The daily chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Ind. Ter. [Okla.]) 1898-1902, 1900-04-11
QUEER PROFITS
Maine Houses Built from Trade in
Odd Commodities.
some Expensive Structures and Their
Owners-Frogs' Legs and Earth
worms BrinE Good
Returns.


county, Me. for that matter, was
built S5 years ago by George Weld,
a bachelor blacksmith who ehod
horses. ironed horse sleds for men
who went into the woods, and forged
axes for woodchoppers, in little
1t is a large mansion standing in a
stately grove Of sugar naples which
now yields 1000 gallons Of maple
sirup every season. Though Mr.. Weld
earned good living from his shop,
most Of his prosperity came from
frogs legs, which he salted and sold
in Boston and New York He hired
boys to catch and dress the frogs,
doing the rest of the work himself.
When he died ten years ago his estate
was valued at $t7O,o0o nine-tenths of
which came from frogs. The place
has since passed into other hands,
but the name of Yields frog house"
still clings to it, says the New York
Sun.
Blacksmith Weld was not the, only
man who built stately mansion for
himself in eastern Maine from money
earned in unusual occupations. The
best house in Frankfort before the
civil war was owned and occupied by
John Torrey, Q Torrey's Mills, an ec-
centric and profoundly pious old man,
who amassed wealth by making and
selling angleworm liniment. Torrey's
house was a small fort with bastions
and fanldng casemates constructed
according to rules laid down by army
engineers. 1t was made of rubble
stones picked up in the fields and
held together by cement. The cost
was about $4,000 Torrey used to say
that more than 1O0O0O,OO0 feet Of
earthworms died in order that his
house might be built. The angleworm
liniment, which Torrey sold for so
cents bottle, was regarded as sure
cure for rheumatism, sciatica and all
maladies that impeded human or
animal locomotion.
The most imposing residence on the
banks of the Penobscot river between
Camden and Bangor is owned by
David II. Smith, of Wintersport. 1t
was paid for out of Is per cent,
commission on half cents. When the
Dix island Granite company was EN-
ploying 5000 skilled stone cutters on
the New York and Philadelphia post
Office buildings, Mr.. Smith acted as
agent for the company. The men re-
ceived $3.50 a day for eight hours
work AS one-fourtb of days work
amounted to S71s cents and three
fourths of a day was valued at S2.621s.
and as the United States would make
no account of half cents OH the pay
rolls, dispute arose. A. h. Mullett,
who was supervising arcbiyect at the
time, proposed compromise, allow
ing the quarter of day man SS cents
and the man who worked three
fourths of day $3.50. Mr.. Smith, as
a friend Of the laboring man, argued
that the United States would never
feel the loss of half cents, and pro-
posed thai the fractional rates should
be $2.63 and IS cents. This was
agreed to in 1873. The Philadelphia
Job was completed in 1878. When the
men had been paid off Mr.. c. P. Dixon. |
of Brooklyn, n. y, the manager for
the company gave Mr.. Smith $4,000, |
telling him it was reward for serv-
ices in keeping up the wages of the
men. 1t was Just one-half of the Is
per cent. allowed by the government
on half cents. Franklin Treat, hav-
ing suffered great reverses from the
decay of shipping, and needing money
badly. sold his $30,Oo0-house to MIR.
Smith for $4,000
The strangest house in New Eng
land stands on broad salt marsh at
the base of Mosquito mountain. 1t
was built by Thomas MacMahan, Of
Prospect, in the early ffties, and was
the result of what may be called a
military necessity. Fort Knox was
mapped out soon after the close of
the Mexican war for the purpose of
commanding the entrance to Penob-
scot narroWs. Gen. Isaac J. Stevens.
who was killed at the second battle
of Bull Run, then q young lieutenant
Of engineers. was sent to Maine TO
take charge of the work. He built
long lines Of earthworks along the
shore front, but after the first win
ter he found that the burnettszed
revetments Of wood fell away from
the dirt causing much labor. After
with zen. Tofren he made
up his mind TO use a wall Of pressed