Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1906-06-29
WILMINCTON'S BOOM
100 Men Will Be Employed Year
Around at Mountain Mills

Railroad Now Being Built VIII BE 80
Miles Long, Tapping Lumber Tract Of
10000 Acres.
lFrom Deerfield Valley Times, June ISL
Work was gotten well under way this
week in the building of the road of the
Deerfield River Railroad company or
Deerfield Valley Railroad compAny-it is
to be called one or the other of these
names, but which 1t has not yet been
decided. Gangs of laborers are working
on the roadbed at various points along
the right of way from Mountain mills
dam to the white barn" on the Sears
burg road
The new road will be owned by a
company separate from the Deerfield
Lumber company and now in process of
organization under the general railroad
law During the present year Ii Is pro-
posed to build 16 miles of railroad.
Starting from Mountain mills the road
will run across the dam to the west side
OF the pond. thence up the west side
of the Deerfield river to a point just
above the White barn" There 1t will
cross the river on trestle bridge and
follow the Rockefeller survey to point
just above the confluence of the West
and East branches, where it will cross
the East branch and follow the east
bank Of the West branch into Somerset.
The line will run northerly through the
western part of that town to a point
near the Stratton line in the northwest
corner of the town.
Next year the road is to be extended
through the town of Sunderland into the
Battenkll valley and to terminus in
the town of Manchester. The total
length of the road when completed will
| be about 30 miles.
1t is not intended to effect a con-
| junction with the Bennington & Rutland
railroad and the road will not cross the
mountains into the village of Manchester.
The railroad which will be essentially
| logging enterprise, will serve prac-
tically the whole of the great timber
| belt of southern Vermont southwest OF
| the lands tapped by the West River rail-
road. Between $4,000 and $4,000 acres OF
standing timber will be placed within
easy transportation distance of Noun
| tain mills, where practically the entire
output of soft wood will be manufac.
tured. The mills will be operated all the
| year round, and with an annual mill ca
pacity of 90 900 feet, which 1t is ex
pected' will be maintained, there is timber
enough in sight to warrant the belle
that the business will continue for 30 Of
40 years on the scale indicated. Natura
reforestation probabilities, in fact, maxi
the contemplation of any time limit t
the industry superfuous.
In addition to the heavy lumber indus
try that will be maintained and largel!
increased by the recent acquisitions o
the Deerfield Lumber company and b.
the new railroad there Is every reason L
believe that Wilmington must soon be
come the location of new and importan
hard wood working factories. There ar
millions of feet of hard wood that vii
be made available by the opening of tn
railroad. That wood must be- manufac
tured and Wilmington Is the natural sit
uation for the shops that will work II
With Mountain mills giving employment
TO a crew of 100 men all the year around
, with a far greater number of woods
men employed in the forests than eve
before and with prospective additions
smaller mills a practical certainty In tn
near future, the Importance of what
now going forward is not difficult I
realize.
Ray T. Gle of Littleton, N. H., is tn
constructing engineer in charge of tn
road building. Contractors have bee
! here making estimates on the ties, an
: 1t is understood that the rails have a
ready been ordered. There is every II
! dication that this years work will
pushed with n rush and the road mao
: | ready at the earliest possible moment.
> River driving will not be entire
= | abandoned by the Lumber company, bl
: will be continued on the East branch
addition to the haulage by train fro
the other territories controlled by Il
: company. as there is a large body
= timber on that stream which can
= handled more satisfactorily by water.