Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1892-04-06
Built His House at Night.

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Edward Pullen is young engin-
eer and man of family, who for
several years has worked in one of
the down town factories. He came
here from the east several years ago
and settled down TO work at very
moderate wages indeed. For years
he paid rent out of his scanty earn
ings, but nine months ago he de-
termined to try and purchase a
home for his little family. 1t was
in carrying out this purpose that
he accomplished one of the most
amusing and at the same time novel
feats probably ever performed in the
building lins~ NJ M Ra!!sn told his
story "a reporter who visited him.
He purchased a lot near Newbury,
on the Berkeley line, about nine
months ago, securing it at a cut
price upon the condition that he
would build on it house to cost
not less than $1,000: The young
engineer paid his first installment
of $50 and then looked about for
some means of building on his ac-
QUESTION. His meager salary of $12
week was scarcely self supporting,
but out of it he managed to save
$50. He designed roughly the plan
of house to contain a basement, q
story of three rooms and second
story of two rooms. A carpenter
was hired for $50 to erect a mere
skeleton or frame without steps,
windows or roof, or in fact anything
except the bare walls, and entirely un-
floored and unfinished on the inside.
Then commenced Pullen's Won
derful exhibition of pluck and pa
tience. He built temporary kitch-
ell of rough boards close to the
frame, put "a stove on the bare
ground, projected piece of stove
pipe through the roof and set up
habitation there for himself and
family.
He works in the city from 6 A. NJ. to
6 p. NJ. In the night, after 7 o'clock
by candle light, he labored until
morning almost with hammer and
saw to make his modest home
habitable. Out of his scanty wages
he appropriated every possible
dollar to the purchase of planks,
pipes, nails, windows, doors and
other building material. He laid
the floors plank by plank; tackled
canvas across the window gaps to
keep the chill night winds from
his little ones, and took across the
bay on his shoulders every picket
and plank that now forms his home.
BY degrees the house took form,
the windows were placed in position,
the glass panes put in, pantries
made and pumps erected. The walls
and ceilings of the rooms were
covered with heavy duck canvas
seized with glue and vanished into
aresemblance to real plaster. Pick
ct by picket the fences were built,
until now young Pullen has nearly
completed his heroic task.
All Lorin and Newbury were ac-
quainted with his curious enterprise,
and he was often seen on his roof
far into the night hammering away
at shingles and erecting chimmeys.
in the midst of his work the owner
the property came around and was
angry because Pullen had, as he
thought, broken his contract as to
the erection of $1,000 house.
Pullen paused in driving picket
to calmly answer that he hadn't
got done building yet" and that he
thought that by the time the house
was finished it would have cost
$1,000.
Night after night the young
home-maker crossed the ferry with
a bundle of pickets or IL joint of
pipe, and thus, with interludes of
few hours sleep, nightly he ham
mers away. Thusfar ehas expen d
ed in all about $3.50, and he owns
by all odds the cheapest house in
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