Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1911-01-20
ARE DIGGING OUT ORE
Brattleboro Men Mining Silver
and Lead in This County
o. H. Ellis and H. p. Yearly Interested
Three Farms Aeereeatlne 1000 Acres
Have Been Bought.

o. n. Ellis and n. p. Yearly Interested
Three Farms Aesreeatlns 1000 Acres
Have Been Bought.
A few Brattleboro men have bought
three farms on which lead and silver ore
have been discovered, in the northwestern
part of Newfane and over the line in
Wardsboro, and they will work the prop
erty with the expectation of securing
enough lead and siler to make the pro-
ject a financial success. The fact that
Brattleboro men had bought farms in
that locality with mining in view was told
in The Phoenix of December 23, but
more details are now available.
Orlln II. Ellis and Herbert p. Yearly
spent a day at the prospective mine last
week directing the work of few men
whom they have engaged for the winter
The property is the old Scranton farm
and two adjoining farms and comprises in
all about 1000 acres. A little machinery
has been installed and two derricks have
been erected, while at the depot several
more pieces of machinery are waiting
transportation to the scene of operations.
That the farms contained lead and sill
yer had long been known by the previous
owners, but they never had gone to the
trouble Of extracting any of the mineral
and having it assayed.
Last summer old miner named
Kazan spent much time going around this
section of the country and assaulting per-
fectly respectable old boulders with
hammer and chisel, knocking off chips
and examining them closely He worked
in Guilford Vernon, West Brattleboro
and several other towns in this locality
until he arrived at the Scranton farm in
Newfane. 1t was there that he evidently
discovered what he was looking for be-
cause he quit work and in a short time
the farms were bought by the coterie of
Brattleboro men who are now beginning
to dig out the ore. Kazan has travelled
extensively over the country searching
for ore, has been in the neighborhood of
many big strikes" and is supposed to
know silver and lead when he sees it and
to know whether there is enough metal
in the veins to pay for uncoverng.
Before machinery and the other imple
ments needed for working a mine We're
ordered the new owners of the farms had
the ore assayed and although they will
not say what the assay showed various
estimates have been made.
Besides Kazan, who is directing the
work, and Frank Faneuf, who has been
associated with Mr.. Ellis several years, a
few farmers are working at the mine, also
n few laborers from Brattleboro. Faneuf
is doing the cooking and the men engaged
in the work are living in the old Scran-
ton farmhouse,
1t is the intention of the operators to
dig shaft 40 to so feet deep. The farms
are several miles from the railroad and
the transportation of the metal will not
be easy and will incur much expense.
The men associated in the work not
talking much for publca ton in regard to
the new venture, but to their friends
have intimated that they are reasonably
sure that they have paying proposition.
Other mines have been opened in YER
mont, but they are not paying. Silver
and lead are found often in the rocks in
this state, but they never have been
found in quantities to warrant much ex-
pense in removing them from the earth.
Holes have been dug and steam drills
and engines have been installed, but in a
short time the operators have awakened
to the fact that the men and the machin-
cry were costing them more than the
mines were yielding.
Residents of Newfane and Wardsboro
do not seem to be very enthusiastic over
the prospects of the present venture, but
the owners are confident and are only
waiting for warm weather before they
put more men at work and install more
machinery