The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1898-03-25
WELLS RIVER.

d. e. Putnam of Bangor Theological
Seminary will supply the pulpit next
Sunday
The Christian Endeavor Society Will
give an oyster supper and entertain
ment at the vestry parlors this evening"
A daughter was born to Mr.. and
Mrs. Thomas Leadwith on Monday.
H. B. Chamberlin of the st. Johns
bury Republican staff was in town
Wednesday.
Bank Examiner May was in town
Wednesday.
A daughter was born to Mr.. and
Mrs. James A. George on Tuesday.
The Old Ladies Club met with Mrs.
F. Deming on Tuesday.
Schools began Monday with the
usual attendance.
T. S. Bartlett has bought Charles
Danforth's house, price $500.
Walter Hadley has bought II. L.
Baldwin's cottage on the upper meadow
John Thornton has moved here from
Woodsville into the Wiley building
Rob Terry and Tom Aulis BARRIERS in
the Bracy block have dissolved partner
ship, Aulis continuing business in the
old shop and Terry opening one IN
Baldwin's block.
Warren Moore has been confined to
the house for two weeks past on &C !C7
count of sickness. Mr.. Moore will
soon be out again looking after his
! large business interests. He is an old
man in wears but in action is still
sprightly and two weeks of inactivity
is not to his liking.
The Bittenger Bros. of Woodsville,
publishers of the WOodsville News and
general job printers, have bought a
printing outfit in Plymouth, Mass, and
will leave for that place as soon as
they can settle their business in Woods
Vile. The Bttenger boys have many
friends in this place who regret that
they are to leave.
Albert w. Moore, treasurer of the
Wells River Manufacturing Co., has
liking for cold water baths taking sud
denly and in times of high water.
Last year while running some logs IN
the river near the Adams paper mill
he made misstep and for few min
utes realized how low the temperature
of spring water is. Last Monday he
made a second test. A boom log got
loose and lodged on the dam. Moore
wanted to get this log off the dam and
save it. Sending a man to push the
log off he went a short distance below
on the foot bridge to spear it when it
came down. The log came down,
Moore speared it, but another log not
counted on hit the underpinning of che
bridge and Moore followed the spear
into about feet of water. When he
next appeared a man on the bridge
made a grab for him but missed, while
a Frenchman on shore assisted in the
confusion by shouting, "can he swim,
can he swim" Moore's past expert
ence told what to do as soon as he APP
peared above water and realized that
he was enjoying his second annual
cold bath. Straddling log he rode
down stream few feet and then made
a lump for the shore, missed it by a
few feet and disappeared the second
time. Incorporating he did--a little
swimming and was soon on dry land.
Moore says it must have been mighty
cOmical to watch his antics in the water
but he didn't see it that way while the
chills were chasing each other up and
down his back. He thinks he will give
an annual exhibition of this kind every
spring.
The Adams Paper Co., Warren
Moore. treasurer, A. w. Moore, man
ager. is now keeping IA hands busy.
About a mile above this paper mill is
the plant Of the Wells River Manu-
featuring Co., which has now been do
ing business for about three months
and is valuable addition to the in
dustries of Wells River. Here over %
varieties of white oak and white ash
splint baskets are made. The work
begins in the saw mill where the logs
are quarCered. From the saw mill the
quartered logs go to the bench saw
room and are sawed into small pieces
of timber and sent to the cutting room.
This timber is cut into basket braids
with power shaves and the braids are
sent up stairs to the braiding room
where they are weaved into baskets
by men and girls. The bottoms of the
baskets are braided on blocks the size
of the kind of basket desired. They
are then placed on steam forms, press
ed into shape, put onto side block
and the filling weaved in. The bas-
kets then 90 to the dry house for "a
hours before the rim and handles are
put on which complete them. Any
kind of basket wanted can be made
here but the kind kept in stock average
in price from $3.50 to $50 per doz-
en-. The saw mill does planning match
ing and makes shingle. Boxes are
also made for the packing paper at the
paper mill. The mill is run by water
power and 20 horse power engine
will soon be put in as emergency power
Fifteen hands are now employed as
follows: Saw mill 8, bench saw room 2,
cutting room 8, braiding and finishing
room I. The mill turns out Is dozen
baskets a day. In the braiding room
four girls are employed, all new hands
at the business, but they braid from ~
to so baskets day. An experienced
! hand can braid in the vicinity of 81
,, baskets day. The factory expects tc
f employ 25 hands later on. The fore
, man, L. II. Church, who thoroughly
l understands the business, was borr
near Westminster, Vt, where the mrs.
basket factory was established 40 or Of
years ago. The shave that cuts the
braids now was in use then, no better
machine having since been invented
? for this purpose. The factory has
:. made good start and the prospects
ahead are promising.