Iuka reporter. (Iuka, Miss.) 1888-1894, 1889-12-12
Wonderful Ships, Puzzles in Bottles
and Other Wonders.

anu otHeF w OnucrS.
A Biddeford, Me-, Correspondent Of
the Boston Globe says Almost twelve
years ago Alfred Armstrong, of this
clty-then a resident of Lake Village.
N. H., gave up all ordinary pursuits
and began to devote his entire time and
energies to the carvings from solid blocks
of wood with no other tool than an ordin.
airy iackknife. Armstrong always nos
sessed the ingenuity commonly supposed
10 belong to the genuine Down east
Yankee, and his knife and pine stick
had been his inseparable companions
during leisure hours from his youth up.
Having raised good sized family of
children until they were big enough to
turn to and help support the family, he
concluded to forsake ordinary labors al
together, and spend the remainder of
his days In the gratificat on of his whit
ting genius. From the fashioning of
small toys he turned his attention to
carving likenesses of every thing that
presented itself for model, from big,
solid blocks of wood, carefully preserv-
ing every specimen of his handiwork,
whether good, bad or Indifferent. With
IN the past five years his oldest son, who
lnherlts his fathers peculiar inclination,
developed such ingenuity and patience
that he, too, gradua ed from common
labor, and united with his father with
equally patent dego ion in his original
craft.
To-day they have big tent full of
cur1osltles and travel about the country
at the beaches and fairs exhibiting their
museum OF wooden wonders, with finan-
clal returns which are not nearly pro-
portionate to the patience and toll
which their curiosities represent. Their
art seems to have been particularly de-
voted to the production in wood of all
kinds of animal life. Every species of
bird, quadruped or reptile upon which
their eyes ever fell has been cut out of
solid wood with their iackknives, sand
paper being the only other thing used
In their work. A few of their figures are
pointed, instead of being entirely carved,
put these Joints are fashioned with the
Jackknlfe IN all cases, and never is nail,
screw or glue used. Some of the objects
are as true to nature as any ever produc-
ed by the ordinary methods of the sculp-
tor, and others are executed with an APP
boy could initiate. Some are handsomely
ornamental, and all would find ready
sac as toys, but to the owner they are
treasures beyond price, and he cannot
be induced to part with even the most
Insignificant, and, as he continually
keeps up his whiting. his stock of curl
osltles is constantly increasing. No
pai11ter or sculptor was ever more wrap
ped up in his art or more enthusiastic
over his productions than this old fellow,
now about IS years of age. who has been
in poverty all his life, and who doesn t
appear ambitious to better his condit-
ion.
Among his curiosities are all sorts of
puzzles cut out or put together in small
necked bottles. In one is a man saving
wood, with saw and saw horse, which
closely fill the space of the bottle. In
another is q yoke of ca tile neatly carved,
with man standing beside them. In
another is a ship, and in another a
house. How these things got inside
the bottles is an inexpicable puzzle to
those who have looked over the old
mans collection, and he does not give
any light upon the matter.
Besides these puzzles and his wooden
menagerie are houses which are almost
big enough for dog kennels, and which
might almost serve as models OF modern
architecture, all of one piece and carved
from solid block. There are also
boxes and cases composed Of hun
dreds of different kinds of woods, firmly
inlaid and finely finished. The most
remarkable piece of this kind of work is
q violin case made of 2,036 pieces of
wood OF LOG different kinds.
OF his puzzles, perhaps the most
mysterious is a big snake inside glass
jar, cut out in q coil which almost COM
pletely fills the inside. Til neck of this
jar is perhaps one inch in diameter, and
q big wooden stopple is put down
through aud locked underneath with a
wooden pin.
One OF the best carvings is a yoke of
oxen hitched to hay-rack, III which
rides man. The whole thing is about
three feet in length and half as high,
and, like all his other works, was cut out
of solid block, even to the rack and
cart wheels.
Several times he has attempted to re-
produce pictures in his carvings, and
oio ubhunoueou bHiIlS among MS Cd ecGS
was madein this manner His sub ,ect
was picture of three Russians in q
double-seated s,edge drawn by a pair Of
horses and pursued by half dozen
wolves. Upon this, as we'll as some
others Of his best pieces, lie has used
paint after the work was finished, much
to the improvement Of its elect The
pair of horses on the dead run are per-
fectly modelled, and even the expires
sions upon the faces of the riders has
been reproduced by his knife. The
wolves, also, true to life, are jumping at
the back of the sledge, and the man
upon the rear seat has half arisen and
is in the act Of firing upon them from
revolver. One of the men upon the
front seat holds the reins and the other
is urging the horses on with whip.
Reins, whip, team, men and wolves are
all one piece Of wood, the whole thing
being about two feet long and eight
inches high.
Mr.. Armstrong himself admits that
this is his masterpiece. His exhibit is
certainly novel and wonderful, and the
patience and ingenuity of the man who