipped with a good bicycle, a note
book and pencil well sharpened, a repre-
sentative OF the WATcHMAN set out for
Wiliamstown to look up the interests Of the
town.
GREARsoN & MOORE
The first place visited was the granite
works of Grearson & Moore, who very kindly
gave the newspaper man the information
he desired. This firm was one of the first
to open up the granite business in town.
They now occupy $50 feet of shed room and
employ thirty-six men, but the. present
"bard times" compel them TO reduce their
force Although orders are plenty, collec-
lions are next to impossible. Mr.. Moore
intends to go to Colorado for the winter for
his wifes health. He will look out for the
interests of the firm there. The sheds are
on the railroad and their granite comes
both by train and by team the cost being
about the same either way-S12 a carload.
The stock is essentially the Barre granite,
but perhaps little darker. The company
recently shipped monument costing $3.50
to Illinois.
NIXON BROTHERS.
Adjacent to Grearson & Moore are the
sheds of Nixon Brothers. This firm was
formed two years ago and employs eight
men, AS their stock goes to wholesale
dealers, the hard times" affect them but
little. Orders are plenty and collections
easy.
ELLIOT BROTHERS.
Elliot Brothers have about two hundred
feet of sheds on the railroad one half mile
north of the depot. This firm was the first
to begin the granite industry here. They
now employ twenty men, do their own pol
ishing, having recently put in three ma
chimes run by twelve-horse-power engine.
THE DUFFUs, AND THE EDWARDS & DOW
SHEDS.
John Duffus, employing five men, and
Edwards & Dow, employing six men, rent
portion of these sheds. The latter firm
has done good business, the past summer,
and now has plenty of orders ahead; but
their collections are very slow.
LYNDE & CHENEY.
At Millville the firm of Lynde & Cheney
own and operate a grst-mill, saw-mill and
polishing shop, employing at present about
ten men. Ten machines are set up in the
polishing shop, but at present only six are
moving. The mills can be run by either
water or steam, or both.
DAY AT THE QUARRIEs.
Starting early, to avoid MONDAY heat, the
WArCHMAN representative, by easy stages,
reached the Williamstown quarries. The
first one visited was that of
JONES BROTHERS,
one of the largest firms on the hill. The
genial foreman, G.. T.. Williams, kindly an
swered the many questions of the reporter.
The firm is prosperous, the "hard times"
not affecting them much. They employ
thirty-fve to forty men at the quarry. The
stock is dark and can be quarried in almost
any dimension. A side-track of the Barre
railroad runs into the lower side of the
quarry. The output is from three to five
carloads per day. Three large derrcks are
used, one of which, a new one, has lifting
capacity of forty-five tons. These are oper-
ated by powerful engine. The company's
sheds are at Barre, where most of their
stock is finished
wILLIAMsTowN GRANITE COMPANY
A few rods to the east is the quarry of the
Williamstown Granite Company. G.. Il.
Thompson has leased it for a term of years,
and until the present stringency has done
pushing business. Six men are employed.
Although not so extensive as the one
previously visited, the stock appears equally
good, and, said Mr.. Thompson: " If con-
gress does it's duty and inspires the conf
dence of the people in the present adminis-
tration, will work this quarry for all it is
worth" Orders are plenty, but collections
well-nigh impossible.
WELLS, LAMsoN & PRIZE
own and operate the largest quarries in
Williamstown. They are situated about one
fourth mile southwest of Jones Brothers.
j. *. Pirie is the manager. Messrs. Lamson
Prize have bought the interest of Mr..
Wells, but the firm name still remains the
same. Forty-fOur men are employed but,
on account of slow collections, this force
must be reduced, unless the prospect bright
ems. Orders are plenty. The firm claims
the best stock quarried and offers good
monument free to the one who finds better
stock. Their claim, though well known
for years, remains unchallenged. Any di-
mension can be quarried. Three large der
ricks, operated by a twenty-five-horse-
power engine, are used, one of which
has lifting capacity of thirty-fve tons.
The quarry has been worked eleven
years, and is about forty feet deep, but the
quality is better and the cost of lifting is
trifing. A sdetrack of the Barre railroad
runs along the edge of the quarry The
firm have sheds in Barre, where they finish
5000 monument to Washington, d. c.,
to be placed over the grave of the Confeder-
ate General Toulstott. This monument
has base eight by five feet, and is six feet
high. 1t is considered to be the most
elaborate monument ever shipped from
Barre. The firm also own quarry near
Webstervile, employing fifteen men. The
reporter learned that the farther south, as
far as the ledge goes, the better the stock.
Several small firms are working up the
huge powders on the farms OF T.. M Frs
kline, X. w. Demerrt and others adjacent.
NORRIS, THE MARKET GARDENER.
AT the Widespread board of Mr.. and Mrs.
w. III. Norris the reporter learned that Mr..
Norris does an extensive business at market
gardening having this year three or four
acres under cultivation. Next year he in
tends to double the number, and has re-
Gently bought more land for that purpose.
wIIIIAMsTowN RoAns
Bidding host and hostess good day. the
reporter mounted his wheel, and, thanks to
the careful and efficient work of the "road-
maker" o. A. Blanchard, and his corps of
men, the ride to the village was without
break. By the way the roads in Will
Jamestown are far better than those of the
average town in this vicinity showing the
good judgment of the selectmen in their
selection of the right men for the place"
SCYTHEsToNE LEDGEs.
After a nights rest under the paternal
roof, the newspaper man again mounted his
wheel, this time 20 look over the farming
interests in town. By the way, Williams
town is one of the best farming towns in
central Vermont. By easy stages, with al
ternate riding and walking, the height of
land bet tween WilliamStOwu and North fiald