Connecticut western news., 1899-07-20
"Reminiscences of the Industries in East
 Canaan and History of the Burt

"Reminiscences of the Industries in East
 Canaan and History of the Burt
 Forge.
 Continued.
 In 1844 Luman Foote purchased the water power and saw mill below the forge from Isaac Holt and put up . plant for tanning sheep skins. He also purchased lot and built the house now owned by E. s. Roberts, and oommen- ced housekeeping there. He employed . number of hands and took the entire charge of the business himself. He was a practical man at the business and made success of it from the start. This addition to the number of inhabitants and to the business of the place made it pleasant for the residents. About this time Hiram Briggs purchased the French place and built Q house and moved his family into it, adding another good family to the place. The em- ploye of the iron works and tannery were e sober, industrious and moral class of men. The social relations were all that could be desired, and the time passed pleasantly.
 In 1847 and AS there commenced . strong competition in the iron business. A number of puddling furnaces were built-Canfeld & Robbins, at Falls Village; Hunts. at Huntsville; Stevens. at Great Burlington; Wells, at Gold Spring (New Boston, Mass. ]; Lawrence & Day, West Norfolk; and Manchester at Pine Meadow. These furnaces were dependent largely upon the Collins Go. for the sale of their iron. The produc. ton was far in excess of the demand. The result was 8 reduction iu the price and quantity to each furnace. While Huntington & Day had their share of Collins Go. orders it did not keep the forge fully employed. They looked for other markets and sold iron to Horatio Ames of Falls Village to use in making fange tires for locomotive driving wheels. They also marketed iron in New York in various shapes. and made car axles for New Haven company and other places. The days of their pros- perity were drawing to e close. They were hardicaped at the start by debts of the old company, E. Grove Lawrence holding . mortgage on the property. Their capital was limited. In 1849 Huntington went to California and died there. Day made an assignment to Luther Munson, and Munson took pos. session and operated the works for a short time and then closed it. The forge was sold or leased to General Har- vey who was the inventor of process for making wrought iron from the ore in furnace. Harvey altered the pud- ding furnace into one of his design which was very expensive. After com pleting it he started it. but it was not success. He stopped it and made al- terations and started again but another failure was the result. He experiment. ed with it for some length of time and expended large amount of money. He succeeded in making wrought iron. but snly in small quantities of inferior quail ty, at great expense. He abandoned the forge and it went down with many others in Western Connecticut, and it would be difficult today to find the site where they stood. :.
 In 1854 Luman Foote sold his plant to John K. Shepard and left the place. think Shepard did but little there.
 Of the families who resided in that place Wm. Lawrence and Hiram Briggs only remained. The saw and shingle mill, forge and tapnerY have long since gone to decay, and the men who were employed there have passed over the "Great Divide" with the exception of few whom I will Eame as follows: E. D. Lawrence, B. Jaqua, Josiah Shook, Smith Stevens. Royal Hubbell. Warren Mcintyre and myself. It may be said of these that the days of their usefulness have passed. and, like the saw mill and forge and tannery. they will soon be numbered among the men and things of the past.
 have written this history of the mills. forge and tsnnery entirely from memory-omitting some minor incidents that recall. think it nearly correct. I have enjoyed the writing of these sketches as it has recalled many pleas ant memories of the past and of the old home.
 In my next will mention some small industries. and give brief history of the Isham Factory.
 THOMAS RICHARDS.
 l74 Summit Ave Jersey City, N J.. July IA. 1899.
 Deafness Can,r be Cured
 oy local applications, as they cannot reach the diseased portion of the ear There is only