USA > New Hampshire > The statistics and gazetteer of New-Hampshire. Containing descriptions of all the counties, towns and villages statistical tables with a list of state officers, etc. > Part 64
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GEOLOGY OF NEW-HAMPSHIRE.
No portion of the American continent, except the Laurentian Hills of Canada, exhibits a more ancient surface of dry land than New-Hampshire. The face of the entire State is essentially gra- nitic, the only exceptions being the patches of limestone and clay slate lying along the upper part of the Connecticut river valley.
The surface of New-Hampshire is more uneven than any other State east of the Rocky Mountains. A large portion of its northern counties has an elevation of a thousand feet and upwards above the ocean level. The primitive rock underlying the whole region has a remarkable induration, having taken its form, coherence and hardness at a period antedating the introduction of life upon the globe, or, at least, at so early a period that subsequent exposure and internal changes have obliterated nearly every trace of organized existence. This extreme hardness of the rocks has so far resisted the abrading action of the waters in the river-beds that the streams of New-Hampshire abound with falls and rapids, and hence afford a vast amount of water power.
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GEOLOGY OF NEW-HAMPSHIRE.
In a large portion of the territory of the United States, nearly every square mile abounds with marine and vegetable fossils. New- Hampshire shows less of these remains of organized life than any other State of the Union. With the exception of a few obscure traces of the Silurian age at Littleton and Shelburne, no fossils have ever been found within the limits of this State.
The surface of the State is strongly marked by the effects of the Drift epoch. That great flood of waters swept over the entire re- gion, except the summit of Mt. Washington. The comparative nakedness or denudation of the ledges on the northern side of our hills, is an evidence of the force and depth of the vast current which for ages drifted, in a nearly southward direction, over the State. A still more impressive testimony is the immense quantity of bowlders strewn over every township by these northern currents, and which vary in size from a small pebble to those of a thousand tons' weight. Rounded masses of granite, often ten feet in diame- ter, were left upon the tops of the highest hills. In some towns, like Hillsborough, Washington, Stoddard and Sunapee, they are so thickly strown as to cover, on many farms, a considerable portion of the surface. Many of the ledges upon the highlands are marked by furrows and scratches made by the drifting bowlders of that period. Often the rocks found from fifty to one hundred feet be- Jow the surface are well-rounded bowlders.
For a long geological period the surface of this State must have had a widely different configuration from that of to-day. The Northern railroad, in its route from Concord to Lebanon, crosses the height of land between the Merrimack and Connecticut rivers in the town of Orange. At the point of greatest altitude, more than eight hundred feet above the bed of these rivers, are pot holes worn in the solid granite, having a depth of from one to nearly four yards. One of them is eleven feet deep with a diameter of four feet at the top and two feet at the bottom. The stream which formed them must have been large and swift, and have flowed for a long time. Similar holes in the solid gneiss are found at the Sun- apee summit, in Newbury, near the track of the Sugar River rail- road.
ITS EFFECTS ON CIVILIZATION.
The geological character of a country largely determines its fer- tility and the occupations of its people. The rocks of New-Hamp- shire are granitic-those of Vermont are calcareous. The decompo-
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GEOLOGY OF NEW-HAMPSHIRE.
sition of the one gives a light, sandy surface-of the other, a rich, heavy, productive soil. Hence the fertility of Vermont, and the fact that, according to the census of 1870, she largely leads New- Hampshire in every department of agricultural production.
The valley of the Connecticut is often mentioned as the garden of this State. Its fertility greatly surpasses that of the Merrimack. The alluvial deposit of limestone, worn from the scattered ledges along the eastern border of the Connecticut valley has contributed largely to the productive capacity of the towns along the borders of that river, and given to Colebrook, Lancaster, Haverhill, Leba- non and Walpole, an agricultural importance above Boscawen, Manchester, Nashua, and the other towns bordering on the Merri- · mack.
But the granite ledges of the Merrimack valley amply compen- sate for the thin soil of that region. In a purely limestone coun- try the streams have worn their channels to a great depth, and whatever falls there may have been are graded down to a plane of descent so extended and uniform as to make any available water- power an impossibility. The banks are also yielding and unrelia- ble for dams. On the other hand, granite and gneiss have not only hardness, but in New-Hampshire crop out in irregular ledges, with their lines of stratification at right angles to the courses of our rapidly-sloping rivers. These out-cropping ridges of the strata running across the streams, produce pitches and sudden descents, which, according to the steepness and volume of water, take the form of rapids, falls or cataracts. The water powers of the Merri- mack, Winnipisaukee, Contoocook, Suncook, and Cocheco are ref- erable to this origin. With the adjoining banks and river-bottoms of granite, dams can be built proof against the corrosion of under- currents and the momentum of freshets.
