The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1920-10-27
BIG ASBESTOS
OpMENT
Massachusetts Corporation
Buys Mountain of Ashes
tOs In Belvidere
BUYS IMMENSE
ELECTRIC PLANT
VIII Conduct Power to Quarry and Mills
Has Inclined Railroad to Plant -
May Construct Electric Road to Hyde
Park-C. ii. Thompson Manager.

| JOHNSON, Oct. 27-The Asbestos
| corporation of America, chartered under
the laws of Massachusetts with a capital
ization Of $l,5OO00O, preferred stock at
500 par value, and $4,000 common stock
no par value has acquired control of the
Vermont and Quebec Power company
and through the same interest has ac-
quired the southwesterly slope of Belvi
dere mountain, comprising about GOO
acres OF misunderstanding rock, which was
formerly the property Of the New Eng
land and United States Asbestos corpora
ton. This week the necessary papers viii
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 the
property and in doing. so has accom-
phshed one of the most important
achievements i'll many years in Develop
ing Nermont's natural resources. Tp to
the present time the company has in
vested about 100000 in the acquiring Of
the properties and improvements.
The control OF the Vermont and Que
bee Power corporation carried with it
the operating hydro-electric plant at Ste
FeuS Mills, \ t., situated near RIchfOrd
and the Undeveloped water powers at
johnson and on the Namaska and Mis-
sIsquoI rivers IN the Province of Quebec
The corporation has just completed the
construction of a new dam at Stevens
Mills, which IS 1876 feet wide and "A feet
nigh. his company Is also building L
concrete addition to the power plant,
thereby doubling the capacity, for the
purpose OF supplying electrical energy for
the development OF the asbestos proper
ties. A pole line, p miles in length, IS
also being constructed, between Richfold
and BelyIdere mountain under the direc-
ton of Y. NJ. Rossman of New York and
+, \. Miller of Montpelier.
The Development of the property has
proceeded rapidly during the last six
weeks under the direction of the keislich
Construction company of this city and
Royden +. Reed, assistant manager Il
the Asbestos corporation. The mill builG-.
ing, lJ6 by a feet and four stories high,
has been built at an altitude of mOle
than 1000 feet, far up on the mountain
side in the midst Of the quarries. The in
cIlued railroad from the mill to the base
Of the mountain, $500 feet long, with
the large store house at the bottom is 20
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 bagged in the mill.
Ldhel uO"u the mountain on the inclined
railroad and thence by truck to Hyde
Park
R. R. Livingston, graduate engineer oil
Cornell university, now of New York
city, and DR. Chester Gilbert, consulting
engineer of Arthur ID. Little & Co.. Inc,
and head of the mineral technology d.,
vision of the United States National mu-
scum, Washington, d. c., are the engi-
neers in this work.
On the southwesterly slope Of the
mountain, according to DR.. Gilbert re-
port, there is in sight an ore body which
he estimates at 100000 900 tons, or sufi-
Gent to operate the mill during an ordi-
| nary life time.
The property was worked in a small
way n number Of years ago before the
present commercial demand for asbestos
| mad 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
crude fibre and very little demand for
What IS known as the mill run. Now
! the situation IS reversed and about 90
! 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
| iy eIectncalyodTIven 1t is expected the
mill will be in operation before next Jan
uary.
Owing to the demand for asbestos,
which Is far in excess of the supply,
there is no fixed market price. Ninety
| per cent at 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 paw
ing blocks as binders and which is sold
for $50 to S25 per ton M to the finer
spinning grades which bring from s.. 5Cl
"a "a bot s.1,~ I
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
manutacture OF fire proof roofing ami
+ shingles.
1t is the plan Of the men who are in
terested IN the corporation to continue
! the development of the hydro-electric
sites during the next five years for the
development of northern Vermont. since
the demand for power, coupled with tie
high price OF coal, justifes this develop
ment. The development of this water
power. together with the asbestos proT-
, erty, las been the result of eight years
81 81 hard Y!d work by Charles H. Thompson ct
Burlington, assisted in the latter phases
of the work hy DR.. L. J. Paris.
The men behind the Asbestos Corpora.
& ton of America are all well known in
the financial circles of the East. It's
president is the Hon. Eugene. f. Reed Of
MANCHESTER, n. H, now vice-president
of the American Fuel, Oil & Transports
ton Co, of New York, Charles Fl.
Thompson of Burlington is vice-president
and general manager. aEs'.-
The question of transportation of the
finished product has been satisfactorily
solved and it is believed shipments can
I Re made $50 days in the year. With the
improved auto trucks the transportation
to the railroad costs less than the diff.
ferential rates between Hyde Park and
the Canadian points to the United States
markets. It is probable that in the fl:|
I ture an electrically driven railroad viii
be built between the base of the mour-
tain and HYDE Park. Plans for this have
already been under consideration, but ct
the present time the Eden Deo~le have =
hig advantage over the Canadians. The
Vermont property contains the only
Known deposit Of commercial chrysotile
/ asbestos in the United States with the