The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-11-05
FINE HOUSES FROM ouhxx rHolris.
Structures Butt In Maine from Trade In
Frogs Legs and Angleworm oil.

oLAMoN, Me-, Nov. 3,-The finest and mos,
expensive house in town, or in northern penob.
scot county for tina, matter. wos built thirty five
years ago by George Weld. bachelor blacksmith
who shod horses. ironed horse sleds for men vho
went into the woods, and forged axes Tor wood.
choppers. in little shop the banks Of the Pcnob
scot. II IL large mansion standing in a stately
grove Of sugar naples which now yields 900 gal
Ions Of maple syrup every season. Though Mr.
Weld earned good living from his shop, most Of
his prosperity came from frogs legs, which he
sailed and sold in Boston and New York. lie
hired boys 10 catch and dress the frogs doing the
rest OF the work himself when he died ten years
ago his estate WAS valued at s170O 600. nineteen
Of which came from frogs. The place has since
passed into other hands. but the name Of Yields
frog house still clings TO IT,
Blacksmith Weld was no, the only man who
built stately mansion for himself in eastern
Maine from money earned in VI l,ual occupations.
The best house in Frankfort before the civil war
was owned and occupied by John Torrcy Of Tor
reys Mills, an eccentric and profoundly pious old
man, who amassed wealth by making and selling
anglewOrm linimont Torrey's house a
small for, with bastions and fanking classmates
constructed according 10 rules laid down by army
engineers II was made Of rubble stones picked
up In the fields and : Id together by cement.
Tho cost WIS about si5,O Torrey used 10 say
that more than 100 COG. 900 feet Of ear,hworms
died In order that his house might be built The
angleworm Gniment which Torrcy sold for so
cents a bottle. was regarded az a sure cure for
rheumatism. sciauca and all maladies that i'm.
peded human or animal locomouon. The
popular idea was that as angleworms were always
flexible and could glide over the ground with
a ducule case such active creature possessed.
an oil or Eminent made from their bodies would
timber up stiff Joints and cause the aged 10 leap
with the vigor OF youth. The process Of making
the Imminent was simple though rather tough
on the worms In the fall, when the fishermen
came in. Torrcy bough, the waste salt which
he dissolved In water and poured the solution
over the rish meadow lands whcts ear,hNorms
they came TO the surface when Torrey picked
them m. Then he PLACED them IN broad Cat
gave up the ghost and the precious oil. About
nine parts OF new rum were added TO one part
for sale. Torrey's house Is known to-day as the
"angieworm fort"
The moStimposing residence on the banks Of the
Penobscot River between Camden and Bangor
II owned by David II. Smith Of Wintersport IL
was paid for out Of a fftecn per cent commission
panv was employing 1000 skilled stone cutters
on the New York and Philadelphia Post Office
huildin!s NJ Smith acted a. .. agent for the
hours work. As one fourth Of days work
amounted 10 So, cents and thrccfour,hs Of a
States would make no account Of half cents on
the payrolls a dispute arose. 4; Ma!loi;.
who was supervising ARCHITECT a. tho time. nro
posed a compromise, allowing tho quarter 81
iour,hs q day s2.e2, Mr.. Smith. as a friend
would never ee the loss Of half cents and pto oScd
that the fractional rates should he 81 6S and IS
cents, This was agreed 10 In ISIS; The Phila-
drlphia Job was completed In 1878. When the
men had been paid of Mr.. &. p. Dixon OF brooklyn
y. Y. the manager for the company. gave Mr..
Smith 5000, telling him II was q reward for
was lust ore'half Of tho fifteen per cent allowed
by the Government on half cents. franklin
Treat having suffered great rcverSes from tho
sold his sso.oW house to Mr. Smith Tor sS COO.
broad salt marsh a, the base Of Mesquite Noun
tain II was built bv Thomas Macmahan Of
Prospect In the early fifcs, and was the result Of
Know was mapped out soon after the close Of tho
MEXICAN War for tho purpose Of commanding the
Stevens who was killed al the second battle of
Bull Run, then young lieutenant OF engineers.
VAS sen, 10 Maine to @Se charge o. the ~, wori; ne
front hut after the frs, winter he found that tho
burnc;tyed rcve,n,cnts Of wood fell away from the
Gen 1o,cn he made up his mind TO use q wall Of
pressed soda The murky marshes near Mos
that sent out strong roots, boiling the humus
together In bands as strong as steel He employed
/ Tom Mac to cut the sods. which were scnwcd
20 the fort pressed into bricks and laid in walls II
the rear Of the ear,hworks but in front Of the gun
carriages The top lavcr of peat was VI no use,
having too much grass on IT, 40 Macmillan took
tho ton snds oil aud piled them up In four walls for
J. dwelling house lie hewcd brown ash timbers
! side up Instead Of diving tho grass grow anaZ,
| inglv, not only the roof, hut from Sides md
domwavs So that Tom Macs house became
| a great cnriositv Az he grew prosperous from
! good wages he kent cow. obtaining agood portion
o. her feed from the hay which grew on his Ioof.
| The house IN standing TODAY, though the builder
| 10 long since dead The revetmcnts Of pressed
| sods are good now AZ thew were when Lieut.
Stevens put them in. nearly fifty years ago.