Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1889-11-07
A JACKKNIFE GENIUS.
QUEER THINGS CARVED OUT OF
SOLID BLOCKS OF WOOD.
Wonderful Ships, Puzzles in Bottles
and other Wonders.

and other Wonders.
A Biddeford, Me-, Correspondent ol
the Boston Globe says Almost twelve
years ago Alfred Armstrong, of this
city-then a resident of Lake Village,
N. H., gave up all ordinary pursuits
and began to devote his entire tune anu
energies to the carvings from solid blocks
of wood with no other tool than an ord,n
ary iackknife. Armstrong always pos
sessed the inge luity commonly supposed
to 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 qualification of his whit
tling genius. From the fashioning of
small toys he turned his attention to
carving likenesses of every thing that
presented itself for o model, from big,
solid blocks of wood, carefully preserv-
ing every specimen of his handiwork,
whether good, bad OF Indifferent. With
in the past five years his oldest son, who
inherits his fathers peculiar inclination,
developed such ingenuity and patience
that he, too, graduated from common
labor, and united with his father with
equally patient devotion in his original
craft.
To-day they have big tent full of
curiosities and travel about the country
ut 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 over fell has been cut out Of
solid wood with their jackknives, sand
paper being the only other thing used
in their work. A few of their figures arc
iointed, instead of being entirely carved,
but these Joints are fashioned with the
lackknife i'll all cases, and never is nail,
screw glue used. Some of the oh ects
are as true to nature us any ever produc-
ed by the ordinary methods of the sculp-
tor, and others are executed with an APP
parent carelessness which any school
boy could initiate. Some are handsomely
ornamental, and all would ind 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 VI, his whiting, his stock OF curl
osities is constantly increasing. No
painter or sculptor was ever more wrap
ped up in his art or more enthusiastic
HE NH t1,o,, h NlI fol IN,u
now about 65 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 man saving
wood, with saw and saw horse, which
closely fill the space of the bottle. In
another is yoke of cattle neatly carved
with man standing beside them. In
another is ship, and i'll another ii
house. How these things got inside
the bottles is al ineXplicable 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, firm Y
inlaid and finely finished. The most
remarl abe piece of this kind of work is
a violin case made of 2,036 pieces of
wood OF 106 different kinds.
Of his puzzles, perhaps the most
mysterious is big snake inside n G ass
jar, cut out in a coil which almost com
pletely fills the inside. The neck of this
jar is perhaps one inch in diameter, and
q big wooden stopple is put down
through and locked underneath with a
wooden pin.
One OF the best carvings is yoke of
oxen hitched to n hay-rack, in 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 a solid block, even to the rack and
cart wheels.
Several times he has attempted 10 re-
produce pictures in his carvings. and
the haldsomest thing among his ob ects
was made in this manner. His sub ect
was picture of three Russians in u
double-seated s'edge drawn by pair of
horses and pursued by half q dozen
wolves. Upon this, as well as some
others of his best pieces, he has used
paint after the work was finished, much
to the improvement of its e1cct The
pair of horses on the dead run are rer-
fectly modelled, and even the exnfes
sons upon the faces of the riders has
been reproduced by his knife. The
wolves, also, true to life, are jumping ut
the back OF the sledge, and tho man
upon the rear seat has half arisen and
is in the act of firing upon them from II
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
fashioned the ob. ects is indisputably
displayed, yet one can not help thinking
how much more profitable the same
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