Kansas City daily journal., 1897-01-23
HOUSE BUILT by A Bland MAN.
Maine Citizen Does Things Which
Astonish His Neighbors.

From the Philadelphia Press.
1t is well known fact that persons VINO
lose one or more senses often develop re-
markable qualities in those remaining. This
has seldom If ever been shown in so nota-
Bile a way as in the case of Paul s.. Pink
ham, resident of Millbridge. Me-, who, al
though blind, has succeeded In building,
unaided, better house than most carpen-
terS in possession of all their faculties
could construct. Pinkham has been bereft
of sight since he was II years old, and he
The house which Pinkham built is a spa
cious one, with q comfortable and roomy
look a story and a half high, with long
l. one story high, extending back from the
main house. The clapboarding Is well put
on, and the windows. doors and exterior
finish look as If done by an expert carpen-
ter, while the interior is as perfect In its
plan and construction as one could expect.
Yet Paul Pinkham, sightless, planned the
nail or stone or brick in its construction.
from foundation to roof, that he did not
At 2i MIR. Pinkham's father. who had
been well-to-do shipmaster. died, leaving
him Penniless and alone. The neighbors
pitied poor blind Paul." and 1t was the
ere long, find his way to the town farm, to
be cared for at the public expense. But
Paul was made of better stun. Although
up to that time he had done little for his
own maintenance, he 1T once set about de-
vising means whereby to support himself.
He feared at the outset that his blindness
making his way, but he did not lie down
under the fear. He shipped with Captain
Wilson. of Milbridge, on the schooner For
est and made one trip along the coast. He
soon discovered that some latent sense or
4 faculty was developing enabling him to
know of the presence of objects and to esti-
mate distances. What this sense is Mr..
Pinkham cannot explain, although in him
it has now reahed a high state of devel-
opment.
He next shipped on the schooner Sympa-
thy and found the work more easily per-
formed With this trip the season was at
an end, and during the winter he added TO
ping cordwood. Then he ventured into
peddling CLAIMS and was fairly successful.
With his earnings he purchased boat and
fitted 1t out for lobster catching. He hired
a boy to steer the boat while he attended
to the traps. The danger which lobster
the jaws OF Holsters when handling them.
Men with good sight are frequently thus
nipped. and receive painful wounds, yet
Paul Pinkham handled his Holsters bare
handed, and so nice was his sense or touch,
or prescience. or whatever 1t may be
termed, developed, that he was never
caught by lobster although he continued
| In addition to his home Pinkham has
/ built many boats that sail to-day near
Millbridge and they are all good models
/ and easy sailers. He also made some fine
showcases and various other forms or IAN
Z cy woodwork. His neighbors generally look
( to him for small jobs OF delicate WOOD re-
pairing, and he turns out the work as rap
idly and with far less appearances or men,
tai worry than many clear visioned carpen-
/ Wherever l set out to do a thing" says
Mr.. Pinkham- II plan 1t In my mind. ano