Page:The Granite Monthly Volume 5.djvu/441

 NORTHERN COOS. 403

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" There are, however, within the Hmits of the town, probably 40,000 acres of land, covered with a dense primitive growth of hard woods, such as yellow birch, rock maple, beech, brown ash, and elm, somewhat mixed with soft or evergreen, such as balsam fir, spruce, and cedar. These tracts, when cut for fuel, will average sixty cords per acre. These hard wood tracts are well adapted to agricultural purposes, and with proi)er railway facilities to utiHze the products of the forests, now of but little worth, would be very valuable.

"The yellow birch would be manufactured into floorings, the balsam fir makes the best of paper pulp ; fine finishing boards from the brown ash ; last blocks from the rock maple ; the remaining timber, not adapted to other pur- poses, could be burned for charcoal, for which there is a largely increasing de- mand.

"These lands, when cleared, are capable of producing excellent first crops, averaging twenty bushels of wheat per acre, twenty of rye, fifty of oats, thirty of India wheat, twenty-five of barley, two hundred bushels of potatoes, and will yield one and a half tons of English hay per acre for from five to ten years, and then afford excellent pasturage.

" Gold has been found in small quantities in the valley of the Indian stream, and there is considerable evidence of quite extensive mining operations having been carried on in this locality, some twenty years since, such as excavations in the banks of the stream, old sluice boxes scattered around, and inscriptions on trees.

" Professor Huntington, connected with the state geological survey, in his preliminary report, mentions finding gold here, and expresses the opinion that the ' evidence of its existence in this locality and farther east, in considerable quantities is such as to warrant the owners of the land in expending such sums of money as may be necessary to determine the facts in relation thereto.'

" In the western portion of the town, between Hall and Indian streams, is an extensive slate quarry, covering an area of about eighteen square miles, and pronounced by persons claiming to be competent judges, tb be of excel- lent quality for roofing purposes. Should such prove to be the fact, it only needs suitable facilities for transportation to become very valuable.

"The want of a railway is the great hinderance to the development of the resources of Pittsburg. The Boston, Concord and Montreal railroad company has long held a charter for the extension of their road from Groveton Junction, to the Connecticut lake or the Canadian boundary beyond. This charter has been twice renewed, but, excepting a preliminary survey of a portion of the route, nothing has been done toward the extension.

" A very practicable route exists along the valley of the Connecticut, by the upper lakes, thence across the boundary connecting with the International Rail- way, at Scottstown station, distant nineteen miles from the head waters of the Connecticut.

" This extension when completed would have the carrying trade of a country containing an area of 2400 square miles, including the thriving agricultural towns of Columbia, Colebrook, Stewartstown, Clarksville, and Pittsburg, in New Hampshire, Canaan, Lemington, and Bloomfield, in Vermont, and Hereford in Quebec.

" In view of these facts it would seem clear that the Boston, Concord and Montreal corporation would materially promote its own interest and of this section of the country, by an early extension of its road.

" As a place of summer resort for tourists, Pittsburg possesses many attrac- ■ tions hitherto but little known.

" Connecticut lake. Lake Carmel, Lake St. Sophia, Roger's ])ond. Round pond, and several smaller ponds, lay wholly within its limits. Hall's stream,

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