The Press., 1885-02-05

Jesse Read, one of our esteemed citi- zens, who d,ed Monday. Jan. 12,s was born tn Mansf. Id, Stpt. 29, 17S6, IL aching the ripe old age of 96 years. 3 months, and 13 d 'ys. Records in the family trace his an- eestry as far back as 1880, to John Read, who came from England in the ssGreat Fleet and settled in Rehdboth, Mass. Jesse Read was the son of Amasa Read, whose grandfather settled in Windhan, now Mansfield, about 173O. Jesse mar Ii. Sally Bingham of Windham, Nov. 24, 1909, with whom he lived fifty -elght years, she dying on the anniversary of their we'd ding day. They had four children, all born in Mansfield, two of whom are now living The eld st, Chas M. Read, who left Mansfield forty-nine years ago, first going to Clevt land, Ohio, where he lived nineteen years, then to Iowa, (which was then the "Far West, , and is now located in Traer, Tama County, Iowa. In De- cembtr last he came east to visit his faith CT and only sister, Mrs. Seymour Scott. This visit proved proyidential, as he was able to he with his aged father in his last days, and exchange many pleasant r+min- essences of by gone days, before the pain ful accident of a broken hip, which result ed in his death. He was by trade Car penter and wheflright in the days when all water whe els were made of wood. His "reminiscences of Willimantic as it was. six ty years ago, were extremely interesting, beng connect. as he was with the first building enterprises of what is now one of the most prosperous and fnurishings bor- oughs in the state. He did the wood work on Ha, den's "Stone Row." We remem- Der among other storit of his agility, that at the raising of the first mill in Eagle vile, which contract he had, when it was difficult to get men at raisings bold enough to mount the highest places, he climbed a r,fter after the frame was up and stood upm the ridge on his head with his feet in the air j; we who only knew him in the in- tirmitits of old age can haldly realize that he was so agile in his youth aud young manhood. Grandpa Read," as We all ctions of the past with the remark, 'tBut am I spared?" The question has heen answered. him. and we trust he has reached the rest which he looked forward to in his declining years.
 Scientific Am. rican Sixteen miles east of Hartford in the town of Bolton, is a quar- " If remarkable stone, not duplicated in it's qualiti, by any other in this country. The stone, is mscaceous slate, but so thor oughly fill d with mica ,hatthe slaty mat rix is barely discernable by the eye. The best qualities of this stone are not effected by moisture nr fros,s, are not c,rrods d by i. c ds nor stained by oils, and slab of it a ill b. nd percaptibly befera1t breaks.s As a lavement. it's durable quality is also re, markable there are flags of it on a bnsy street in Hartford thai have been trodden for naole than fifty years, and are in good condition now This stou- is great demand for floors al d t,bles for ch. mical factories and laboratories for hospital and in public buildings where constant cl. anliness is a reqnisife.. The area Of these fl 4gs is, limit ed very seldom is one quarried with Q superfic of 200 square feet. .ga sf
 The auarri.s are Tn the mountains known locally IS the Bolton Range, "and forming the eastern boundary of the Connecticut river valley. They are at au elevation of about l, GOO feet above the level If theCon- necticut rlver, and have been worked con- tinnou.ly for more than sixty years. In 1920, flags of this stone. w. re sent oWash- ington, Philndelphia, Baltimore and sto New OrIeans At the first the quarrylng was done largely by means of gunpowder, but thls destroy.d q more than wes gotten out in marketable condition. Now gun. pow der is only used to remove the super incumbent rock to make the ledge bare 1; all the slabs are taken out by the use of crow bar1nnd wedges The ledge has been tr4ced fof more than six mikes, but much of it is valuelsss becarst of the cost, of get ting out the stone, the layers beihg ct an angles so thab tue ssaafaHs sook may bs
 saesss 44 f.s