Richland beacon., 1877-10-20
Detroit Free Press.
Bakers Ingenious Boy.

Bakers first born is a tow-headrd, whites
eyed ur,hn OF about eleven consecutive sum
mers He was ct one time quite famous III
the neighborlood for bis ingenuity. Baxter
is. or was, very fond q referring to him rs
that Oldest boy q nine Remarkably mSen-
iou> fellow.
One day Baxter found his boy ont in the
woot>hed trying TO make Toy cannon ont q
a beer Loulc The boy Was laburng with
three rurnercd file az the vent where the
match was To be applied. Baxter explained
that the bottle was not az all suitable Tor the
purpose intended; the material was too bT:ttie.
But he would show the boy how 10 make a
toy cannon that would be entl:cly safe. so he
procured pine stick and whitfield 1t down
until II rr>cmbicd the end of AN aX!e'reeA,
then he wrapped 4 sheet Of writing paper
around the plug just below the shoulder,
making sort of mould and stuck pm
through the paper and into the plug near the
end. Ne aext whlrled the other end of the
stick in the form of a wedge ahd stuck II IN Il
crack in the kitchen floor Tie boy watched
the process with the closest attention. Baxter
then took small stove-shovel, placed some
lead scraps in it aud put II over the coals III
the kitchen stove When the lead was melt
ed lie carefully poured - into the mould.
/ Then lac allowed y 20 cool, unwound the
writing paper, took out the pm, pulled out the
plug, aud SAID There, my son, is Il cannon
that won't burst, or If it does ii will soIt Of
tear open, and the pieces wont fly
The boy was happy He mounted the gun
on wheels aud entered upon the cnJoyme!, OF
a perpetual Fourth of July. But hIs sailsiac-
ton with this new toy al length grew cold,
l. -ff,.f tCfa
uf a hand organ out Of an oyster can.
rhe following spring, when the barn floor
was cleared OF stalks and hay dust and was
treated to iis annual sweeping, BAKERS boy
found the lead carnon under the rubbish.
He looked i, over and concluded 1t ought to
Ne longer and no, 80 large around-more like
, rltl. cannon and less like a mortar. so lac
made a new smodel, preparing II afe- Ne
Kramer in which lie had seen his father make
the other ono. When II was finished lie
: brought il into the kitchen and stuck II IN Il
crack near the stove. His la,he, sel a, the
other side of the stove reading the almanac,
and his aged grandmother was sleeping with
her knitting work IN her lap. Neither saw
The movements of the boy. The lead cannon
was then put III tue old stove shovel aud
placed on the Goals, and the boy sat back and
watched it as the lead grew dark IN color and
began To lose US form around the muzzle.
While !.e was thus engaged a series OF events
occurred which caused sudden turn IN "a
career that promised 10 be one Oi eXiraofdIpa.
ry genins.
The boy turned a somersault and rolled Up
against the cellar door.
Baxter went on, Of an adjacent window,
taking the sash with him.
| Il. ,,,1 Il
walk in then she opened her eyes and
gasped something about the Judgment day.
: The neigLbors rdshed into the yard and
: said tina, a volcano had broken out right under
Bakers kitchen.
? Excelsior steam Fire Engine No got I
4 stream through the kitchen window III jus
: three ;, inutes and twenty nine seconds.
: In fifteen minutes tue members Uf the hOol
= and ladder company were in the Kitchen, an;
q the grandmother was removed in an insensi
j. bic and drenched condition. l he boy wa
r not TO be found.
e fragments of the stove were imbedded II
S The pIas,ering, forming sor, Of rc-eess- look
; ing mosaic. The griddIes were sticking edge
i wise between the lalli> overhead. An iro
!. pot Was resting on the mantel, top down, an
n a halfboied ham was wedged in the end {
l. a length OF stovepipe The room had til
y general appearance Of being clo'hed IN sac'
l. cloth and asLes--wihout the ,ackclOth.
a An insurance man estimated the damag
l. by fire and water al S73S 50.
10 After tire estimate of damage had bee
1t made and council Of doctors had pronounce
= the prandmoihers condition serious, but n
,r dangerous. Baxter 5 ingenious boy crGwled o.
IL of n cellar window.
% He said he didn't knoy i, was loaded.
, MACDUFF.