The herald., 1896-09-02
And Manufactures Shingles on
the Side
A WOMAN'S WORK IN MAINE
Which Is More Profitable and Pleasant
Than Dressmaking
Hiss Clara Stimson Knows How to Conduct
Her Lumber Business and She Docs
II Profitably

She doesn't run her sawmill at arm g
length or In a dilettante fashion. No,
| Miss Clara NJ. Stimson of Houlton not
only has had the practical experience in
| making boards and planks and shingles,
but she applies it, and there are few mills
| in Maine where the employees are scruti-
nized more carefully by the proprietor than
| at the busy, screaming mill at Masardis,
Aroostook county, Me.
Miss Stimson is firm believer in the
theory that any woman ought to do what
she can do well and make money by doing
| it. She is a sawmill owner from choice.
"Now, 1 couldn't make living at dress
| making" said she as we sat in her cozy
Houlton library. II know that the hats
| would trim wouldn't have any sale, and
as an artist 1 would have a struggle for
bread and butter. But when we come to
shingles and handling crew of men I
claim without egotism, trust, that 1
know my business. If didn't, should
have left the trade long ago."
Shingle making comes to Miss Stimson
as a natural heritage. Her father was a
| lumber manufacturer. When he died some
| years ago, his daughter took up the busi-
ness where he left off and since then has
handled that line, along with other specu-
lativo operations, with such energy and
rare good judgment that she now is reck-
oned with the solid manufacturers of
| Aroostook.
Her lumber and shingles have earned q
reputation in the markets now, but the
| plucky little woman found many discour-
| agemcnts at first. When she went away to
Worcester, Mass, few years ago, dealers,
she says, seemed afraid of her They
couldn't understand the situation The
idea of woman operating shinglc max
ing establishment evidently inspired them
with as much apprehension as though she
had come with u proposal to cut their hair
and trim their whiskers But she had
samples, and she knew how to talk plain
ly, directly and eminently businesslike.
She said: mo, you don't know me, and I
don't know you either, but you're buying
shingles and I'm selling them. back
my shingles. live in Houlton, Me-, but
l haven't any references, and don't think
they amount to much. But my shingles
are just what 1 say they are, and war
rant them to be SO on the word of wom-
an with a desire to develop q business and
make an honest dollar. Do you want to
purchase"
The dealer to whom she talked looked at
the alert woman from Houlton, Me-, and
said that ho believed he did He bought
and has been q patron ever since Her
market now comes to her. Occasionally
she makes o trip to the big cities when
prices do not suit her, and she never fails
to Stir the dealers up to an appreciation of
the quality Of her goods.
Only once has sho ever been called upon
%1y ol-r az IL
| giles. A firm wrote to say that a carload
| wasn't up to the standard expected of the
Stimson shingles. Now, the joke is that
Miss Stimson bought that carload of an
! AroostooA man who assured her that they
were of a certain quality and equal to her
| goods. She Obliged him, of course, to
make good the discount she had allowed
| to the purchasers.
Miss Stimson went up over the new Ash
land railroad on the first excursion train
She had heard Of mill privilege near
Masardis, and after looking it over during
a stroll on the ice she promptly purchased it.
There are three islands at this point, and
Miss Stimson has secured deeds of these
and has leased shore privileges back to-
ward Masardis for three quarters of a mile.
Largo piers have been built out, and with
the aid Of the islands tho most valuable
holding place" on the Aroostook river
has been developed. AS the chief difficulty
along the Aroosrook has been the scarcity
Of holding Places Miss Stilnson,s shrewd
and farsighted purchase has already excit
ed the envy of other manufacturers. The
privilege is located below tho junction OF
the st. CroiX and Aroostook rivers, ard
the timber lands on both streams are nc
cessible. Parties offered Miss Stinson Il
free privilege on the former river, but she
preferred to pay for really desirable loca-
tion.
All the machinery and supplies have also
been purchased by her after careful selcc-
tion.
The various agents who have fockcd in
on her to sell mill supplies have in many
instances attempted to take advantage of
what they supposed was womanly ircx-
percnce. Any man, woman or child in
the town of Houlton could have told then,
that never yet was Miss Clara Stiinson
known to have boon worsted in a trade.
One man sold II mill belt and went up
from Houlton, by her directions to mako
measurements. Miss Sti1nson insisted that
before he filed tho order he should send
her an exact copy. 10 her amazement,
when the copy arrived she found that the
salesman had not only put in her order for
the bolt, but had got list of all supplies
needed at tho mill by interviewing the
Masardis overseer and had put them down
with the evident intention of sending tho
whole order along with the belt
Miss Stimson Immediately wired his
house to ship no goods at all until they
heard from her. The firm sent its sales
man away back to Houlton from Bangor
to sec her again.
Miss Stimson informed him with some
aspcrity that she wanted no goods yet OK