The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1888-10-11
THE BASKET MAKERS.
VISIT TO A COLONY toF PRIMITIVE
AND UNREFlNED FOLK.

Homes which Are Old. Tumble Down
and Untidy Afairs-view of an Interior.
Table Etiquette-The Basket Maker at
work-sIethod of Manufacture.
Dantown is eighty five miles from New
York, and is reached by the New York,
New Haven and Hartford railroad, via
Stamford and New Canaan. A colony of
basket makers there inhabit district be.
ginning about four miles north of New
Canaan, running In length about eight
miles, and In width about three miles.
In this bailiwick Is included another set.
Element called JumptGwn. but the whole
district Is known as Dantewn. The set
Element derives its name from the first
settlers. whose name was Dan, and ninety.
nine hundredths Of the people who live
there now are also Dams.
We drove over to Dantown to SEQ II
they were really the uncouth people they
were credited with being. The, roads are
narrow and full of rocks: In fact, the
whole country Is nothing but rocks and
an almost impenetrable Jungle The
homes Of the basket makers are old.
tumble down. ramshackle affairs, un-
painted, built Of oak shingles, one half
of them fallen eff, and the balance In a
state Of irretrievable decay, fences falling
down, gates with no hinges, the whole
settlement looking as If cyclone had
struck 1t away back in revolutionary
war times, and not stroke Of repairs
been put to 1t since
VIEW OF AN INTERIOR.
For furniture Of these houses there Ia
nothing but the plainest straight backed
chairs, with basket woven seats, some Of
them handed down from great grand.
fathers time. and some of late domestic
manufacture, but all presenting the same
style and discomfort The old fashioned
freplaces are built Of wood and plastered
inside and out. The Landowners are not
high Avers. They eat because 1t sustains
life. They do not sit long at table, and
they dispense with all of the convention
aities OF table etiquette. The writer sat
down to dine, or, as the host expressed it,
ito take pot luck, and WAS told to pitch
In and help ysrself. which he did The
bill Of fare was pork and beans. potatoes,
bread and molasses. and apple sauce, the
young girl of the family remarking: Say,
mar. eff it's dark might III git nuther
bag O them there apples" Whereupon
maar replied: DRY up yer yawp."
The people live frugally. because they
ere compelled. A basket maker must
work early and late to make S. q week,
and as there are generally dozen young
ms about the house. this does not go
far. though the young 'uns" were all in
. semi-state Of nudity.
Yet these people are as content with
their lot as North Carolina clay eater.
There Is always market for their baskets,
and they manage to squeeze along on the
commonest food so that they can indulge
In tobacco and get the little brown Jug
filled. The latter is Of more absolute
necessity to the majority of the Dantown-
ers than the sack of -four or the fitch of
bacon. Years ago they were famous for
their store of Medford rum, but it is never
seen now. In its place is rye whisky, and
not the best. either, and now that New
Canaan is prohibition town, they are
sometimes put to desperate straits for the
wherewithal to wet their whistles.
THE BASKET MAKER AT WORK.
There are no organized workshops, and
the business Of setting up baskets is car
ried on in the kitchen. dining room, and
parlor, which is generally all in one room.
They are very particular about their tim
Der They use hickory, white and black
ash and black oak, They use the first cut
of the log and no other. The bark 10
peeled off, and the log, which is never
over ten inches through is split into sec
lions. makingft easier to handle. They
take section and pound it over log or
rock until it shvers. 1t is then segregated
by peeling the slivers off, which are used
for what is called filling" for the baskets.
The standards" are peeled much thicker,
and have the appearance Of -four barrel
hoop. They are tied in bundles, and. if
not used when green, are soaked in water
over night, which makes them pliable and
easy to weave. If they do not cut this
wood themselves they are compelled to
pay $16 cord for it; but it is said that a
great many cut their own wood and are |
not particular whose land they cut it
from. Times have changed with the bas
ket makers, and competition has cheap |
ened their product from SIS dozen
twenty years ago to $3.50 dozen now
And then wood was only So cord.
The mode of basket making is simple.
First the thick sticks are cut to the re.
quiSed length and laid on the ground,
looking like gigantic starfsh. At the
point of contact they are fastened, and
then comes the work Of weaving the light
or side strips in and out. One strip is
woven in several times around the basket
before it gives out, when another one is
tapped on. As the weaving continues the
standards are raised and bent or shaped"
until it has reached the required height.
Then two thicker strips, fat ON one side,
rounded with draw shave on the other,
are clapped ON. The standards. which
project above this band. are twisted
around it and securely fastened. Hhe
handles are put on before the band y.
These are made Of thick strip trimmed
down smooth. with notch cut II, them,
which abuts against the band. Then the
basket Is turned upside down, and an
other star shaped set Of strips Is pushed
up through the wool of the basket This
S done so that the basket can sit on its
'~n bottom. A basket maker has to
hustle to make two dozen baskets In
week. They make all kinds-the corn,
,he market and the oyster basket, but the
after takes precedence over the two for.
ner, as the demand along the sound b
never flled.-Dantown IN. ~ Cor. New
York Sun