Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1910-10-06
To REVIVE A VILLAGE
An Engineering Project to Har-
ness the Fifteen Mile Falls.
Should Bring Back Good Times TO
once Prosperous Vermont Town.
4 picture Of Lower Waterford
To-day.

4 specinl correspondent Of the Ros-
ton Transcript, writing from Lower
Waterford, says:
Between tho Connecticut lakes. which
perch at heights ranging from 1919 feet
TO 2250 feet above the level OF the sea.
to the ocean at Long Island Sound the
Connecticut river in its course makes
many substantial drops. That at Holyoke
has been harnessed to a height of fifty
nine feet; that at Turner's Falls to forty
one feet: that at Bellows Falls to fifty
four feet; and at Olcott, just south of
Norwich and Hanover. thirty-six feet.
But the greatest of the potential sources
Of water power on the Connecticut, the
Fifteen-mile Falls, remain to be brought
into use.
That this is about to be done is the
present expectation. The people OF this
village, which marks substantially the
| lower limit OF this stretch of rapidly fall
| ing water that Is still unused, feel that
| their day OF fame Is near at hand. Strictly
eaking, the Fifteen-mile Falls extend
| from South Lunenburg, Vt. to McIndoe
| Falls in the same State. at the conflu-
ence of the Connecticut and its tributary,
the Passumpsic: but the existing water
power rights at McIndoe have been ap-
| propriated so as to compel the setting
back Of the new dam at Lower Water
| ford. The upper part Of the falls has also
been tapped at Fiskdale, n new station
| on the St. Johnsbury II Lake Champlain
| between South Lunenburs and East Con-
cord. The proposed Empower plant
will take up the falls Of the ten-mile
stretch that remains. II was through them
! that Paul Boynton swan In 1870 He
started at North Stratford and went down
the river, but his success in swimming
through the rapids of the Fifteen mile
attracted particular attention in spite of
the sparse population on its banks
| Chase s. Hartman. the same concern
which has the water power at South
Vernon, that Is already furnishing power
to Fftchburg. Gardner and Worcester
and whose work at Zoar, not long ago
described In these columns. has assumed
a serious basis. have acquired control OF
the land along the river for ton miles
above this village. In the words of the
old-time resident What they could no,
; bond they have bought"
The transformation which tho con.
struction OF an electric plant ut TIL,
point will make in local conditions may
we'll set one to thinking. Lowor Water.
ford Is to-day ono OF the most dec,lden,
villages on the map of New England, 1t,
old residents insist that 1t was at one
time larger than the now populous st
Johnsbury. made famous by Fairbanks
Standard scales However. Waterford wal
on the stage road between all northern
|
J the Crawford Notch, Sixty horses hav,
been taken care OF In the huge barn whiel
once formed part OF tho local Inn, Her,
was a bridgo across tho Connecticut, bu
the ude OF events has moved agains
: this village, The railroad disregarded 4
altogether. Their engineers In going norti
: from Wells River Junction preferred Il
ciinlD tho Passunpsic on one side and tn,
: Ammonoosuo on tho other, both tribu
tarles OF tho Connocticuti and 30 the,
: lett the main stream unacoonpaRied b,
iron rails This has sent business to ut
J"hhsbUiy on the i'assumpsio on one sid
ana to lAttleton on tho Ammouoosuo OF
the other, each about ton miles away
l'oth of Theses towns had railroads some
Time before the Own War, leaving Lowe
waterford TO rust out In the intervening
region, Its next misfortune WAS tn
sweeping away in u great freshet a aear
OF years n9o of its Connecticut bridge
80 that everybody has since had to e.
throo miles upstream 10 cross tho rive
I at Waterford Center on an open stee
y bridge
| This combination Of caiamlties has hi
q Lower Waterford mora seriously tina
even the average rural Vermont towr
, AS a rule abandoned farms ara most 4
F. evidence on the lonely hlsl'waysi bu
. here is a village, half of whose house
ave unonoupisd, Fhe road leading fror
the main street down to whara tha hldg
used to DO contains eight hausas, all q
wAlah were 0ooupIsd avs yssra aEa b