SURFACE ASPECT OF NEW-HAMPSHIRE.
The southern half of this State-that portion below Lake Win- nipisaukee-has a degree of unevenness above the undulating and below the mountainous, to which Thoreau has given the name of " hilliness." Two summits have a marked altitude and celebrity- Monadnock and Kearsarge .- Both attract a large number of sum- mer visitors, and afford a magnificent view of the central portion of New England.
The northern part of New-Hampshire has a mountain scenery
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MINERALS OF NEW-HAMPSHIRE.
which for half a century has received the constantly increasing at- tention of scientists and tourists. The passage of the Saco through the White Mountains forms a gorge equal in depth and abrupt- ness to the canons of California; while the Franconia, White Mountain, and Dixville Notches are, with the exception of Har- per's Ferry, the only mountain passes of surpassing grandeur east of the Rocky Mountains.
The beautiful scenery, healthy air, and pure waters of the north- ern section of this State, will always attract thousands of visitors, during the summer season,
MINERALS OF NEW-HAMPSHIRE.
Though New-Hampshire is destitute of fossils, and nearly want- ing in that class of calcareous minerals whose varied form of crys- talization and coloring give them an important place in mineral- ogical collections, yet of the ores and of silicious minerals this State has a large and varied family, specimens of which are to be found in public and private collections throughout the country. First, we will designate those which are valuable for their utility rather than their rarity.
GRANITE, the prevailing rock, furnishes excellent quarries in every section of the State. The increased facilities for transporta- tion have made some of them very valuable. The oldest and best known quarries are at Concord, two miles north of the State House. Those of Marlboro, Fitzwilliam and Troy, on the Cheshire railroad, are equally valuable and accessible. The quarries at Mason, Milford, Hooksett and Rumney, are located near railroads, and are extensively worked. Those of Sunapee, Lisbon and New London are of superior quality, but are not so convenient for trans- portation as to be largely quarried. Altogether, the granite quar- ries of the State are an important element of industry, employing some twelve hundred men.
STEATITE, or soapstone, is a valuable material for certain pur- poses. There are three quarries in the State-at Francestown, Or- ford and Canterbury. The Francestown ledge was discovered in 1794, and has been worked ever since. It is the most valuable soapstone quarry in the United States, and its products are very ex- tensively used for stoves, sinks, wash and bath tubs, moulding ta- bles, and a variety of other uses. It employs one hundred hands.
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MINERALS OF NEW-HAMPSIIIRE.
MICA, one of the component parts of granite, is rarely found in transparent sheets of sufficient size to be of commercial value. Quarries have been worked at Grafton, Alstead and Acworth. The two last are exhausted, but the Grafton quarry is still valua- ble, yielding twenty-five tons of sheet mica annually. The best quality brings ten dollars per pound. Its elasticity makes it valu- able for lights where glass cannot be used.
FELSPAR, another of the component parts of granite, is found in large masses, at times semi-crystalized, at Grafton, Acworth, Al- stead and Manchester. At Grafton and Acworth fine specimens of albite are found, and at Manchester the flesh-colored variety. It is used in the manufacture of porcelain and artificial teeth.
CLAY SLATE quarries have been opened in Littleton, Lebanon, Dalton, Unity, Piermont and Claremont, but none of them have yet proved remunerative. The one at Lebanon is extensive, but too soft and brittle to furnish a good material for roofing or paving.
LIMESTONE deposits are found in Haverhill, Lisbon, Columbia, Lyme, Orford and Cornish. At East Haverhill and East Lisbon lime is manufactured, annually, in sufficient quantities to supply the vicinity.
GRAPHITE occurs in abundance in Nelson, Goshen, Campton and Antrim. In the first named locality it is ground and sent to the Boston market.
Of the ornamental minerals found in New-Hampshire, the fol- lowing occur more frequently.
QUARTZ crystals are found in North Benton and East Campton. From both of these localities many beautiful specimens have been obtained for cabinets, but, though not exhausted they are now se- cured with much more labor than formerly.
