Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1870-10-06
OFT IN THE COUNTRl y.
WELD, Oct. 3.
ApBATH AMONGST THE MOUNTAINS.


ABBATH AMONGST THE MOUNTAINS.
How impressive the calm stiffness of the
Sabbath in the country. The busy feet and
and hands of the toilers through the week
have now their time of rest. In the fields and
pastures are seen only the grazing focks and
herds The tools and implements of husbandry
remain at home, and the weary horses and
oxen refresh themselves with needed repose.
The hum of mills and machinery ceases, and
all nature seems to send up silent hymn OF
worship to the great Creator. Man, often
most forgetful of all Gods creatures, perhaps
most of all neglects to praise him. But this
is not one of those soltudes where ''the sound
of the church going bell the valleys and rocks
never heard" 1t has two neat and pleasant
places of worship, and yesterday they were
pretty well attended. The day was bright and
sunny though not without its ''soft autumnal
haze" The people came from all the region
round, in fact, and in such conyeyances as
they use in their business. Young and old
assembled in the places of worship,-and yet
there was room for more, as we find it fire.
quently in our city churches. One of the
preachers was a young man born here, who is
studying for the ministry, and promises to be
useful expounder of the Gospel. In the
other house, we heard Senator French of this
district deliver thoughtful and earnest dis
course Later in the day prayer meetings
were held in each house. The Sabbath
schools were at noon. Thus this romantic
region, secluded amongst the hills and noun
tains, is not destitute of religious privileges,
though one of their preachers travelled some
twenty-five miles over rough and hilly road
to proclaim to them the tidings of the great
salvation.
In this rural seclusion, with the broad
CLASSY lake spread out before us like an en-
blem of heavenly peace, surrounded by the
groves and forests glowing in gorgeous tints
: of Gods own painting, and old Mount Blue
and all its company of rocky cliffs and
wood crowned heights forever hymning in
our ears.-"The hand that made us is divine
how can man forget to worship and adore the
Author of all this beauty and grandeur! Yet,
in the midst of the wonderful works of God,
we feel the need of the voice of the living
preacher, the society Of Christians, the as
sembly Of saints, the prayers, the exhortations
and the devotional songs, to inspire US to duty,
and train us for the skies.
Weld is a thriving agricultural town, has
many fine farms and neat and tasteful resi-
dences scattered over it. 1t has two villages,
one at the upper end of the pond, and the
other about half way down the east shore.
This is mostly built on and near mountain
stream, which has several names, and though
it is quite small except in the spring freshets,
is turned to various useful purposes. Besides
a grist mill, it has a salt box manufactury,
spool manufactury, two manufactures of but
ter firkins, one of excelsior, sc. The spool
mandatory is carried partly by water and
partly by steam, and uses about 500 cords of
white birch per year, all of which is made
into spools OF various patterns for cotton and
thread. The logs are first cut of the right
length, about three feet and half, and then
sawed into strips about an inch and quar-
ter square. The workman takes these strips
one by one, and puts one end in little turn
ing machine, and in an instant it is rounded
to the right size and length, then cut off by
small circular saw, and drops into a barrel;
again he turns the end, and cuts it off into
the barrel, and so on until the barrel is full,
when it is removed and another takes its
! place. Every knot OF imperfection is thrown
out, and used for fuel, under the boiler. An
other workman, with another machine, gives
the spool the necessary concayity to hold the
thread. The spools are then placed in
large cylinder to be smoothed and finished,
after which they are carefully sorted for the
market.
The white birch is said to be exactly fitted
for spools but for salt boxes, nothing but
poplar is used. About 800 cords are con-
sumed annually in this village for salt boxes,
and about 100 cords for excelsior" for bed
ding. In the manufactures of butter firkins,
ash wood is used. In one of these factories,
one of the owners lost one of his hands by one of
his saws last spring, and about the same time
had dry house full of slaves burned. This
has checked his business this season, but he
still perseveres, and works himself too, though
with but his remaining hand.
Last winter the spool mandatory laid in
about 1000 cords of white birch, and the salt
box manufactory about 700 cords of poplar,
so as to have a stock in advance. The COM
| ing winter they will purchase much less
} quantity.
The salt boxes not put together here,
f but the pieces are sawed of the right dimen-
> sions, packed in sets, and hauled to the rail
road at Wilton. The spools are sold to
thread factories in Massachusetts,. There are
f several other spool manufactures in this
, country. The salt box business is of recent
, growth, as table salt was packed in bags until
cotton. cloth rose to high price during the
7 war, when Yankee ingenuity substituted
$ wooden boxes.
So it seems that poplar and white birch,