Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1907-09-20

of the nearby communities, a prosperity
which the humblest citizen will share
with the lord mayor" if there was one.
But to the representative of the general
public, who visits the dam site from
pure curiosity, the scene Of activity with
the army of men and the mighty ma
chinery all apparently working indepen-
IDENTIFY, the impression is one of wonder
and confusion. Without the explanation
from some of the engineers who can see
the work as a whole, the curious visitor
is likely to come away impressed with
the magnitude of the undertaking and
decidedly skepucal as to its ultimate
accomplishment In short 1t looks very
little like a dam there to the uninitiated.
The way to visit the dam site Is by
carriage from the Hinsdale side. To be
sure a large number go down by train
to Vernon and some paddle down the
river in canoes but the real picturesque
and natural way to see what is going on
there is to come on 1t gradually from
the rich Hinsdale meadows. Long be-
fore the scene of activity is in full view
the indications that some great work Is
being accomplished are evident Hill
sides along the road show here and
there a red brown patch where clump
of pines were recently cut away and an
occasional trail leads down to the river
where the great logs were launched and
floated down to the site of the dam.
There is not big pine or hemlock stand
ing along the Hinsdale road where there
were many, even in recent years, Ihey
were sacrificed for the ultimate good which
is to come The big bend in the river n
half-mile above the dam site hides the
scenes of operations but thin blue
smoke shows from afar off where the
many engines are putting away. There
are evidences in plenty all along the ROAD
that something momentous is happening
and that this staid old community Is
being in some measure reVolutlonlzed
Not until the visitor is actually on the
scene of activity does he realize the
manifold operations which are being
carried on. He can hear the catter OF
the steam drills and the pufhng OF the
hosting engines a half-mile on but unui
he crawls through the last wire renee
Needless of the no-trespass sign ne does
not awake to the real significance OF
what is before him. Once inside the
fence he soon wakes up to the fact that
there is something doing right under ms
nose. A busy sawmill on the right is
ripping out boards with a STEADY mum
from the logs which are being drawn up
10 n from the river on a large track.
on the left is a busy blacksmith shop
where a half dozen men are employed a., an
dav long in making and sharpening driiis
and in lighter metal work The urllls
are not little hand tools but are great
bars of steel TO- 20, or even 80 rect long
which tax the strength of two men 10
boId If is fitting that these two bull
dings should come first to view as their
work is fundamental to all the rest.
Revond these buildings the workmen
s,,-a ~, ike ants. A pyramid of broken
stone 40 or so feet high and daily growing
higher SHOWS where the ledge Is being
blasted away and prepared for the stone
crushing plant A half-dozen steam drills
that make a noise out of all proportion
TO their size are constantly at work near
the base of this pyramid, drilling INTO tne
solid rocks, in preparation for the pas
ting. If the visitor is so fortunate as 10
he present when a blast is shot or MS
ewes are opened. One thinks OF plast
as a loud noise with rocks flying through
the air and everybody getting behind
something solid. The blasting done at
the ledge is not of this unscientlnc
character. The blasting boss directs
where the sticks of dynamite shall be
placed and when they are touched off by
an electric spark there is dull booming