BERYL is found in Grafton, Orange, Acworth and New London, but good specimens cannot now be obtained without considerable blasting. The best specimens have been obtained in Grafton and Acworth.
GARNETS occur in Lisbon, Warren, Springfield and Hanover. At Lisbon they are found in great quantities in the pastures around Mink pond. At Warren some of the specimens are very rare, and are of the cinnamon variety. At Springfield they are abundant, with perfect faces, but of common quality. There are exhausted localities at North Haverhill and Amherst.
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METALS AND ORES.
EPIDOTE, massive and in crystals, occurs at Ore Hill, Lisbon and Warren.
TOURMALINE is found in Piermont, Springfield and Orford. It is imbedded in milk quartz, and great care is needed to save the crystals from fracture.
STAUROTIDES, single and double crystals, occur in very great abundance at Mink pond, Lisbon.
TREMOLITE, of a white and finely radiated variety, is abundant at Warren.
THE METALS AND ORES.
GOLD, in minute particles, was first discovered in this State in 1854, at Plainfield, and soon after at Lebanon and Hanover. In 1864 it was found in Lyman, and the next year in Lisbon. There was much excitement in both of these towns, for several years fol- lowing, attended with considerable expense in excavations and the erection of a large crushing mill. The gold is of fine quality, and some $ 12,000 worth have been extracted. The best mines are in Lyman, four miles from Lisbon village. At intervals, the working of these mines has ceased, but, at this time (Oct. 1873,) two of them are being developed with a yield of moderate profit.
SILVER is found in the lead ores of Madison and Shelburne, and if the galena was abundant, it would warrant the extraction of the silver.
GALENA occurs in Madison in considerable quantities ; but it is so largely mixed with the ores of zinc and copper that the working of these mines has been abandoned.
ZINC ores are found in great abundance at Madison and Warren. The former affords fine specimens of yellow blende, or the sulphuret of zinc; and the latter of black blende, or the oxide of zinc. Nei- ther of them is worked at the present time.
COPPER. The sulphuret of copper is found in many towns of this State. Lyman, Bath, Littleton, Dalton, Warren, Croydon, and Unity afford fine specimens of this kind of ore. Most of these localities have been more or less worked, but, as yet, with unfavorable results.
IRON ore is found at ore Hill, Lisbon, Piermont, Bartlett, Tam- worth, and Littleton in considerable quantities. At Lisbon the
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MOUNTAINS IN NEW-HAMPSHIRE.
vein is the granular, magnetic oxide of iron. It is very rich, and began to be worked as early as 1805. For many years, twenty-five men were employed, and 500 tons of pig and bar iron, of the best quality, were annually produced. Of late years the work has ceas- ed, from the increased depth of the vein, and the greater cost of fuel.
In the north part of Bartlett, and east of Rocky Branch River, occurs the most extensive deposit of workable iron ever found in New-Hampshire.
Fifty tons of this ore has been sent to one of the best iron and steel manufactories in England, and they pronounced it of the best quality, especially for the manufacturing of steel.
The Portland and Ogdensburg Railroad, which extends through Bartlett, will pass within three miles of these mountains of iron, and a branch can be easily built up Rocky Branch, near to these valuable mines.
TIN is found in Jackson, but the vein is very narrow and the quantity small. Over $ 4,000 have been expended to develop this tin mine, but, as yet, no favorable report.
MANGANESE is found in Littleton, Gilmanton, Winchester and Hinsdale. It occurs in the form of the black oxide.
MOLYBDENUM is found in comparative abundance in Westmore- land and Newport.
MOUNTAINS IN NEW-HAMPSHIRE.
The Mountains in New-Hampshire are noted for their lofty ele- vation and the wild and romantic scenery obtained from their sum- mits. In this State are found some of the highest elevations in New-England, and with one exception, the highest in the United States this side of the Rocky Mountains.
The fine scenery, the pure crystal waters, spouting from its thousand springs, together with the clear, cool, bracing mountain air, has attracted the attention of invalids and lovers of mountain scenery, for many years from all sections of the country, and with the constantly increasing railroad facilities in all parts of the Union, the number of visitors has been largely augmented, and it is esti- mated that over 30,000 persons annually visit the mountains of New-Hampshire. But few people, even of those living in this
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State, are aware of the number of mountains and lofty elevations that have been surveyed and their altitude obtained.
