Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1920-10-28
'BELv|DERE MOUNTAIN
YIELDING ASBESTOS
New Corporation Acquires valu-
able Property in Lamoille
County, Besides Hydro-E lec-
trio Plant in RichfOrd and Two
Undeveloped Water Powers

ferred stock at 400 par value and $1,000
common stock, no par value. has ac-
auired control Of the Vermont and Que
bee Power company and through the
same interest has acquired tho south
westerly slope of Belvidero Mountain,
comprising about 600 acres Of asbestos
bearing rock. which was formerly the
property OF the New England and Uni
ted States Asbestos Corporation This
week the necessary papers will be filed
with the secretary of State to enable the
corporation to DO business In Vermont.
The Massachusetts company has made
remarkable progress In developing tho
property and in doing SO has accomplish
ed one of the most important achieve
ments in many years In developing YER
mont's natural RESOURCES. Up 70 the pres
ent time tho company he's invested about
sso0000 In the acquiring Of the properties
and improvements.
The control o: the Vernon. and Que
bee Power Corporation carried with II
the operating hydro electric plant at
Stevens Mills, VT, situated near Rich
ford. and the undeveloped water powers
at Johnson and on the Yamaska and
Missisquoi Rivers In the Province of
Quebec. The corporation has Just COM
pleted the construction of new dam at
Stevens Mills, which Is 1876 feet wide and
"A feet high. This company Is also build
ing concrete addition to the power
plant. thereby doubling the capacity, for
the purpose of supplying electrical energy
for the development Of the ashes tos
properties. A pole line. Il miles IN length
Is also being constructed, between Rich
ford and Belvidere Mountain under the
direction Of V. NJ. Rossman of New York
and r. y. Miller Of Montpelier.
49, H.
proceeded rapidly during the last six
weeks under the direction of the Keis-
Itch Construction company of this city
and Royden E. Reed. assistant manager
Of the Asbestos Corporation. The mill
building. 106 by "a feet and four stories
high. has been built at an altitude Of
more than 1900 feet. far UP on the noun
tain side In the midst Of the quarries
The inclined railroad from the mill to
the base Of the mountain. $500 feet long,
with the large store house at the bot
tom Is 70 per cent complete. The capacity
of the mill, when in full operation, will
be 100 tons of finished asbestos per day.
This will be graded and baqaed in the
mill, taken down the mountain on the
inclined railroad and thence by truck
to Hyde Park. This means that it will
pass over three miles of fine gravel road,
!
tween the store house and the State
highway.
r. r. Livingston, graduate engineer
of Cornell University, now of New York
city. and DIR. Chester Gilbert. consulting
engineer of Arthur D. Little & Co.. Inc,
and head Of the mineral technology d.
vision Of the United States National
Museum. Washington, D. c., are the en-
gneers in this work. DR.. Gilbert Is with
out question considered modern author
ity in re the production of asbestos.
On the southwesterly slope OF the
mountain, according to Dr. Gilberts re-
port. there is In sight an ore body. which
he estimates at 10000, 900 tons, or suffi-
Client to operate the mill during an ord-
nary life time. The ore is unique in its
character in that it is disseminated as
bestos. Thi. means that all the rock
goes TO the mill. 1t is what was formerly
known slip fibre. is OF a silky texture
and varies In length from one to five
| inches.
The property was worked in small
! way a number of years ago before the
present commercial demand for asbestos
had developed. Recent inventions have
enabled manufacturers TO spin the slip
| fibre and this has entirely changed the
aspect Of the asbestos trade. Six years
ago there was very large demand for
i crude fibre and very little demand for
what is known as the mill run" Now
! the situation Is reversed and about &c
per cent Of the asbestos used is not crude
asbestos. This change In the commercial
use has made possible the development
of the Vermont property.
! Owing to the control of the water pow
ers, the mill machinery will be complete
| u IriVen first
conveyed from the quarry to the mill by
a belt conveyor. It is then crushed and
passes through the tower. dries and from
| that on through screening process
when IL is graded and bagged. It is ex-
pected the mill will be in operation be-
fore next January.
Owing to the demand for asbestos
which is far in excess of the supply
there Is no fixed market price. Ninety
per cent ut present Is produced by Cana
dian mines. Every portion OF the product
is now commercially valuable from the
sand and tailings which are used in
paving blocks as binders and which Is
| sold for $50 to S25 per ton up to the finer
spinning grades. which bring from so
to 5000, The market for asbestos has
grown tremendously with the different
electrical inventions. A big market has
also opened in the manufacture and re-
newal OF automobile brake bands. Next
to the heat insulating and packing FIELD
the greatest use for asbestos Is in the
manufacture of fire proof roofing and
shingles.
The remodeling of the hydro alec trio
plant at Stevens Mills, under the direc-
ton of Sheldon B. Boright OF Richford
and the erection Of the new dam has
increased the capacity of this plant &c
approximately 5000 water horse power
This plant is a model of it's kind and
carries with II an auxiliary steam
plant for use in case of ac-
cident. II Is the plan of the
men who are interested in the cor
poration to continue the development OF
the ,hydro-electric sites during the next
five years for the development of North.
'ern Vermont, since the demand for pow
er. coupled with the high price of coal
Pjustifies this development The develop
ment OF this water power, together with
the asbestos property has been the re-
suit of eight years Of hard work by
Charles Fl. Thompson Of Burlington. as
sisted in the latter phases OF tho work
by Dr. L. J. Paris
The men behind the Asbestos Corpora
ton or America are all we'll known In
the financial circles of the East. Its
president is the Hon. Eugene T.. Reed OF
| Manchester. n. H., now vice-president
of the American Fuel. Oil & Transports
ton Co.. of New York, Charles II
Thompson of this city is vice president
and general manager. Wallace H. Pratt
treasurer of the Equitable Trust COM
pany, of Boston, Is the treasurer. The
executive committee consists of Chand.
Ter NJ Wood, president of the Metro
I