Daily Kennebec journal., 1888-07-07
SOUTH GARDINER.
One Of Haine's Host ThfiVinS VILLAGES.
What a Journal Correspondent Saw and
Learned in Visit Among its
Industries.

oee htve hurgh would be interesting to th,
many readers of your valuable Journal.
A stranger on first entering the village il
struck al once with tais peculiarly, Wig: ev-
cry house and cottage is separate from it,
neighbor, standing on its own lot and ever,
lot nicely fenced; and think the occupan
of each house is also the proprietor, saw
very beautiful sight at the extreme soatherr
end of the village. Here is a.beautiful resi-
dence on a well kept, unfenced lawn. and i,
appeared to me as if ii had rained a shower, ,oi
not bandannas, but bright American flags
bearing the portraits of Washington, Lincoln
Grant Garfield, ETC., etc. Ii is the residence
of Charles Lawrence, Esq.
In visiting all the houses your correspon.
dent was surprised at the extreme air of re.
hnemen, and may say luxury that rervadss
every dwelling. Every house had . nice
sewing machine, and the majority of them
had that hand maiden Of civilization, the pi-
ano or organ. The villagers are all courte-
Gus and kind hearted, in this, that they all
expressed an anxiety To have every disabled
veteran of the rebellion receive pension
also that they felt sure that |, me. myself,
Cleveland, after four years arduous duties
must feel tired, very tired, and next Novem-
ber they are going to invite him in body to
take vacation, and preach his farewell ser
mon on the third day of next March.
The main thoroughfare is well lighted at
night with oil lamps and raised sidewalks
traverse the whole eigth of the village. Up
to nine Z. NJ, the lads and lassies may be
seen telling the old, old, but ever new story, /,
but at that hour the streets are perfectly de-
serted and nothing but the lamps remain to
show that life exists at all. In the day time
an idle man cannot be seen on the streets,
nothIng but teams and teamsters. All the
gullles are filled in with, aud many of the
outlying roads are made of u peculiar kind
of concrete the fruit of the pine tree saw
dust.
Now sir, we will imagine tina. take the
arm of British OF American member of the
Golden club OF good free trader, Mills
bill democrat and we take stroll through
the works of South Gardiner.
Our first visit will be to the kndling wood
factory. which has the appearance of huge
grain elevator. The upper stories are used
AS II kiln for thoroughly drying the wood,
which is passed down gradually until the
small blocks reach the ground floor, where
n of 81 unl nj Ia,
constructed machine, make them into mar
ketable bundles. The boys receive Sl.l2l2
per day. When was their age l received
81 per week, each days work being IA hours,
10 cotton mill id good free trade Old Eng
land. ss.
We will now enter the lumber mill of the
Lawrence Brothers. The engine of this
mill is beauty---9S horse power with an
additional 80 horse power from the con-
denser, a total of 1928 horse power. II was
first started in the spring of 1871 and it has
kept on doing its daily gigantic labor ,untired
and accomplishing ever since, working for
its board and lodging, the board consisting
of nothing but sawdust and WATERPROOF
fare. The products are everything usually
have splendid new saw carriage from
Perry's Set Works in Gardiner, and the way
it chews up logs would give a paralytic
shock. The number of men employed here
is si1ty-fve. Their pay ranges from sl.62
to So. 90 per day. and a more lizht-hearted,
Jolly set of good fellows have never had
the good fortune to meet before, and they
| were all anxious to have me say my best
work for their employers, the Lawrence
Brothers.
We will now wend our way to the bed-sla
spring bed and canvas cot works of Van X,
Beedle, Esq. The engine, little beauty, is
| so horse power. The number of men en-
ployed is 10 exclusive of officers, and the
work turned out is to say the least exceed
ingly fine The copper spiral springs are Of
the finest quality. The bed stats are a.
smooth as ivory, and in these beds there il
no possible lurking place for interlopers, OF
in other words, red plumaged birds of prey
Wages here range from 81 so to $500 pc,
day. Arriving at the northern end Of the
village we come TO the vast Bradstreet lum
and best equipped in the country. Numbe
of men employed, 1875. Average wages
from 81. so to $500 per day. The engin'
at this concern is a monster Of 400 hors'
power, built by Porter, Allen and Co., o
Philadel ha. There is another smalle
engine for fire purposes at night and on tn
Sabbath when the large engine is stopped
There are 1S fire bydrants ami well drille
fire squad. There are prominent notice
that any smoking on the premises will b
puuished with instant dismissal, but non
nave ever broken this rule up to dare. The
product for 26 l-2 days in the month of Ma,
were 2.VO0, 900 laihs, 2,500, 900 feet Of lon
lumber, beside vast amount of short lunl
Der.
The boarding house at the Lawrenc
works accommodates 80 men. a table wei
supplied. nice single rooms and eyerythin
clean; closing hour. $50 =. NJ.
Bradstreet's boarding house accommodate
so men. Every part of the house is nes
and clean. Board s275 per week, and tn
proprietor of the house, Mr.. s. Y. Leighton
told me that he never had a more cheerfu
lot of men.
There are in the village one church and tw
schools, but noticed there were no temple
Of Bacchus, rot even one dedicated to S,
Cider-a fact which speaks volumes for thi
busy, thriving village and it's thrifty p, ople.
THOMAS DEGSAU.
HALLowELL.