Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1875-06-30


with his offer, or they could leave it
as they pleased. After much dis
cussion, Mr.. Bates spoke thus :
"Mr. Gripper, we would like your
flnal offer to remain open to our.
acceptance three days, and at the
end of which time you shall hear
our answer. Will you accommo-
date usf" - Itrn
"When I said three thousand
dollars" said Mr.. Gripper. 81
meant only to include ten acres of
land. If you want ten acres more,
l must call it Ave thousand" With
this monstrous proposition, which
was to be open three days, the
parties separated. One of the
gentlemen of Mr.. Bates party was
Benton Mcintosh, the most accom-
plished engineer of the day.
"You spoke of another fall be-
low here" he said after they had
left Mr.. Gripper's residence.
"Yes," answered Bates, shut you
will find it utterly impractible."
Still Mcintosh wished to look at
it, and thither the party bent their
steps. The fall was found to be a
tumbling, dashing food, pouring
down a declivity of at least seven
ty 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 tor
rent had literally cut its way
through the adamantine ledge
Mcintosh examined the lay of the
land below the fall, and at a point
not far distant in that direction he
found a shallow swell or gully over
grown with grass or shrubbery, but
with deposit of river sand upon
its bottom. The appearance of the
place attracted his attention.
"Probably," said Mr.. Bates, sit
is where the melted snow and heavy
rain find its course from the river"
al 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 follow
ed it up around the ledge by an
easy and gradual ascent, until it
led them out upon the rivers bank,
nearly q quarter of mile from the
fall.
"Eureka!' cried Mcintosh, clap
ping his hands exultingly. Here
we have q watercouse marked out
and graded by nature herself, which
viii yield power immensely su-
perior to the above. And more
over, all the dangers from floods
are debarred!" -....
The others quickly comprehend
ed 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 flood-they
would be able to control the water
at will and use IL over again for
the consumption by mills, set be-
low the other along the gracefully
curved track. And two things
more:, The sites were more favor
able for building here than were
those above, with better timber
surrounding; and the furious cat
aract would not be between their
mills and the market. The next
question was,-who owned the new
Undiscovered privilegei 1t be-
longed to David Somerby. They
visited him and carefully opened
their business.
"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 want and
I will tell you what I will do on my
part"
Mr.. Bates made up his mind
that he had an honest, straightfor-
ward 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 anbanc;nor Tho vaIro ~ tbo