The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1918-12-06
RAILROAD VISITORS SURPRISED
When They Viewed Quarrying Opera
tions on Milestone Hill.

Railroad officials are popularity sup
posed to be fed up on scenery. Where
the spectacular eyokes gasp of admira-
tion or an exclamation of wonder from
the ordinary mortal, it is usually all to
the blase with the railroad man, whose
sensibilities are deadened by the fire.
quently beheld spectacle Of great nat
ural panorama or an extraordinarily in.
teresting picture Of industrial life. Once
in a blue moon the exception breaks in
on the rule and even the railroad officials
natural, human craving for something
that is. new-to him-and marvellous, is
sated.
Yesterday if yeu still follow us-was
one Of the exceptions, for an official
party Of government railroad men ex.
perienced a surprise they won't forget
when they took a trip through the Barre
granite quarries on Milestone hill. Uncle
Sam having taken over the railroads, il is
the governments turn now to get the
thrill of-a lifetime when first the enor-
nous mountains Of waste Barre granite
sweep into view. Their rough -hewn, if
precarious slopes, resemble giant esca-
lator, and their stark, cold angles stand
out sharply against winter sky. Then
follows in turn the first peep down into
quarry chasms, sheer drops of hundreds
and vet other hundreds of feet. Below
are myriads of workmen, diminutiyes
delving daily downward, if the allitera-
tion may be spared,
There's no telling what may become of
railroad men who persist in working for
Democratic administration, but Yer
monters have no fear that in penetrating
so close 60 the reputed locality of the
sbysmal depths they will break through.
Those depths are not for them. So yes
terday they worked, entirely oblivious to
the somewhat astounded gaze of men
who said they never realized the magni-
tude and the depth-of the Barre quar-
rying industry.
A special train bore the visitors to
Barre. From st. Johnsbury to Mont
pelier, by way of Cambridge junction,
and thence to this city they had federal
passenger car all TO themselves. The
party was headed by Federal Manager
b. r. Pollock of Boston, and with him
were. !. H. H. Folsom of Lyndonyille, gen
eral superintendent of the northern di-
vision of the Boston & Maine railroads
G. H. Wiggin of Boston, superintendent
of motive power +. A. Merrill of Bos-
ton, chief engineer Of way and struc-
lures; II. O. Mayo Of Woodsville, N. H.,
superintendent of the White Mountain
division; F. +. Sampson of Lyndonville,
division engineer; G. H. Watson of
Woodsville, division engineer, and j. A.
Ahern of Lyndonville, superintendent of
the St. Johnsbury & Lake Champlain di.
vision
They were Joined in Barre by James
r. Smith, who is in charge Of the Mont
pelier & Wells River and Barre s. Chelsea
freight service here and Master Mechanic
John Whalen Early in the afternoon
the party transferred TO Barre & Chel
sea passenger coach and were taken up
the line to the quarries. First they visit
ed the lWells-Lamson and Wetmore 4
Morse quarries Crossing from Webster
Vile they inspected the quarry plant Of
4. L. Smith & Co and Boutwell,, Milne &
Varnum, in Graniteville. Some of the
officials have but recently become con-
nected with railroad service in Vermont,
and Others were going to the far-fung
corners of the b. & NJ. system for the
first time in their lives. Superlatves
were not wasted in their comments on
the magnitude of the granite industry;
the railroad men made the most Of them
Superintendent Wiggin had not visited
the quarry district since 1900 and what
he saw Yesterday caused him to revise
his notion about its activities. For En-
gineer Merrill it was the first trip in 30
years, and three decades have wrought a
world of difference in the physical ap-
pearance Of the great industrial develop
ment on both sides the hill To the
others everything was altogether new
and revealing.
Quarry owners, once the word went
round that visitors were present, were
quick to show them every courtesy and
to improve, SO far as possible, their op-
portunities for inspecting the industry
Returning to Barre, the members of the
party agreed that their afternoon on
Milestone hin was one long to be remem-
bered The special car was attached to a
regular train over the Central Vermont
and after leaving Montpelier the
party headed for st. Johnsbury.