Page:The Granite Monthly Volume 10.djvu/107

 Lisbon, JV. H.

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��transportation brought their products and those from the mines of Pennsyl- vania in competition. After being in operation tiiirty years, the furnace was closed, and work was not re- sumed until 18")9 ; then other parties operated the mines for two or three years, and suspended ; after which the buildings fell into decay, and finally in the year 1884 were con- sumed by fire. The supply of iron ore in the mines of Lisbon is still abundant, and supposed to be inex- haustible. Limestone is found in some parts of the town, and the man- ufacture of lime was formerly quite an industry.

It is generally believed that Lisbon occupies the central point of the min- eral region of New Hampshire. Within its limits, besides the iron mentioned above, are found gold, silver, lead, and copper. Whether or not any of these minerals will be found in pay- ing quantities remains yet to be de- termined. A great mineral excite- ment occurred here in 1866, originating as follows : Prof. J. H. Allen, an adept at mining, discovered a speci- men of free gold in quartz rock one mile east of Lisbon village. More specimens were found in the quartz in various places, not only in Lisbon, but also in the adjoining towns. Searching for gold led to the discov- ery of other minerals throughout a territory including several towns.

Capitalists were forthcoming who prospected, made investments, erected mills for working the quartz, and, what was more, produced handsome bars of gold. Yet from the begin- ning grave doubts had existed among sober-minded men as to the proba- bility of gold being found in paying

��quantities, and this doubt established a principle of action among mining men. The whole business drifted into speculation. A programme was soon adopted which each succeeding party followed to the letter. The course pursued was to bond a piece of land, sink a shaft of a few feet, make a good show, sometimes by bringing rock from another place, then sell out. The man that sold was always the lucky man. During the interval of ten years it is estimated a million and a half dollars was squan- dered in mining operations in Lisbon and vicinity, not, however, to the detriment of the town. Hotels and boarding-houses reaped a harvest, though sometimes losing a bill by some poor dupe who had been fleeced of all he possessed. Again : In some cases farmers were enabled to sell at fancy prices some sterile pasture, comparatively valueless.

Lisbon, as before stated, is the central point of the mineral region ; furthermore, it has been the head- quarters of the mining men, and the* place where much of the rock has been worked, yet within the limits of the town only one mine has been opened, that one being the so-called Atwood mine, located near the place where gold was first discovered. In relation to the mine, we quote from a mining record as follows: "The vein was dipping at a high angle to the north-west, and a shaft put down perpendicular 100 feet, passing the vein at depth of fifteen feet. Very many specimens of free gold were taken out, and the sulphurets were specially rich. Owing to bad man- agement this mine was abandoned. I do not know of any attempt ever

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