Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1900-05-14

Forty rods of a gentle slope and
solid road brought US to The town,
about 100 tents pitched in an opening,
and populated by some. 200 persons,
including over a dozen women and
few children. 1t was fine location
for a town site, and the dense growth
of timber all around proved the soil
capable of much production. Some
gardens had been made and one man
showed me peas which he assured me
were planted just three weeks before.
The people seemed contented and
courageous, and were taking hold of
the heavy task of improving the land
with an energy which promised sue
cess. A corps of surveyors with five
or six Instruments were working daily
at the task of running lines through
the surrounding forest, dividing it up
into lots for the future plantations.
The town site was mostly surveyed
and some of the streets cleared and
few were already at work clearing
their town lots. The foundations were
in place for a large hotel and the first
house had it's walls begun. Every
thing seemed favorable but the road,
or rather the lack Of one. That made
it impossible to bring any heavy loads
to the town, Or indeed much of any
thing.
A team Of six oxen and one horse
and wagon seemed to be all the trans
portation then available, and they
could not bring up enough provisions
from the docks to supply the needs of
the colony; SO men were employed to
bring provisions on their backs. But
the road was already improving. [
was assured that about two weeks be-
fore the road had been dry but two
heavy rains had flooded the fiat
ground and it took several days for
the water to run off. But good road
and I learned from men who came
from there later that much work had
since been done on the road and it is
now quite passable. The failure to
have a good road when the colonists
first came was a serious blunder which
many and greatly hinder
ed the early development of the
colony. But it is safe to predict that
the company will have sufficient eye
to it's own interests to provide a road
before next fall. They had counted
on dry weather which would have
made the trail passable, but the dry
season was late beginning.
Even in face of all the discourage
ments and the many reports intended
to injure the company, quite number
who came and saw and heard for
themselves bought land there. Many
''tenderfeet' it is true were discourage
who had made plenty of money from
their orange groves before the frost
ruined them, and had some experience
in clearing tropical forests, seemed
entirely confident of the success of
the enterprise. One very intelligent
man whom 1 met again in New York
after he had spent the winter there,
told me that he was going back next
winter and expected to spend his
winters in Cuba, and said he believed
that even if the company should fail
now the colony would continue and
succeed. But the company has
weathered the heaviest of the
storm and seems able to continue
ou siness and carry out its plans.
The colony certainly contains much
material and has started
in earnest A union church was
started the first Sabbath after they
reached the land. I preached for them |
4 week later and could not have found |
I better audience IN most New Eng
and villages of similar size.
A pioneers association has also been |
formed and was devising plans to pro-
note the social and economic welfare |
If the people. And learned that such
vigorous measures were followed in
bringing to justice the first thieves
my such, who might think they were
beyond the reach of law. A man had
come ldown to open saloon but by
he almost unanimous vote of the col
,ny he was enabled to understand that
prohibition can prohibit, even in
Cuba. His report of the colony was
lot fattering; but it can afford to
nave his disfavor SO long as it enjoys
lis absence.
I did not spend much time investi-
eating the soil, but what evidences I
saw were quite satisfactory and in
trong contrast with the general APP
oearanca of harrenness ahnut Maui