The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1922-12-18
RECORD ASBESTOS
MILL PERAT|NC
/ IN VERNON
Plant in Eden Said to Be One of
Largest in America
EXPENSIVE POWER PLANT
Impetus to Industry Added By
Use of Materials in Auto
mobile Brake Lining

Vermont has gone into the asbestos
industry with a will and lays Il claim
to having one of the largest mills OF
It's kind in America in operation says
4 Burlington dispatch in the Spring
field Republican, Near the village OF
Eden in the valley OF Lamoille on
Relyidere mountain. is the heart of
the asbestos corporation of America
has just completed building a power
station and installing modern equip.
meIt valued at upward OF $1,000, 900
The company Is at the present time
bidding for big contract with a
southern California manufacturer OF
asphalt, TO supply him with Vermont
asbestos, which will be shipped from
Portland, Me, through the Cape Cod
and Panama Canals to Los Angeles.
Cal, and be delivered at the man
ufacturer's door from the asbestos
mills within 2S days. Charles H..
Thompson formerly of Brattleborol
vice president and general manager
Of the corporation. plans to start the
first shipment in January and have
two boats month in the work
Some Il miles south of the Yer.
mont.Quebec border, a dam obstructs
( the Missisquoi river in its course
westward to Lake Champaign From
the adjoining lower plant, the wires
OF transmission line strings on
cross-country to the south in the
direction OF Belvidere mountain. Half.
way up the mountanside from the
little village OF Eden and 81 miles
from the generating station. the line
terminates in a clearing
! The advance OF the automobile has
been powerful factor in the asbestos
market, for the product is used extep.
siv ~ in brake lining for cars. Practi.
cally the whole of Amt ricas ash 9stos
comes from Canada. Mr.. Gilbert OK.
iplains.
The Belvidere mountain district
has certain material advantages over
Canadian operations 10 balance again
st its disadvantages. The percentaga
OF mill fiber Is considerable higher
than the average for the Canadian
district. The Canadian product NAV
be load more or less directly aboard
cars. hut the rock has To be quarrled
large ly from great deep pits, with al
the rstlnuc OF special equipment and
operating costs this entails, and
dumping space for waste rock has
come To be a serious problem.
The Belvidere mountain. product
has to be let down the mountain sid,
and hauled II miles to the neares'
shipping point, which is Hyde Park
the home of the United States SEP
ator Carroll S. Page. The rock car
be Quarried from the mountainsid,
above the unlimited opportunity /,
aiforder for the disposal of vast,
down the mountainside. the gravit,
,, aiding in the flow from the quarry Il
the dunn. Mr. Gilbert maintains tina
this means an operating cost of les,
than half the average in Canadian
which way iaorc than offset the item
Tor hauliny to the shipping point.
, The work of getting the asbesto
} mine ready for action has been goin;
on md r the direct supervision o
. Mr. Gilbert and Mr. Thompson DURING
/ the early part ot the year. Opera
3. tons began on May % and the enter
4 Prise had passed the experimental
/ et'~a on July IL. so that today tn,
dnilv carac'iv of the mills Is 30 ton
, OF the finished nroduct and thing
: are running full blast,
The second now hvdroelcctric mi
Is near'v completed at Stevens mills
and With the concrete Foundations
new plansing on the dam. and cana
improv mcnts and water wheels. th
nov "lant, which is 81 miles fror
The Wilt 'rd nnarrier roprca nts, in
yestwc"'s totpiing S35 600. Tho now
or nlent furnishes 1900 hor now
md th' ""vi'ilrv station. which vii
"" ''' "7cd into wee this wintrr who
'""k F"oc' 'ntcrferos with III" flow q
Nissisauoi river, generates 400 hors,
, power.