The Progress., 1896-05-23
NAMES TALLEST MAN.
PANTY Houses without I-adder-H'
Also Rides "A bicycle.


The taI!est man in the state OF Main>
rides bicycle. says the Lewiston Jour
nal. Hes also general repairer OF Dl-
cvrIes for the village Of Philips,
These two facts may not especially pc
long together. but they Immediately
answer vague question that arises II
the mind Of the reader. II the hlcF-
Gle gets discouraged at any time Name
champion tall wheelman can do his own
doc,oring.
Mr.. ". II. Kelley. of Phillips, IS
modest man. Although he has many
accomplishments and in his character
OF head surgeon OF the village repair
shop. can mend anything from watch
to a Tiger wagon, he doesn't boast OF
his acquirements. But as to his height
he feels that he can safely lay claim 10
being the champion giant Of Maine.
Many tail men have come and seen
and braced shoulders and chalked with
him on his shop door until the scratches
of the intertangled lines look like a
spider web. Bat loftily above Them all
is the sCratchmark of the towering man
of the house. He never yet has 10 look
up to gaze into the eyes OF man stand
ing or his level except once when a Flr-
Gus brought giant to town. Inc
giant heard that there was citizen out
side who was taller than he. so, BY
his request Mr.. Kelley was passed III,
The circus giant stood on the vantage
ground of an ascending slope, he wore
a bearskin cap. high-heeied shoes, and
had his shoulders padded deliberately.
But even under the disguise the by
ISLANDERS could see that he was not a
fair match for the local Polyphemus,
had he stripped Off mis- plumage and
, come down off his perch on the en-
bdnkment.
Mr.. Kelley. dressed for the street
measures from the ground 10 the top OF
his head six feet ana ten inches-as
near seven feet as any man in Maine
has ever grown. He is symmetrical,
too, weighing considerably over 200
pounds, yet without any superllU0us
flesh.
Mr.. Kelley is muscular man, and
some feats of strength that he mas per
formed surprised even his townsmeh.
AT a lifting match not long ago the
weight was a stone post Weighing 20
pounds. Several alleged strong men
had tackled it and had Wiggled it along
"a few feet at a hitch. Mr.. Kelley, how
ever, grasped the iron link, affixed to
the post and walked nearly 200 feet with
the weight, finally tossing it caretessiy
a considerable distance. Il could nave
carried Il further said he, nonchal-
emily, but ! thought twas far enough
for a sample
Mr.. Keley's workshop is fully as in
teresting as its owner. He is a me-
,chanical genius with knack for liking
: anything that may be brought to bin,
and he can make almost anything that
he is requested to, whether he has ever
seen it before or not.
For instance, much Of his machinery
was improvised by him. The little
! two-horse power marine engine has
been rugged up to drive a hand-saw
that plays over two widely dssluliar
wheels. The upper is bicycle wheel
with ball bearings, the lower is one OF
the wheels of a moving machine, the
] combination working excellently. M
Kelley also has his grindstone rugged On
ball bearings, and has recently com
pleted a sand -papering machine that is
exciting the admiration of ali the neigh
hors.
Besides his general work of repairing
Mr.. Kelley is painter, and it is on rec
ord that he painted the side of one cot
tage house in the village without using
a ladder.
All of the Phillips giants shop appur'
tenances are suited to his height anC
the benches, horses and vices are as
lOng-1egged as giraffe.