The Newtown bee. (Newtown, Conn.) 1877-current, 1898-12-09
have been detained at home for about a
week, owing TO the blockaded roads.
BRANCHVILLE.
A CHAT WITH A LOCAL MANUFAcr,

A CHAT WITH A LOCAL MANUFACTURER.
George B. Or man, the hustling pro-
prietor of the Branchville Ice Tool
Works, is receiving many applications
for the handsome catalogue he has Just I
issued illustrating the various tools he
manufactures and sells. Mr. GIuman is
a thorough mechanic, and with his sons
personally superinteuds the manufacture
of their goods, Mr. Gruman has lately |
shipped large orders to Holyoke, Mass, |
to the West Point military academy, to |
New Berlin, N. Y. New Haven and 9TH
er points. Last season over 300 OF his
ice axes were sold in New Haven alone. |
A representative of THE BEE had pleas
ant chat with Mr. Gruman, the other
evening, who said among other things IN
speaking of the business in his line: sin
our mind we know Of many, nearly q
hundred, who have failed in ice tool
making. Why? Because they never
knew the art or what was necess ary in a
tool fer cutting or handling ice. An ice
tool MAXI r TO succeed in ice tool making,
must know the density andagrain of ice.
The tool, the metal required, the temper,
the shape and weight. This can only be
| learned by actual experimenting and care
full study. Those who have learned
| little from some maker Or dreamed some
| bulukS Sbdtb Ill tue puSiutSE, pun bDb
blow in a catalogue with great flaring
| illustrations, and with testimonials from
| the ignorant, aud cut prices, by which
| they ecure little trade for their worth
less trash, which is soon discarded and
70 more wanted, their trade gone and
| they fail, and the customers cheated of
their investment. 1t is of the highest
| importance to men in the ice cutting bust
ness to have the best tools, those which
will do the best work the easiest, the
best, and quickest. Don't buv poor tools
because they are cheap. A few dollars
lextra for the best will often save hun
dreds of dollars caused by breahage,
slow working and delays, until overtaken
by heavy SHOWS TO move, fl DDS and poor
ice, the ice dealer is ruined. Our tools
lare unsur passed when all their merite
are considered. We have spent time snd
money without stint-experimentiDg, i'm.
proving and testing all kinds OF ice tools
and to-day we confidently Cff5r to al
customers the best tools to be had. The
, steel used by most manufacturers is IN
, fit for pillow teeth, but cheap. We have
for some years, had our steel for plowt
made to our special order, and iG is un
IeQualled for it's fiaeness and fitness FOL
ice pillow teeth. All the material used il
our tools is the best that can be had. NJ
cast iron ueed. We have the highes
skilled and the most experienced work
= men and the best adapted machinery
y We give the most careful attention In al
! the processes of manufacture, and ar
! confident we have the finest grade, tn
1 greatest variety and largest stock of ic
tools to be found.'' Mr. Gruman now ha
an opening for two good forgers of stead
habits.
FIFTY REPRESENTS THE LAY OUT OF tn
ROADS WHEREABOUTS.
The following from the Chicago Trit
une fitly represents the wisdom OF To
= lay out Of some of the roads in this SCI
- ton:
One day through the primeval wood
A calf walked nome, as good calves should;
= But made trail all bent askew,
A crooked trail, as all calves do.
~ Since then two hundred years have fled,
~ And. l infer, the C II is dead.
IL But still he left behind his trail,
And thereby hangs mortal tale.
,r The trail was taken up next day
/. By lone dog that passed that way.
u And then q wise be wether sheep
Pursued the trail DER vale and steep,
RI And drew the flock behind him, too,
, As good Dell-w others always do.
e, And from that day, DER hill and glade,
"a Through those old woods path was made.
And many men wound in and Out,
10 Anddodged and turned and bent about.
17 And uttered words OF righteous wrath,
y Because twas such crook ed path;
10 But still they followed do not laugh
in The first migration OF that calf
~ And through the winding woodway stalked
Because he wabbled when he walked.
I'd This forest path became a lane,
r. That bent and turned and turned again;
- This crooked lane became road.
Where many a DOR horse with his load,
" Toiled on beneath the burning sun.
And trav eled some three miles in one.
Al And thus century and a halt
=" They trOd the footsteps OF that calf
a. The years passed on in swittness fleet,
The road became village street.
IA And this before men aware,
" city g crowded thOrOughfare,
1T And soon the ce trail street was this
to OF a renowned metropolis
"a And men to o centu1 les and half
. Trod in the footsteps o. that calf;
Is Zach dav hundred thousand rout
It, Followed the zigzag elf about;
And DER his crooked journey went
The traffic of the continent
A hundred thousand men were led
By one calf near three centuries dead.
The fact may not be generally know
but there is man in Branchville w
has been 30 years in bed. He thinks {
Ill man who invented "gettipg up" wasl
FIX smart.
1g E s. Marsh, the agent of the Conso
ee dated at this station, has been nursing
pair of Jobs comforters for number
st DAYS. one on either hand.
Not since the great blizzard of '88 b
there been so much snow shoveling
,s- during the last week. Many of the roa
es- up to Saturday night last were hare
Dr. passable.
lie Work in the quarry at the Florida 8
ton has been greatly retarded by
til huge snow drifts. Many of the cutie
of have gone home.
First it blew, then it snew, and til
Ia, it thew. and then it friZ." This was IL
ar Hoods description or WINTER. Inc Pr
emit fills the bill as a specimen. just
or the roads were becoming passable af
or much shoveling, then came the rain a
the slush, then the friz, which still no
n the fort, and the people greatly mou
ell, A number of copies of THE BEE 1
ae now received at the postoffice. result
nd a recent visit of the editor to the neis
borhood. He might do we'll to co
again.