St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1901-11-13
The Newly Discovered Asbestos
Times.
Correspondence of the CALIFORNIAN ]

found within its limits, but few if any, il
sufficient quantities to pay for working
Less than forty years ago Senator Proc
tor bought some nearly defunct marble
quarries and in few years was presi,
dent and principal stakeholder in the
largest marble producing company in the
north.
Now disinterested expert mining engi-
neers have made official report that YER
mont has the largest deposit of asbestos
in the world in Belvidere Mountain-ly-
ing in the towns of Lowell and Eden.
Some twenty years ago Hon. M. E.
Tucker OF Hardwick, an extensive lum-
Der producer, bought nearly 1000 acres
OF timberland on the north slope of Bel
videre Mountain, in Lowell, and erected
a large sawmill that was the nucleus Of
the mill settlement which has been known
for many years as TuckervilIe. In the
early years an employee in looking out
timber got bad fall on a rock which so
excited his curiosity as well as wrath
that he took piece of the queer rock
to Judge Tucker, who Immediately recog-
nized it as asbestos. For over eighteen
years he and his employees searched i'll
vain for that rock. Less than two years
ago Judge Tucker found asbestos in the
grey water worn ledge within half mile
of his mill, over which he and his men
had Travelled thousands of times. Hav-
ing a last found the ledge Judge Tucker
began prospecting, and during the last
two summers has staked out quarry,
200 rods long by so rods wide, only
about one-halt of which has been thor
oughly prospected to a depth of 20 feet.
The ledge is about mile in extent on his
land aud without doubt is OF uniform
formation.
All the foothills Of Belvidere Mountain
and doubtless the greater part of the
mount ain itself are of this asbestos bear
ing rock. The trend of the ledge is south.
south west. The theory OF the Govern
ment and English biologists is that this is
part of the same strata which appears at
Black Lake and Thettord, Canada (tor a
long time the largest asbestos mines on
this continent) which have the same
trend and are identically similar in quality
and formation, probably both thrown
up by some thermal upheaval before the
glacial period.
When we think that no locomotive, car,
printing press, loom, or other heavy ma
chinery can be run at high pressure with
out ASBESTOS packing and asbestos lu-
bricatlng oil; that no hreproot fabric,
building, plaster or cement can be made
without asbestos; that the amount OF
asbestos produced in the United States
has annually been growing less; that the
imports of asbestos in 1899 were more
than three times as large as in 1895;
that the ton value has increased out of
all due proportion; that the expansion
of railways and mechanical industries
has increased the demand for asbestos
by leaps and bounds with these and
other Government statistics in mind we
begin to appreciate this great ind, and
dream dreams of commercial prosperity
founded on cold facts.
Perhaps it will be well just here to
more definitely give the location OF these
properties. Judge fuckers mine lies on
the north spur of Belvdere Mountain,
FIVE miles from Lowell village. He is
sole proprietor of nearly 1000 acres, and
in company with Bates and May of st.
Johnsbury, and one other party, who at
present prefers to remain incog, owns
several smaller outlying lots, and are
negotiating for more, all known and in
porated as the Vermont Asbestos CO.
On the south side of the mountain,
nearly four miles from the village of
Eden Mills, is the property of The New
England Asbestos Mining and Milling
Co." a company organized and incorpo-
rated at Fall River, Mass. Their prop
erty now comprises 800 acres in one
block on good road leading directly to
! Eden thence to Hyde Park on the Bos-
ton and Maine Railroad. There are sew.
eraI other small holdings and many adj
| iacent farms doubtless contain good
quarries, but to all practical purposes
the business is confined to these two
companies. A Government geologist
makes the following statement in his
official report:
at is probably well to repeat here the
statement made in previous reports IN
regard to the two distinct minerals
which are treated in this report under
the same name. True asbestos is a sill
cate of calcium and magnesium and usu-
ally occurs associated with soapstone.
A very similar mineral in appearance and
possessing equal heat resisting qualities
is chrysatile, a fbrous variety OF se1pen-
tine, which is a hydrous siicate Of mag
nesum, and occurs i'll well defined veins
penetrating serDentine rock. The latter
Is superior ia strength and elasticity Of
fibre to any true asbestos found in the
uni ed States, which recommends it tol
use in the manufacture OF tlreproof tex
tiles 1t is known commercially as as
beStos and is so considered in thes
reports. Practically all this materia
comes from Canada"
Asbestos of the best quality occurs onl,
in serpentine rock, which constitutes tn
bulk Of Belvidere Mountain. Although
asbestos is the product there are, Incl
dentally, two by-products, OF payini
value if the railway is put through
There is some tale in the ledge which /
white and without grit that is valuable
The serpentine, which is the matrix
contains so much asbestos that wher
puverized it makes fire proof cement
the serpentine taking the place OF SAND
and the asbestOsoi hair, and is fire proc
: We're there good transportation iacilitie
The serpentine alone would make a pro
liable industry.
Mines welding ten per cent Of asbestc