There are in the State seven mountain peaks over one mile high ; twenty-two peaks between four and five thousand feet, or over three- fourths of a mile high ; twenty-six peaks between three and four thousand feet, or over one-half mile high; and twenty-five peaks between two and three thousand feet in height. There are many other mountains between one and four thousand feet high, but no record of their altitude has ever been obtained.
Like well tilled farms, and large manufacturing establishments, these mountains are now considered a resource instead of a barren waste. At the bases and on the summits of many mountains, have been erected fine hotels which, in magnitude, will vie with the large hotels in Boston and New-York. In the summer months, these large houses are filled with the wealth and fashion coming from all sections of the United States.
We will mention a few of the principal mountains, and rank them according to their altitude, commencing with the
White Mountains. This range of mountains is located in the southern section of Coos county and the northern portion of Graf- ton and Carroll counties. They extend northerly about twenty miles, and with the Franconia range have an area of over 200,000 acres. Water from their sides flows into four of the largest rivers in New-England viz. the Androscoggin on the north, Saco on the east and south-east, Merrimack south and south-west, and the Con- necticut on the west. Some of the peaks are the highest in New- England, and, with one exception, the highest east of the Rocky mountains.
The Indian name of these mountains, according to Dr. Belknap, was Agiocochook. Among the savages who frequented this moun- tain region a tradition prevailed that a deluge once overspread the land and destroyed every human being except a single Powow and his wife, who fled to these lofty elevations and thereby preserved the race from extermination. Perhaps the vouchers in detail as to the veracity of the statement of the poor Indian, are not as good nor as reliable as those relative to the remarkable preservation of Noah and his family on a certain Mount in Asia, but their version, to- gether with Bible history and the science of geology, all go to sub- stantiate the statement that at one time, far back in the past, the whole earth was covered with waters, with the exception of the
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MOUNTAINS IN NEW-HAMPSHIRE.
highest elevations. Through these traditions, the savages always had a venerable respect for these mountains, and never attempted to ascend the summit, deeming the undertaking dangerous, and suc- cess impossible.
President Alden states that the White Mountains were called by one of the eastern tribes Waumbekketmethna ; Waumbekket signi- fies white and methna mountains. Their great elevation has al- ways rendered them exceedingly interesting, both to the aboriginal inhabitants and to our ancestors. They were visited by Neil, Joc- lyn, and Field as early as 1632; they gave romantic accounts of their adventure, and the extent and sublimity of the mountains. They gave them the name of Crystol Hills.
There are six summits belonging to the White Mountain range that are over one mile high and are respectively named Mount Washington, having an altitude of 6,293 feet; Mount Adams, 5,794 feet ; Mount Jefferson, 5,714; Mount Clay, 5,553 feet ; Mount Monroe, 5,384 feet and Mount Madison, 5,365 feet. Mount Washing- ton is known by its superior elevation, and although sixty-five miles distant from the ocean, in a clear day its snow white summit can be distinctly seen fifty miles at sea-
And like the father of our nation's land, He stands as beacon of his mountain chain, To guide the bark upon the stormy main To friendly port surrounded by the strand.
Mount Adams is known by its sharp terminating peak and being the second north of Washington. Jefferson is situated between the two; Madison is the eastern peak of the range; Monroe is the first south of Washington, and Clay north of Washington.
Travellers visiting the White Mountains never consider their tour completed, unless they ascend Mount Washington and view the grandest mountain scenery on the American Continent. A traveller has well described the view obtained from Mount Wash- ington.
"From the summit, if the day be clear, is afforded a view un- equalled on the eastern side of the American Continent. Around you, in every direction, are confused masses of mountains, bearing the appearance of a sea of moulten lava suddenly cooled whilst its ponderous waves were yet in commotion. On the south-eastern · horizon gleams a rim of silver light ; it is the Atlantic Ocean sixty- five miles distant, laving the shores of Maine. Lakes of all ·sizes,
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MOUNTAINS IN NEW-HAMPSHIRE.
from Lake Winnipiseogee to mere mountain ponds, and mountains beneath you, gleam misty and wide. At the west the Green Mountains in Vermont are distinctly seen ; at the south and south- west are Mount Monadnock and Kearsarge in full view, while the intervening space is filled up with every variety of landscape."
