Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1895-10-17
Iohn M'Grath's Nemesis.
CBion H. Butler in Pittsburg Times }

(Bion Fl. Butler in Pittsburg Tlmes.)
McGratn's Mills, Baler county, Pa,
Oct. How sarcastic Is fate. The tray-
eier on tie Pittsburg, Shenango and Lake
Erie railrosd-by way OF dlgressloD, isn't
| it exasperating that railroad man always,
| like South Carolina darkey, or prince
| of royal blood; wants name as long as q
| clothes hnef A prince mas lot OF a1ces-
| tors that he wants to allude TO IN his name,
| and thereby sort of cinch some birthday
presents and dukedoms, but a railroad
| frequently has nothing except some water
ed stock, which is more than the farmers
| up this way will have if ram doesn't come
| soon But railroads, no matter now many
sections of name are run, do not hgure IN
| this history on account of name, but be-
| cause OF their persistence IN haunting
| John McGrath,
Along The Shenango road half dozen
| miles irOm B Itler, is a picture SO le ruin
of an old mil The ancient structure
| vas apparently founded on a rock, and
| rhe foundations were bullded of ROCKS, as
were the everlasting hills, ana the fences,
| and spring houses IN the nelghoorhood.
whatever frame work may have been
part of the mill is long sln q lslleu into
decay, and the stone wall mat formed the
"fore-bsv." and the unGerpinning Is
| q
The overshOt wheel that once turned the
| mill. Is partly left. The great shaft, and
| a few 9f the storing oak arms that held the
| buckets, cling together, the gudgeons still
| keppiug the big sIait IN Its place al the
mouth of the race. Time has almost
etfaced the race, and what remsl1s l.
covered with a taDgle of forest growth
that chambers up the mill side along T1lch
the race crept from the mill dam NJ great
distance up the brook.
| The ruir is at the foot of the hill. 1t Is
a sharp point where me nil drops away
| To allow two streams to meet Back oI
the mill was a rocky promoLtoGy, breaking
| the storms and adding To the scenic Tea
ture.
John McGrath was al Irishman born,
| and ne Wa. considerable OF 4 lad betJre
| Queen VIcturia's royal toes ever tried L
| i'd their way into the little PINK mouth
of the future sovereign When railroad
| ing began Joaa McGrath was among the
| first To lind employment He rallrOaded
| in the fashion Of the day, which was In
| some respects similar to the one that pre-
walls now, TOR he quit mis- job because 0l
The even dozen VINO had entered the ser
| vice ot the railroad " hea ne did 10 were
kiiled by accidents. IJ is said that tls
last accident was the explosion of the
boiler of one of the first locomotives run
on the English road, McGrath being the
| only survivor of the train crew. This
| statement his son James McGrath, now
| living 10 this vicinity, could not verify
| Alarmed at the uncomfortable death
rate, john McGrAth left the Old World
and came TO America TO get as far from
| rs.ilroa is and their dangers as possible
| Il G found his way into Butler county
where he started life as miller, ultimately
buying the old Neymal mill which he
| improved and made over into the McGrath
mill, the mill that is now ruin.
For wears John McGrath was far enough
| from railroads, By and by they began to
appreach First came the roads acros,
| the mountains to Ptts5urg. A little
la,er the Allegheny Valley pushed up thu
river. and The West Penn headed for
| Batter. BgtleT county from 1860 TO 1870
was full of railroad talk and as John Nc
,irath would have viewed it, going all the
| time from bad 20 worse
Luckily for the old mau he died abou
| 1868 for had he lived he would have seen
4 most unpleasant specter haunt the old
McGrath mill. 1t is tie locomotive whicb
| rushes past or track that would serve
as loading siding if the old miller werr
| alive. and the mill were in condition I"
receive cOnsjgnments Of grain aud make
| Them into -four as no did in the days
when he lived in peace in the heart OF the
forest. and mnistered to the wants of hIs
| honest neighbors.
| like John McGrath. His coming to
| this hill country and settling in the heart
of nature shows his rugged taste. Toe rock
with which his mill was built is Indication
| of steadtasrness, aud | was fully prepared
| To believe what Farmer Snsakley said.
| when he told me-, John was good mill
| er and good man. lie made honest
| -four, sweet al1 wlOles1ms-oettec than We
get now at These new tangled process
milk. | kind of think tde process" that
they talk about is idst a process to take all
| the life out of the grain Yes, yes, | TOOK
many bushel of grain to mis- mill to b.
| ground, and land sakes, wish | could
| take sGme more there. Just plain old
| mill. a run of burs for wheat aud a run
for chop. and a water wheel TO turn them
| But we don't have such bread now as we
| had from the hDnr made at the old mill"
John McGrath is gathered to his fathers
| The mill is rain. Toe railroad trains
! whistle as they approach it from either
| direction, ani while they preC n t.
| whistle for a crossing by the mill | would
| feel more kindly TO them ifthey had chos-
on a route elsewhere, that the Stout heart
| of Jobp AcGrath, who pushed into the
wilderness and sel mp his friendly water
| wheel away from the peDt-up demon OF
steam, might be free from the mockery o.
the destroyer Of his 10 companions. II
may ba the steep hills cOuverglng as they
| do that makes tho echoes ring louder, and
| the train rumble more insolently as the
| locomotive rounds the point at Mcirath' s
mill. BIT in folnds for all the world like
| q hideou5 laugh Of ridicule every time iht
| echo reverberates among the hills, and
through the I'D stone ruin.
Rion II. Butler