Evening journal., 1899-01-09
A LENGTHY TASK FINISHED
Massachusetts Man Constructs a
Table from Thousands of
Dits OF wood.

After 16 years of labor, off and on,
Llewellyn Cunningham, of 1s4 Adams
street, Dorchester, has recently com
pleted table which stands unique as
specimen of handiwork with earpen-
ters' tools. When 1t is stated that in
the construction of this piece OF furni-
ture the maker has utilized over 100000
separate pieces OF wood, the reader will
have a slight idea of the magnitude OF
the task. 1t is not alone in this, how
ever, that the interest in the table lies,
for, included in the immense number OF
pieces worked into its construction
there are go different species of wood,
from all parts of the world, as well as
relies from railroad disasters, floods,
big fires, battlefelds and old govern
ment ships and other commemorative
of important events.
Mr.. Cunningham began work on the
table in 1882, then having considerable
leisure at his disposal, and from that
time until the present he has worked
few hours each day upon the affair.
During all these years he has kept strict
account of the hours so spent, and he
reckons them at 3,G92 The result is
that in its completed state the table is
not only ornamental, but useful as well.
/ BY Mr. Cunnnghams ingenuity, pa
tience and perseverance he has worked
every piece together, however small,
into odd and striking designs, which are
inlaid on the top. bottom and legs.
The central design in the top is a
checker board, which contains the
largest pieces to be found in the table.
These are 1h inches square. The finest
work. into which are worked the small
est pieces, figures about l20 of them TO
the square inch. OF the various soft
woods very small piece of each has
been utilized. OF the hard and rare
woods many pieces of the same kind
were used. These woods were obtained
at considerable expense and labor, and
came from every state OF territory in
the United States. as we'll as from Nova
Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward
island, Cape Breton island, British Co
lumbia, Quebec, Montreal, Manitoba
Mexico, Chilli, Peru. the Andes noun
tans, Bolivia, United States of Colon.
bia. Honduras, Venezuela, the Guianas
Ecuador. Brazil, Argentina, Rio dc
Janeiro, Trinidad, Russia, China
Japan, Siberia, Asia Minor, Turkey in
Asia, Constantinople, Austria. Hun
gary, Prussia. Poland, Sweden, lap
land, Italy, France, Spain. Portugal
England. Ireland, Scotland, Norway
Greece, Cyprus, Sicily, Sardinia, Dor
, neo, sumatra. Singapore, Arabia, Zan
zibar, Africa, Cairo, Tasmania, Sand
wich islands, Society islands, Samoa
Cuba and Puerto Rico.
Among the many important events
b from which relics are worked into iti
construction are the railroad disaster
of Ashtabula. August 20, 1876; spuyter
Duyvel, January 13, 1882, and tn,
D Quincy wreck. August 10, 1890; also thu
!. big fires of Portland, Me-. in 1850, Chi
i cago in 1871, ST. John, n. B., in 1877
o Boston in 1872, and Seattle, Wash, il
e 1850, and the floods of Mill river, 1874
. and Johnstown, in 1850.
{ Other interesting souvenirs are iron
j. the old government ships Ohio ant
b Merrimac; a piece of the Benedict Al
e mold house in New Haven. Conn; piec
d of the Judges cave and the old Yal
Y fence in the same city; piece Of shru
}. near Ledyard monument on the hill OF
e posite New London; a. picce "a the oil
a Liberty elm, Boston. and the old Wash
n ington elm, Cambridge; n piece of
T wrecked car at the Pittsburgh riot j
If 1877; piece of the stock of n rifle she
= of at Gettysburg. July /, 1868, and
" piece of the deck load of the barkentin
h. Herbert Fuller when she lay in Halifa
g harbor.
ie The maker of the table shows muc
h well-deserved pride in displaying it I
IS interested persons, and has an ente
II tanning tale to tell of nearly every piec
ie of wood used in its construction.--Boi
ton Herald.