The ascent of Mount Washington is by two routes-one is from Gorham, on the north side of the mountains to the Glen House, eight miles distant, and thence by carriage road, eight miles, to the summit. The road is a chartered corporation, and was commenced in 1855, and finished and opened for travel in the season of 1861. The whole work is a complete triumph of engineering skill, and is the best finished road in the whole mountain region. The other route is at the western base of the mountain, by rail. This rail- road was commenced in 1866, under the superintendence of Sylves- ter Marsh, the inventor of this novel plan, and completed in about three years. It is needless in this place, to attempt to give any description of the mechanism of this road, and other machinery connected therewith, and it is enough to say that every precaution is used to make it safe to ascend and descend. The road is nearly three miles long and ascends 3,628 feet in going that distance, start- ing from a point 2,669 feet above tide water. The whole expense, including equipment, is not far from $ 200,000. A ride on this road up to the summit, is worth the whole expense of a trip to the mountains. On the summit of Mount Washington has been erect- ed a large and convenient hotel, which answers also for a depot. This house has all the comforts of hotels in the city, and can ac- commodate about one hundred guests, over night. There is a tel- egraph office, with wires coming from different quarters of the country, and the house, in the summer, has become quite an "ex- change," parties arriving over the various routes, can despatch by telegraph (over 6000 feet above the ocean) to their places of bus- iness hundreds of miles away. One object of guests staying over night is to obtain an evening and morning view of the setting and the rising sun, the beauty and grandeur of which is far beyond any human attempt to describe.
These mountains are now reached by railroad from all sections of the country, and at all points near their base. On the north side, at Gorham, via Grand Trunk Railroad, coming from the north- western States, Canada, and city of Montreal, or the other way, from Portland and other points in Maine. On the south and south-
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west side, through the Notch at Upper Bartlett, by the Portland and Ogdensburg railroad, either from Portland, or coming from Boston over the Eastern railroad to North Conway, thence over the Portland and Ogdensburg railroad to Upper Bartlett, or from Boston over the Boston and Maine railroad to Great Falls Junc- tion, thence over Eastern railroad to North Conway, &c. On the west side, at the Twin Mountain House, in Carroll, by the Boston, Concord and Montreal railroad, from every section of the country ; their connections with all the lines of railroad being nearly perfect.
Many of the towns in the vicinity of the mountains are becoming quite a resort for these mountain tourists, especially, where the mountains are in full view, and it can be truly said, at many points, that distance lends enchantment to the view. At Lancaster, Gor- ham, Jefferson, Dalton, Whitefield, Littleton, Bethlehem, Lisbon, Carroll, Conway, Bartlett, Jackson, Franconia, there are large hotels and summer boarding houses built expressly for the accom- modation of these tourists.
The Notch is the name applied to a very narrow defile, between two huge cliffs rent asunder by some powerful convulsion of nature, seemingly to admit the waters of the Saco, which passes between these walls for a distance of two miles. At the northern extremity of the Notch, the distance between the perpendicular rocks on either side of the chasm is only twenty-two feet. Through this narrow chasm passes the foaming Saco, and the road leading from Bartlett to the Crawford House. In this notch was situated the celebrated Willey house, directly under the Willey Mountain. This house was built as early as 1821, for a public house, and was kept by a Mr. Hill for several years. In the autumn of 1825, a Mr. Willey, with his family, took possession, and lived comfortably through the winter. In June there was a slide from the mountain, and although they were somewhat frightened, it did them no mate- rial injury. From this incident, Mr. Willey anticipated worse results from similar slides, and had taken the precaution to prepare a place of refuge in case there was another slide from the mountain. August 28, 1826, there was a violent storm around the Notch, and a vast amount of rock and earth was precipitated into the valley below, leaving the Willey house again unharmed ; but the Willey family was swept away, leaving not one to tell the awful tale. It is supposed they heard the danger approaching, and attempted to flee (as they thought) to their new shelter of safety, but were over-
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MOUNTAINS IN NEW-HAMPSHIRE.
taken and destroyed, or they might have arrived at their cabin and then been swept away, as not a vestige was left to mark the spot. It would require a volume to give a detailed account of all the places of interest around these mountains, and, with the present railroad facilities among them, our readers will be far better satis- fied with a personal visit, than to read these apparently fairy tales relative to them.
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