Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1906-07-06
THIRTY MILES LONG
The Railroad Which is Being
Built from Wilmington
II viii Run Through rs Miles Of PrImeval
Forest-oreat Industrial Development
for Deerfield Valley.


The most important industrial develop
ment in the history of Wilmington and
the Deerfeld valley-not excepting the
building of the railroad from Hoosac Tun-
mel to Wilmngton-is assured in the pro-
posed operations of the Deerfield Lumber
company, of which the building of a rail-
road 30 miles long. from Mountain Mills
in Wilmington to point in Manchester,
is only the beginning.
over 100 men will be employed as a
permanent force at Mountain Mills 400 to
500 men will be at work each winter in
the great timber district which the rail-
road will tap, and among the probabilities
are the erection of large wood working
establishments in Wilmington and pulp
mills.
Forty men came to Wilmington Tuesday
to ioin the force of Sc who have already
begun work on the construction of the
railroad. This number will be Increased
as rapidly as possible, and before Aug.
200 or more men will be opening up the
way and laying out the road bed, which
will be extended this year l6 miles into
the forests of Somerset. Early next sum-
mer the constructive work Will be re-
sumed and the entire road completed
distance of about 80 miles. Several short
branches will run from the main railroad.
over a course of % miles the railroad
will run through the primeval forest.
The work of construction will not be
| difficult, as elevation does not vary over 400
| feet from highest to lowest point through
the great wooded plateau where the road
| will be built, and the land is free from
| boulders and other distractions. The
| plateau. which stretches miles north and
| south in the heart of the Green Noun
! tains, is at an elevation of 22OO to 400
| feet above the sea level The total rise
| from Mountain Mills to the highest point
| of the plateau which will be reached by the
railroad will not exceed 500 to 500 feet. The
| roadbed will be constructed thoroughly,
| so that If future demands should make a
| broad gauge railroad desirable the change
may be made. AS the proposed northern
| terminus of the road, which is to be built
| solely for numbering operations, Is only
six miles from Manchester, on the Rut-
land railroad, only a short link would be
required to make direct connections with
Manchester and Hoosac Tunnel should
occasion make such a through line de-
sirable.
The equipment of the railroad will in
clude three locomotives and so sets OF
logging trucks. or enough to make up
four trains.
The railroad will run to the bor-
ders of the Peck ponds, which cover
several hundred acres in Somerset
Branch pond and Bowen pond in Sunder-
land, and other waterways which will be
of great use in the numbering operations
The logs will be deposited in the pond:
and taken out on rollways at locations
convenient for loading on the cars.
The tract of cumberland which will b'
tapped by the railroad covers $4,000 t
100. 900 acres. The forests of that section
are a revelation to experienced lumber
: men. The growth of spruce is by far th'
, largest and finest timber OF the KIND II
New England today In fact, the forest
of Northern New Hampshire and Main'
, at their best never furnished a growth
. comparable to that which now covers thi
, great section of Southern Vermont TIT
spruces of West Virginia are, in fact
! the only rivals of the great trees whicl
! are found all along the line of the pro
| posed railroad.
The standing spruces for saw logs ar
: estimated at at least 400.0O0,0O0 feet. Il
! | addition there Is an immense Quanut
4 | of smaller spruce available for pulp manu-
q featuring. The gSowth of hard wood
largely red birch, Is of such great ex
. tent that the handling of 1t by expert
= enced lumbermen will furnish a perpetua
= business as reforestatlon will make tn
= tracts first cut available again long be
= fore the entire supply of first growth
exhausted.
= The Deerfeld Lumber company own
- outright 5000 to 1900 acres of timber
land it controls the stumpage on an ad
ditional $1,000 acres, and the whole sec
= ton which will be tapped by the railroa
- is 50, 900 to 100000 acres.
:. Get your map ana look at the Deernei
, valley, and you will see where this grea
a section lies, comprising a part OF tn
u towns of Wilmington, Whitinghan
= Woodford, Searsburg, Somerset, Strattol
winhall Glastonbury, Sunderland an
: Manchester. The railroad will touch tn
70 territory of Wilmington, Searsbur
Somerset, Stratton. Sunderland. Wilma
and Manchester.
Starting from Mountain Mills the raj
y road will cross the dam a distance OF
- feet. but this will not be difficult piet
- of engineering, as the bridge will be bui
a in sections, each 40 feet long. The roa
will then run up the Deerfeld vale
le about three miles and will cross from II
y west to the east side. At this point
"a will be necessary to build bridge with
~ span of so or 80 feet. The railroad wi
~ then follow the river until 1t strikes II
81 east branch, where a bridge 60 feet Tor
y, will be constructed at point about SIEVE
~ miles from Wilmington village.
u In June the average daily output
C. Mountain Mills was 5000 feet. With Il
p changes which will be made In the mil
IN the daily capacity will be $1,000 feet witt
is in a short time. Eventually the Mounta
III Mills will turn out 100000 feet of lun
her each wear,