St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1880-04-30

eveled, and a cOmmodiOus store shed
has been put up. This year Hovey has
sawed about 100000, and last season
about 100000 feet. We have seen
twelve two horse teams in this mill
yard at one time, either loading, un-
loading, or waiting, and we are told
that in the busiest season as many as
thirty teams have been known to be
around the premises at once.
THE BELKNAPS
have been so long in this community,
that the name has almost become
household word. But few families have
shown more native genius than this.
Amos X. Belknap, the senior, was born
in Landau, N. H., in 1904, and will be
76 years old the present summer.
When 13 years old he was put to work
at the cabinet trade, and remained at 1t
ono yoar-- Io then served an appren
ticeship at the blacksmith's trade seven
years-working first with Mr.. Edmund
Pearsons of Waterford, and afterwards
with Mr.. Samuel CrOssman of this town,
father of the late John Crossman.
Mr.. Belknap has done all kinds of
blacksmithing but the making of
edge-tools has ever been his speciality,
and in this line he has gained just ce-
lebrity. In his younger days, when it
WAS not so common to get from the city
markets us nicely finished work as now,
he was noted for his fine workmanship,
and for the superior cutting qualities of
his tools. He has in his day made a
great number of axes, and in making
300 one year, he lost only five from any
defect in them. He informs us that he
has paid as high as ten cents per ounce
for bOrax, and 50 cents ner pound for
steel. He welded the first cast steel
ever done in This town. His work has
gone all through the surrounding towns,
and no blacksmith 40 ever lived here,
has been so long or So favorably known.
Two of his SONS have his genius in a
remarkable degree, and probably will
excel his best efforts. The old gentle
man still sticks to MS anvil, though
nearing four score years. lie showed us
some newly made cJorers' tools that
looked very finely. His son Amos works
in the old shop with him which is stu
ated upon Sleeper's river. aear the Fair
Gronnd, and is having considerable to
do in the edge too! business. He works
in steel altogether, making mill-picks,
butcher knives, knife blades, shaves,
chisels, etc. During the war he worked
I3 months at Algiers, La, upon cars
and locomotives. In neat little shop
close by, are the works of
| JOHN BELKNAP,
! one of the most gifted workmen in his
line, in all this region. Being brought
up under the influence of his fathers
genius, and with single eve to busi-
ness, he has gone steadily forward, and
in SO doing he has been rewarded with
success. He commenced for himself in
1861. For four years he worked in a
little shop near his residence on Rail-
road street, where the machine power
was by the foot, and afterwards by
horse power. He then returned to his
fathers shop, staying until 1869. In
1870 he bought his present situation,
near the old homestead, which is rugged
up with all the necessary fixtures fol-
his business. Here he owns three fifths
of the water power, which is abund-
antly ample for all purposes.
His main business is the making OF
pocket knife blades, and from a record
which he has kept, he finds that he has
made nearly 100000 in all. These al
25 cents each, his uniform price, would
reach the snug little sum of S25, ,OOO
saying nothing of the numberless Jobs
of other nice work constantly coming
in, such as making new and repairing
old rifles, guns and pistols, and in fact
almost everything requiring more than
common skill and nicely. He calculates
he has averaged 100 blades per week.
and they go into all of the northern and
western states. The handles are sent
to him in packages, and recently he re-
ceived one order of S65. He uses VIM
Jessup's cast steel, made specially fol
cutlery work, and which he considers
the best in the market.
For the past few years Mr.. Belknar
has paid special attention to the princi-
pies involved in water wheels, and af-
ter making Al different models, he haR
at last arrived at something that prom
ises to be of Importance. We will not
attempt to describe it, for fear we shall
not make it plain to the reader but
the substance that will most interest
him will be, that it is less expensive,
and takes much less water than any
other wheel now in use. This also
seems to be the opinion of other me-
chanlcs who are acquainted with its
principles. While Mr.. Belknap's plans
are not fully matured regarding these
wheels, or their future manufacture, yet
ne has the matter under constant con-
sideration, and it is to be hoped that
both himself and the public may yet
reap bountiful reward from their use
We know of no industry about us Of
SO singular character as this. We
frequently hear people talk of being
''independent" in certain kinds of busi
ness; but we have never seen any that
looked so nearly like it as this. This