The Press., 1883-09-13
STAFFORD HOLLOw.

lustration of this is to be found in the recent
 history of Stafford Hollow.
 In 1878 the village had grist-mill a car
 riage manufactory, woolen mill and cot
 ton warp mill, all running. On every hand
 were to be seen the signs of thrift. In Nov. 1875, both factories sank in flames, and the mill privileges were carried away in the flood of March, 1877 "Dead' was the term then applied to the Hollow, and it did really seem that the resurrection of business here was most uncertain. But natures gift of 8 water privilege was too precious thus to be lost, and 1881 saw new and large mill rising almost on the site of the former woolen factory, and giving the village a new influx of life. This mill, the carriage shop and a knitting factory are now the chief enterprises of the place. Business here is thriving the people are iv- ing contentedly, ,and in hopes of better things. Drunkenness is very rarely seen in the streets. There are only twelve houses in the entire dis trict that are mortgaged, and not single res- ident, so far as known, is desirous of selling out.
 There are now in the Hollow ninety-three families The present occupation of the heads of these families are as follows: School teacher, 1 timer, 1; grocer, l physician, 1 /; boarding house keeper, 1 :; hotel proprie- tor, pump-setter, 1; town clerk, 1; har- ness-maker, 1 machinists, 9; ministers, 2 ]; painters, 3; merchants, 2; brick-masons, 2 :; wood workmen on wagons, 4; wheelright,1 ! i; carpenters g. blacksmiths, 4 manufactur- CTS, 5 in no business, 7; farmers, g; day laborers, IS; employees in mills,2 ,21 the heads of families are widows.
 From the above it will beesseen that there are few men here who are not engaged in Hollow are very we'll attended having reg istry of 61 scholars. The only business that connects the present life of the village with it's life of ten years ago is the carriage manu- factory The firm of J. c. Wightman & Son employees about the same number of hands as in past years, and is doing all the business that can be crowded into its buildings. It makes now from ffty-fve to sixty new wag- ons year. Unlike many firms it does no advertising. Its repairing work has increas- ed much of late, and it's home trade, within the last two years, has nearly doubled. The company uses irst-class material, does excel lent work, and has on hand constant SUD- ply of orders.
 Another thriving industry of the place is the knitting factory, owned by A. H. Weaver. This business was started by it's present pro- prietor in June, 1881, in the upper room of the J. c. Cross store. The first year only were running, and this year eleven. The monthly payroll amounts to more than $500. The business now occupies the entire build ing in which it started, and is so crowded as to need additional room. Only female help is employed, but the process of knitting the mittens is comparatively so simple that even young girls become experts at it. The yarn comes to the shop in skeins, is rolled off on bobbins and passed to the knitting machines When the mittens leave the machines the ends of the thumb and fingers are open, and have to be closed by hand work. Then comes the asserting and packing. All the machines are Lamb knitters, and go by hand, so that the quality of the knitting depends almost en tirely upon the skill and carefulness of the operator. MT. Weaver puts into his goods twenty-two designs, all but the three plainest of which are original with himself. How well these styles take in market may be judged from the fact that one-half of all orders re- ceived are entirely unsolicited. The cost of the mittens depends upon the elaborateness with which they are ornamented, and the weight of the yarn. The selling price varies with the color, length of the wrist, and orna- mentation used. About $500 worth of stock is kept constantly on hand. Twelve colors are used, the most popular color last season being olive-green, and this year cardinal first and wine second. In making his mittens, MT. Weaver seeks to secure both beauty and du rability, and in the market his goods are dis posed of easily. Last year he sold in the neighborhood of 48, ,0O0 pairs of gloves and mittens, the receipts from which were about $6, ,OOO. This enterprise, although young, as yet, shows great possibilities, and, by out siders at least, the limit to which it can be carried is not discernible At any rate the entire town may well be glad that the bus mess is managed by so enterprising man as it's proprietor. ...
 The next firm to be noticed is the "sRiver side Woolen Company" This company be- gan the building of it's mill in the spring of '81. The contractor was P. B. Johnson of Palmer, Mass. It is built entirely of brick, except the finishing room, which is of gran ite, supplied by Lull of West Stafford The mill itself has been noticed so many times in the paper that now it calls for but slight at tention. The spinning room is furnished with six automatic jacks, four of which have .312 spindles apiece, and each of the others 288. The jacks and cards were purchased of the s'Davis & Furber Machine Company" of North Andover, Mass. The cloth is all dried by the ''Winsor dryer," and pressed by the "Nil- Ter Rotary Steam Rress." There is one thing about this mill, however with which the pub lie are probably but little familiar, and that is, it's facilities for extinguishing fires In the crpola of the main building is tank con- taining twelve hundred gallons of water. From this tank inch water-pipes run to the ceilings of the sDinninp cardino drv;no o,,d