Helena weekly herald. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1867-1900, 1888-05-03
FILLING IN A CORNER LOT.
Lewis POWell's Patient Labor OF
Fourteen Years, and His Job
Isn't Finished Yet.

HE has been at that for thirteen years"
And the speaker laughed, says The atlanta
Constitution, as he watched an old man
gathering up bucket of stones and brok en-
bricks The old man continued his work
until his bucket was filled, and then
started back toward Spring street, stopping
on his way to resurrect n rusty old hoop
that was nearly buried in the gutter.
After walking about three blocks he stop
ped at the corner of Spring and James
streets, and, laying the rusty hoop care
fully upon a great pile of rusty hoops of all
kinds and sizes, he carried the bucket to
the back of the lot, a part of which was
considerably lower than the front, and
emptied the bucketful of bricks and stones
He was about 20 years old apparently-iE
his shirt sleeves, and wearing dingy
straw hat. He was feeble, too, and his
steps were slow, but he stopped only to
get drink of water at the back door, and
then ambled off with the empty bucket.
The little frame structure is half store
and half residence. Just inside the door to
the store sat a pOrtly old lady of 60, or
thereabOuts.
"Who is that old man yonder with that
empty bucket"
Him! Why that's old man Lewis
Powell, and he's my husband. thought
everybody knew him."
rs that all he does?
"Fill up the lot, you mean? No, no; he
puts hoops on barrels and kegs, and raises
calves and such like; but that's his main
business. He's been at it nigh on to four
teen years."
"And how much has he filled 10 ?"
<ho or do han Tho
lot is 50xS0, and it used to be just one big
hole. Now here ON Spring street, where
the front is, the bank went nearly straight
down, cause the eye of the sewer was right
there. Then the sewer was open and run
in gully the whole length of the lot and
Just about in the middle of the lot Here
on James street, at the side there, it wasn't
so steep. The front of the old house was
about half way down the bank, and the
pillars at the back was over ten feet high.
The house wasn't more'n twelve feet that
way, either. And right at the back door
the sewer passed"
"How deep was it?"
"Well, right here at the front the city
men measured to the sewer once, and it
was little over twenty feet below the
sidewalk. The back of the lot was little
lower. 1t was one big hole 50xS0, and
almost in the bottom of it was the old
house."
Fourteen years ago."
Fourteen years ago we bought it from
Jack Smith on time. 1t wasn't much, but
me and Jenny and Joe and Stella just
buckled down and worked like tigers.
The neighbors made fun of us at first, and
even the niggers thought it was funny.
Now, amt telling you this because Pm
stuck up about it, but it just shows what
the Powell family has done, and it shows
what poor folks can do if they stick at it."
Didn't the old man help?"
Yes, little. But we had to live, and
then he spent lots of his time a-fillin' up,
so the brunt of the money part fell on me
and the children. We bought the mud
hole and he made the mud hole what it is
now. Right here where the mud hole was
there is corner lot and them what used
to laugh at US would like mighty well to
own it nOw."
And the old lady smiled as though the
thought was very pleasant one.
Eyes, SIR" she continued, ITS worth a
good deal now, and first thing you know,
when the streets get paved along here, it
will be worth lot more than it is now."
."And the old man?"
'The old man has worked mighty faith
full. Little at time he has fetched dirt
and rocks and brick and trash. Then the
city put pipe there for a sewer, and he
begun at the sidewalk Oh spring street and
filled back. The bank kept getting fur
tier and further, and after, don't know
how long, we built this little house on the
filled-in part. The old man kept filling
back, till we've got pretty big back yard;
and there's only little part left to fill back
there You see, he never tore up the old
house-iust throwed in around it and in it
till he has almost buried it."
"Why?'
"Oh, it's just notion of his. He didn't
want to see the old house tore up, and
there it is now, with just the roof stickin'
out. In little while it will be one level
yard, so by so, and corner lot, too. And
by the time it all gets filled up-well, me
and the old man is gettin' feeble now and
we won't last much longer. But now that
we are all out of debt and just enough left
to do to keep the old mans hand in, it does
me good to think of that old mudh0le and
how we had to save and slave and pinch to
pay for it. And / think the old man
like to stand there at the corner and look
back how level and smooth it is, and think
how it was done, handful at time,
through the rain and the snow and the
sunshine. Fourteen years! 1t was big
Job, but we stuck to it, and Pm restin'
now, for my work is done. The old man
don't work like he used to, but he says his
Job amt finished yet, and he keeps film
up"
"And when his work is done--n