Windham County reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1901-1906, 1905-01-13
OF VITAL IMPORTANCE
Transactions That May Mean Much
to Brattleboro and West
River Valley.
BOSTON SYNDICATE PURCHASE
OF Nearly 10000 Acres Timberland in
Somerset and Stratton-Possibility
Of Branch Railroad from WinhaII
Station to Heart of Timber District.

STATION TO 1eart OF Iimber District.
A real estate transaction which
puts an entirely new aspect on the
numbering situation of southern
Vermont and which may be of vital
importance TO the business activity
of Brattleboro and the West river
valley took place Monday in the law
of Clarke C. Fits, when Fremont II.
Wright Of Auburndale Mass, In be-
half of a syndicate of Boston capi-
talists. bought $500 acres of timber
land in the towns of Somerset and
Stratton of w. w. Peck & Sons, pay
ing, II is understood. s177.0O0 for the
tract. The Importance of this sale
will be realized when 1t is stated
that the syndicate for which Mr..
Wright acted as agent Is entirely
separate from that which held op-
tions on 123,000 acres of timber land
In Bennington and Windham coun-
ties up to last August and which
was said to be controlled by Stand
ard Or interests. Mr.. Wright was
employed by the latter syndicate
for long time previous to the mis-
carriage of the big deap of last
August, and ii was in his name that
options were secured on tracts in
the towns of Dandy, Mt. Tabor,
and Wilmington. 1t was announced
last July that this deal, which in
volved about s1.500,000, was prac-
tically consummated, but owing to
some fault in titles 1t was not closed
although the New York syndicate
became the owner of the Hoosac
Tunnel & Wilmington railroad.
Since then negotiations have been
hanging fire, as it were, but it was
announced a few weeks ago that
John p. Kellis of Malone. n. Y, the
principal promoter was again en-
deavoring to renew the options
which had expired
The purchase of the Peck holdings
by Mr.. Wright in behalf Of the
Boston syndicate means no less than
that Mr. Kehis and the interests of
which he Is representative have
lost the key to the situation of which
they were trying to make themselves
masters, for with the land of the
BattenkiIl Lumber company of which
Mr. Wright is president, and the
Peck tract he controls about $4,000
acres in the heart of the finest spruce
timber district to be found In the
country. Mr.. Wright it is under
stood, has had assurances from the
Rutland railroad company that as
soon as the frost is out of the ground
in the spring it will begin the con-
struction of a branch line from
Manchester to Stratton and Somer-
set. If this arrangement is actually
reached AN of the lumber that is cut
in the northern part Of Windham
county as well as a considerable
portion Of that in Bennington county
will be shipped out by the way of
the Rutland railroad. The Hoosac
Tunnel & Wilmington railroad Will
be of little use to the New York syn
dicate in the light of these circum-
stances, because IL was to Somerset
and Stratton that it intended build
ing a branch road as soon as II
came into possession of the Peck
holdings.
AS soon as the news of the Peck
sale and of the assurances that Mr..
Wright had received from the Rut-
land road were made public in Brat
tleboro, their importance to this
town and the West river valley was
apparent 1t became evident to sew
eral Brattleboro business men that
immediate steps must be taken If any
hope were to be maintained of Sc
curing the benefits of the transaction
to this side of the county, and j. E.
Dalrymple, general freight agent OF
the Central Vermont railroad, was az
once called up by telephone. To him
the news of the sale and the Rutland
railroad agreement were told, and he
was asked If the Central Vermont
would not be willing to build a branch
road from Winhall to the heart of
the Stratton and Somerset timber
lands, provided the road could secure
the handling of the timber by that
route Mr.. Dalrymple replied that he
would come to Brattleboro Monday
to confer with Mr.. Wright about the
matter but added that his road would
be unable to take action as long as
the receivership litigation between 1t
and the Brattleboro & Whitehall was
pending.
The Importance to Brattleboro and
the narrow gauge road of having
these immense numbering operations
find an outlet in this direction cannot
be overestimated. A branch road
from Winhall station to Somerset
would open up tract of at least
SOC, ,OO0.0 900 feet of timber, including
holdings of the B. s. Gallup lumber
company which amount to 1900
acres and numbering operations as
they are now conducted could con-
tinue almost indefinitely without
exhausting these resources. Such
branch would have to be about lS
miles in length and would probably
follow the course of the Winhall riv-
er first west and then south. In view
of these facts 1t would seem short
sighted policy on the part of the
Rrattleboro & Whitehall corporation
to continue its proceedings against
the Central Vermont. In a personal
letter to a Brattleboro man not long
ago General Freight Agent Dali
rymple stated that II was the idea OF
the Central Vermont to broad gauge
the road between here and South
Londonderry as soon as the afore-
mentioned litigation was settled,
adding that II anything definite were
to be offered to warrant an exten-
sion of the road into the timber tracts
the company would be pleased TO
consider IL.
The sale of the Peck holdings to
Mr.. Wright is no doubt the result OF
an alleged attempt on the part Of
the New York syndicate to freeze
out the Battenkill lumber company.
when the big deal" fell through last
summer Mr.. Wright and his COM
pany were left in rather hard cir
cumstances. and the negotiations
which have been opened up since
then have been conducted without
his assistance Mr.. Kellis. II Is un-
derstood. was in Wilmington Tues
day for the purpose Of negotiating
with Peck & Sons for the purchase
OF the identical tracts which were
sold to Mr.. Wright Monday. Had
Mr.. Keuis and his syndicate become
their possessor II would have been
practically an easy matter for them
10 have eventually secured the bold
inrs of the RattenkiT company at