Whig and tribune. [volume] (Jackson, Tenn.) 1870-1877, 1872-09-14
cHIPPEH's MISTAKE.
A rRAcrIcAL STORY.

A PRACTICAL STORY.
One of the first settlers in the
| Wild River region was Daniel
Somerby. lie was quiet,
! well-meaning man, content TO
live upon the results of honest
toll, and anxious to render every
man his due. He bought his land
when it was cheap, in fact, when
| the price had been merely nominal;
and what with hunting and fishing
aud cultivating such land as he was
inclined to clear, he managed 70 live
very comfortably. Another OF the
early settlers was Jasper Gripper.-
But Gripper was q different sort of
a man from SOmerby. He was close
and tricky, and could bear down
very hard upon his neighbOrs in
pursuing his own interests. He
bOasted TO his friends that no man
! should ever overreach him.
Time passed on, and IL became
known TO the lumbermen of the
Massaquoit that the white pine in
the country came from the Wild
River region. One day early in
Spring a gentleman came from the
! distant city and looked up and down
! the river on Jasper Gripper's land;
and on the following day he was
| Joined by two other gentlemen
Gripper had often thought what a
splendid place that would be for
| dam and mill With firm dam the
/ power would be enormous. There
was only one trouble; the extreme
| freshets to which the river was sub
iect i'm Spring and Autumn would
render il difficult to fix the DAM
But then there were engineers who
could overcome all such difficulties.
Finally the gentleman who had
first visited the fall introduced him
self to Mr.. Gripper as Mr.. James
Bates, and frankly stated that he
had been commissioned TO examine
the fall, and, if he thought proper,
TO purchase. Jasper GriPper was
keenly and sharply alive. His eye
teeth were cut. He knew that for
several years the attention of the
| lumbermen had been directed to the
Wild River pines, and that lately
people had discovered that the land
was of the very best quality. And,
moreover, he knew that the fall on
his land was the only site on the
river, anywhere in that region,
where the dam could be safely
erected. There was another fall,
six miles below, but il was Of
wild, roaring, turbulent character,
locked in the jawsof towering gram
ite, where no mills could possibly
| be built. t-.
"Of course" said Mr.. Bates, eve
cannot think Of paying much for the
water privilege. and but very little
for the land which would be re-
quired for our buildings. The ex-
pense of erecting a suitable dam
will be very great, and at best We
run great risk. You viii be the
gamer in every way. Not only will
il open a ready market for your
lumber, but the value of all your
surrounding land viii be enhanced"
Mr.. Gripper winked, and then
nodded. He had his own interests
to look after. III he did not look af-
ter them he was sure nobody else
would. After a deal of thinking,
he said he would sell the water
privilege, together with ten acres OF
land adjacent, for two thousand dol
lars.
The agent was astOnished. lie
considered the price ridiculous.
"Why," said he, "you did not pay
so much for your whole territory"
1t made no difference what he
(Gripper) had paid. His price had
been named, and the company could
take it or let it be.
Mr.. Bates was not authorized TO
accept such terms. He must CON
fer with his principals. And he
went away.
In a few days he came again, this
time in company with three others. |
They went up and examined the
water privileges and came back to !
Mr.. Gripper's house, where they
informed that individual that that if |
he would throw in ten more acres |
of land they would accept his offer.
Gripper thought he had them
He had thoroughly digested the |
matter and had come to the coBclu-
sion that the water power Wogld be |
of inestimable value 70 q company |
able to improve il, and that they |
were bound 10 have it.
Gentlemen" said he, "my offer I
of two thousand dollars was made |
for your acceptance several days |
ago. j did not leave il open TO |
your pleasure. / have since been |
examining the property more thor
oughly, and have concluded not 40 |
sell for less than three thousand"
''Why, bless your soul, man."
cried one OF the company, "do you /
realize how our mills, erected on
that site, would benefit you! The |
value of all the rest of your proper |
ty would be dOubled-aye Quadru- |
pled-the moment our wheels are |
set in motion. We had supposed |
you would freely give the 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 his
offer, or leave it, as they pleased.
After much discussion, Mr.. Bates |
spoke thus:
''Mr. Gripper, we would like your
final proposition to remain open to |
our acceptance three days, at the |
end of which time you shall have
our answer. VIII you accommo-
date us?''
"When l said three thousand dol
lars" replied Mr.. Gripper, 81 meant
to include only ten acres of land
If you want ten acres more, must
call it thirty-fve hundred"
And with this monstrOus PROPOSE
tion, which was to remain open
three days, the parties separated.
One Of the gentlemen of Mr..
Bates party was BentO Mcintosh,
the most accomplished civil en-
gineer of the day.
"You spoke of another fall below
here" he said, after they had left
Gripper's residence.
"Yes," answered Bates, "But you
will find it utterly impracticable."
Still Mcintosh desired to look at
If, and thither the party bent their
steps.
The fall was found to be a tum-
bling, dashing, roaring flood,
pouring down declivity of at
least seventy feet in y distance of
twenty rods. leaping and surging
over the jagged shelves of rocks in
to boiling chasm below, while on !.
both sides arose perpendicular walls
of solid granite, showing that at
some period far remote the moun-
tain torrent had literally cut its way
through the adamantine ledge.
Mcintosh examined the land below
the falls, and at point not far dis
tant in that direction he found
shallow swell, or gully, Overgrown
with grass and shrubbery, but with
4 deposit of river sand upon its bot
TOM The appearance OF the place
attracted his attention.
Probably" said Mr.. Bates, lit is
where the melted snow and heavy
rain find their course from the hills"
81 think not" said Mcintosh