Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1895-08-24
BUSIEST PLACE IN TOWN.
y EOPLE now call 4, "the busiest

VVVVVVVVVVVVVV
EOPLE now call Il "the busiest
place In town." but II was fur
L from being so four years ago last
fall, when Morris knights and Charles
Hunt stood there one afternoon look.
ans about and asking each other, doubt.
fully, whether It vas best to "start In
there and tr, to ND cmploym cnt for
themselves, or not II was q wecdy,
bushy field. extcn''in: down to rGnd
shore, with no ob!cc: Of human con.
struct'on In sight hut u wcathcrcd old
lumber shed. rooted. bu. open to the
weather on all sides
Morris Knights and Charles Hunt
were two poor youths. eighteen or nine.
teen years Of age. born and brought up
IN the vicinity. ana were withOu. auy
other educational advantages than
those afforded by the ncighboring dis
trlct school; just two ordinary, large
boys, differing In nothing, apparently,
from thousands Of other American
boys, unless Il were In the spark OF
ambition not always found In other
lads. Neither had dollar In his pocket
or anywhere else.
The scheme which they were, talking
over 20 obviously that afternoon was
whether they should promise to pay
deacon Bean, n relative Of Charley's,
seven dollars for what waste apples
they could pick up In his orchard after
he had gathered his "barreling" fruit.
"Thcrc's pile Of apples In that or.
chard, lying on the ground" Charley
remarked. land suppose we might
cut and string and dry them In this
old shed, and mako thirty dollars, per.
haps."
"But we ought to have an cvapora.
tor" said Morris. "Evnporatcd up.
pies bring better price,"
but one Of those cvaporators. even
q small one, costs twenty-five dollars;
and nobody would sell us one on
credit"
Hut they agreed to take the dcacon's
apples, for they had nothing else to do.
Az for the old shed, no ono had pre-.
tended to own It for years.
The next dry they began to pick up
the apples In the orchard, and the dca.
con let them take his horse and cart ia
haul them to tho old shed. am told
that they were even Obliged to Dor.
row q pairing machine. and run into
debt for two balls Of Irvine to string
the halves of apples on.
As days went on they greatly de-
sired an evaporator: aud Morris finally
wrote to company which manufac'
tured these machines, asking for one
Of the smallest and cheapest on three
months time. He enclosed certificate
Of moral character. signed by the old
deacon and the postmaster at Norwell
The company replied that, contrary
to its custom. II would ship an evapora
tor to them on credit, but advised them
to purchase one Of a large size. having
. drying capacity Of twelve bushels OF
sliced apples per day. This would cos
S75, but they might have six months
In which to pay for It
Hunt doubted ut llrst whether i
would DO well for them to run In deb
90 deeply, but Morris was more san
guine: 10 they ordered the larger evap
orator, and gave their note for It.
When It arrived they became am
bilious to run It to Its full capacity
and to lay In Q larger stock Of dryin,
apples. Canvassing about among thu
N0rwell farmers, they took four NOR,
orchards to pick up, and also b0ugh
other refuse apples, on time. at fron
I've to ten cents per bushel. Rude BIN
were made under the old shed from
whatever bits Of lumber they could col
lect, and great heap Of apples made
But the weather was growing colder
and the frost threatened their stock
TO protect It, they got the use Of ,
quantity of rough boards taken iron
an old building, with which they clio
In the sides of their shed. They ais,
moved mass of dry grass and weeds
to form thicker, warmer wall aroun'
the bins.
The heat from the evaporator an
swered In place Of stove, and iron
October until March they worked Their
steadily, drying apples. till their entir
stock was prepared for market.
When 1t was sold, they had, afte
paying for the evaporator and apple
and settling their other debts, q littl
more than three hundred dollars as tn
net result Of their Ave months work.
One hundred and seyenty-dve do
lars from these profits were set asid
to purchase another evap0rator Of
capacity OF thirty-five bushels per day
for by this time they thought they "a,
what they might do. and grew am
bilious to carry on q larger bushes
next year. They also spent thirty do
lars for pairing and slicin. machines,
be set on long table beside the appl
bins and operated from pulley shat
by power
They could not afford to buy steam
engine for power, but they obtained 70
q small sum an old horsepower al
paratus, consisting of "lags," dy-whe,
and frame, which had been used
saving wood, but had now been lai
aside. But instead Of horsepower the
employed pair of small yearlin
steers, hired from Morris father, VIII
y a farmer In small way.