The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1872-02-08

water power to a responsible company
who would improve it."
Mr.. Gripper laughed scornfully. He
knew his own interests better than that;
they could take up with his offer, or
they could leave it, as they pleased.
After much discussion, Mr. Bates spoke
thus
Mr. Gripper, we would like your
final offer to remain open to our accept
ance three days, at the end of which
time you shall have our answer. Will
you accommodate us"
"When l said three thousand dollars, "
replied Mr. Gripper, al meant to in
clude only ten, acres of land. If you
want ten acres more / must call it thir-
ty-five hundred"
And with this monstrous proposition,
which was to be open three days, the
parties separated.
One of the gentlemen of Mr. Bates's
party was Benton Mcintosh, the most
accomplished engineer of II day.
"You spoke of another fall below
here" he said, after they had left Grip
per's residence.
YES" answered Bates but you
will find it utterly impracticable."
Still Mcintosh wished 20 look at it,
and thither the party bent their steps.
The fall was found to be Il tumbling,
dashing food pouring down Il declivity
of at least seventy feet in a distance of
twenty rods, leaping and surging over
| jagged shelves of rocks into boiling
chasm below, while on both hands arose
perpendicular walls of solid granite,
showing that at some period far remote
the mountain torrent had literally cut
its way through the adamantine ledge.
| Mcintosh examined the lay of the
land below the fall, and ut a point not
far distant in that direction he found a
shallow swell or gully, overgrown with
grass and shrubbery, but with deposit
of river sand upon its bottom. The ap-
pearance of the place attracted his at
| tention.
Probably" said Mr. Bates, lit is
where the melted snow and heavy rain
finds its course from the hills"
think not" said Mcintosh. This
sand is from the river-not from the
hills-and you will observe that it could
not have been backed up by any rise of
the water below. Let us follow it.
And they struck out into the water
path, and followed it up around the
ledge, by an easy and gradual ascent,
until it led them out upon the rivers
bank, nearly Il quarter OF mile from
the fall.
Eureka :" cried Mcintosh, clapping
his hands exultingly. Here we have n
water course, marked out and graded by
Nature herself, which will yield q power
immeasurably superior to the one above.
And moreover ali danger from floods is
debarred."
The others quickly colnprehended the
value of the discovery. They saw that
by cutting a canal along the old water
course--a course over which the river
had poured a stream at its highest floods
they would be able to control the water
and to use it over again for the consump-
ton by mills, set one below the other
along the gracefully curved track. And
two things more: The sites were moro
favorable for building here than We're
those above, with better timber land sur
rounding; and the furious cataract
would not be between their mills and
the market.
Tho next question was, who owned
the newly Undiscovered privilege: 1t be-
longed to Mr.. Somerby. They visited
him and carefully opened their bust
ness
Look here, gentlemen" he said, af-
ter they had beaten the bush awhile
their experience with Gripper had made
them cautious-"let us understand each
other. Tell me plainly what you want,
and will tell you as plainly what l will
do on my part"
Mr.. Bates made up his mind that he
had an honest, straightforward man to
deal with, and he stated his case plainly
and frankly. He not only told how the
company would develop the water-power
and erect their mills, but he went on to
point out the advantages which would
result to the adjoining land, both in en-
hancing the value of the land itself,
and also of the magnificent pine and
spruce timber which covered it.
Mr.. Somerby listened attentively, and
at length told them to call upon him on
the next morning. He wanted to sleep
upon it.
That evening Jasper Gripper called
down to see his friend Somerby. He
wanted to purchase five hundred acres,
more or less, of the pine intervale and
spruce upland adjoining his land. Grip
per fought shy and hung on, and Som
erby only got rid of him by assuring
him that he was at present not at liberty
to sell.
AHA" clucked Gripper. "Them mill
folks have been here. They want the
land Well, let 'om buy it. l shall own
all the land between it and their mills,
and they'll find it hard work to get their
logs up without my consent"
And Gripper returned to his home
firmly persuaded that the company had
resolved to purchase his water privilege.
Oh. why had he not asked them five
thousand for it
On the following morning Mr.. Bates
and his friends were punctual, and when
Mr.. Somerby had been asked what con-
clusion he had arrived at he spoke as
follows:
Gentlemen, l have thought the mat
ter all over, and have made up my mind.
L have two propositions to make, and
you can accept which you choose. All
told, l own about fifteen hundred acres
of land in this section, and the river cuts
it nearly in halves. Full half of it is
rich intervale, covered with pine, and
the rest is upland and hill, with spruce,
hemlock and oak. First, will give You
the land for your course, and deed to
you the power, and also give all the land
necessary for your mill buildings pro-
vided that you, on your part, set at once
about developing and improving the
power and putting up the mills. Or