The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1874-10-29

mills, erected upon that site, would benz
eft you? The value of all the rest Of
your property would be doubleday
Quadrupled-the moment our wheels were
set in motion. We had supposed you
would freely give the water power to a
responsible company who wouldimprove
it.H
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 acceptance
three days, at which time you shall have
our answer. Will you accommodate us?'
"When | said three thousand dollars"
said Mr.. Gripper, 81 meant to include
only ten acres of land. If you want ten
acres more, must call it five thousand!
And with this monstrous proposition,
which was to be open thr days, the
parties separated. One of the gentlemen
of Mr.. Bates party was Benton Mcintosh,
the most accomplished engineer Of the
day.
"You spoke of another fall below here"
he said, after they had left Gripper's
residence.
"Yes," said Mr. Bates, "but you will
find it utterly impracticable."
Still Mcintosh wished to look at it, and
thither the party bent their steps The
fall was found to be a tumbling, dashing
flood, pouring down deClivity Of tleast
seventy feet in a distance of twenty rods,
leaping and surging over jagged shelves
of rocks into a boiling chasm below, while
ON both hands arose perpendicular walls
of solid granite, showing that at some Pc
rod far remote the mountain torrent had
literally cut its way through the ada
mantine ledge. Mcintosh examined the
lay of the land below the fall, and at a
point not far distant in that direction he
he found shallow swell or gully over
grown with grass or shrubbery, but with
a deposit of river sand ON its bottom,
The appearance ofthe place attracted his
attention.
"Probably," said Mr.. Bates, "itis where
the melted snow and heavy rain find its
course to the river"
81 think not" said Mr.. 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 on the rivers bank, nearly quarter
of a mile from the fall,
"Eurekaw cried Mcintosh, clapping
his hands exultingly. "Here we have
water-course marked out and graded by
nature herself, which will yield power
immensely superior to the one above.
And moreover, all the dangers from floods
are debarred."
The others quickly Comprehended the
value of the discovery. They saw that
by cutting canal along the old water
course--a course over which the river had
poured astream at its highest fiood-they
would be able to control the water at will
and use it over again for the consump-
ton of mills, one set below the other
along the gracefully curved track. And
two things more: The sites were more
favorable for building here than were
those above, with better timber land sur
rounding; and the furious cataract would
not be between their mills and the mar
ket. The next question was-Who owned
the newly y-discovered privilege? 1t be-
longed to David Somerby. They visited
him and carefully opened their busi-
ness.
"Look here, gentlemen" he said, after
they had beaten about the bush awhile
their experience with Gripper had
made them cautious-"let us understand
each other. Tell me plainly what it is
you wantand | will tell you just as plain
ly what 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 in itself,
and also of the magnificent pine and
spruce timber with which it was covered.
Mr.. Somerby listened attentively, and at
length told them 10 call upon him the fol-
lOhlnk llC hdillkh W bAECD
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 interyale
and the spruce upland adjoining his land.
Gripper fought shy, and hung on, and
Somerby only got rid of him by assuring
him that he was at present not at liberty
to sell
"Ahal" chuckled Gripper. "Them mill
folks have been here. They want the
land Well, let 'em buy it. | 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 Grip
per returned to his home firmly persuad-
ed that the company had resolved to
purchase his water privilege. Oh, why
had he not asked them five thousand
for it2 On the following morning Mr..
Bates and his friends were punctual, and
when Mr.. Somerby had been asked what
conclusion he had arrived at, he spokeas
follows: rs..y..r IuuU. .IIuofur.
Gentlemen, | have thought the mat
ter all over, and have made up my mind.
l have two propositions to make, and you
accept which you choose. All,tOld, /
own about fifteen hundred acres of land
in this section, and the river cutsit near
ly in halves. Full half of it is rich inter
vale, 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 neces-
sary for your mill buildings, provided that
you on your part set at once about
developing and improving the power and
putting up the mills. Or / win turn all
my lands into the stock of the company
at a fair appraisal and become one Of
you"
Mr., Bates was authorized to accept the
proposition on the spot, and to give
bonds if necessary, for the performance
of the company's part of the contract
But he liked the second offer best, though
before accepting it he must confer al