The Brattleboro reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1907-1912, 1908-05-01
Interestingly Discussed by
Board of Trade.
IMPORTANT VISITORS
Directors Of Connecticut River Power
Co. Tell Local Business Men Of the
Opportunities Which Await the Town
as Result Of tho Dam.

One oi the most successful meetings II
the history of the lBnttleboro board O
trade, a gathering which undoubtedly IN
spircd local men with enthusiasm al th'
prospect which will be opened for Brat
tlcboro through the completion Of th'
Connecticut ryer dam and which mus
have assured the men financially inter
esttd in this project that Brattleboro !
alive 10 grasp the opportunities whici
will bc put before her, was held IN th'
Brooks House dining room last evening
ton were present and the guests included
q. II. Baker and G. l.. Ayling Of Boston
members OF the banking firm Of Baker
Ayling & company. II. |. Hartman o
Hyde Park, Mass. and Malcolm G.. Chac'
| Of Providence, members Of the Chace
| Hartman company, Arthur III. Lowe
head Of the Park Hill mills OF Fitchburg
/ Mass, y. %. Ames, prominent cotton
manufacturer Of Providence, and Georg,
/ =. Hewins, general manager Of the Ioring
! Farnum company of Boston. Most o
| these men spoke briefly in regard To the
| opportunities which would be open tc
| Brattleboro and the surrounding towns
when the big power plant tive miles be
| low here was completed and predicted a
remarkable increase IN the industrial ac-
tiyity OF this section. The trend OF Their
remarks indicated that men behind the
mammoth enterprise are anxious 10 dis
pose OF their power as near the dam as
possible and will do everything possible
10 assist in locating new industries here
abouts.
The meeting was called 10 orier by
President c. o. Robbins who surrendered
the chairmanship TO G. G. Fits. Mr..
Fits spoke briefly in regard 10 the vast
amount OF preliminary work which was
necessary TO bring the dam project to a
head and said that great credit for this
work belonged to the business men OF
Brattleboro. lie then referred TO the ne
cessty of interesting men OF capital IN
the enterprise and introduced Mr.. Baker,
head OF the banking firm of Baker, Aging
& company, as one Of the men whose en-.
ergy and determination had contributed
largely to the financial success OF the ven
ture thus far Mr.. Baker said that two
were always necessary TO make bargain
and that had it not been for the persist.
ence of Brattleboro people the money
necessary 10 build the dam would not
have been forthcoming. He spoke briefly
OF the different kinds OF people who are
looking for power of one kind or another
in various walks of life and said that de-
sire for power was what made the wheels
of industry go round. He spoke OF the
revolution that has come as result OF
electrical development of water power
and in this connection made reference TO
the need of White Mountain forest re.
serve bill as a protection to New England
water ways, saying that an organization
like the local board of trade ought TO be
able to WELD considerable influence in
behalf of such measure. Mr.. Baker
congratulated Brattleboro on having at
its door such an enormous supply OF wa.
ter power. The solidity OF the mass OF
concrete which is being laid at Vernon
was, he said, no greater than the financial
soldity of the company which is backing
tie enterprise and the success which the
project is bound TO become will be due
not to any one person but to the unison
of effort on the part Of all concerned.
Mr.. Chace of the Chace Hartman COM
pany spoke briefly saying that the water
power had q legitimate reason for coming
into existence and was bound to be OF un.
told benefit to this section. He told Of
the untiring efforts of the local committee
to interest him and Mr.. Hartman in the
enterprise and congratulated the towns IN
this section on the bright future that
was theirs.
Charles l.. Ayling said that Brattleboro
and the surrounding towns could not help
growing as result of the construction of
tages which this town might have on ac-
count of the high price of coal would be
more than offset by the low price at
which power will be available when the
dam is completed.
Arthur III. Lowe of Fitchburg said he
was sure Brattleboro was going to want
more of the power than people now ex- |
Dected. He said Fitchburg people were |
anxious to get as much of the power as
possible but that it would never be trans
nitted there as long as there was mar
set for it close at hand In closing he !
mentioned the advantages that come to
very town through board of trade and
Brattleboro on the size and
strength of its organization.
w. f. Robertson of Hinsdale, N. H.,
poke briefly in reference to the interests
which that town and Brattleboro had in
ommon and made humorous reference to
he recent discussion in regard to the
ame of the dam, saying that it was
ase where the little fish were stirring up
more mud than the big ones. He as
ured the business men of Brattleboro
hat Hinsdale was willing to cooperate
n any way that would work to the 'ad-
antage of both towns.
III. 1. Hartman told interestingly OF
he early efforts to secure the construc-
ion of a dam across the Connecticut at
saying that as early as 1866
here was movement looking toward
uch an enterprise He then mentioned
he surveys made by Governor Fuller and
is associates in 1883 and told of the ex-
ensive borings that were made in the
nmmer of 1905 in an effort to find suit
BILE place to build a dam directly oppo-
tie this town. These borings, he said,
atisfed all concerned that no dam could :
e built permanently at this point, and
was not until November of that year
hat the present site was discovered. {
fr. Hartman then traced the progress ;
the project to its present state, saying :
nat it was now 60 per cent completed and .
v January 1909 would be ready to dis :
.ibute its product. He said it was de- :
rable to sell as much of the power as
ossible close to the site of the power t
liant and assured his hearers that new l
ldustries would be Forthcoming and that t
large portion of the power would be a
sed within 20 miles of the dam site. In =
osing he told of the art of transmitting }
over by electricity and what wonderful !,
3portunities it had in store for manufac- L
lrers. 10
E. H. Akley of Vernon spoke briefly of r
lie interest the people of Vernon took in
le project and gave credit to the Brattle- r
,ro board of trade for what it had done n
helping push the project. G. S. Hew- +