The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-12-08

such work is not needed at the present
time. 1t is a long time since l have seen a
troad-aXe or an adze, but in my youth l
became quite expert in the use OF both OF
them.
TT roofs of most of the early build
ings were made without either boards or
used for rafters and upon them were
placed ribs of hardwood, generally oak, on
which TO lay the shakes, which served
the purpose of shingles. These shakes
were made of straight-grained timber, so
that they could be of the same width and
thickness, and they were laid in courses UP
and down instead of horizontally, as is the
case with shingles.
Nails were very expensive in those early
days. and the pioneers figured every posi-
bic way to get along without them. Father
rugged up a punch that worked with a
treadle ard spring, so as to make small
holes in the shakes, by which 70 fasten
them to the roof. This was done by means
of small pegs. which were made by hand
and answered the purpose of single nails.
BY the time the barn was built l was old
enough to help at such work, and many an
evening | spent with my father making
pegs. 1t was quite a trick to make the pins,
and not everybody could do 1t. There was
a. family living near us where there were
boys about my age, and not one of them
could ever learn TO make a pin that would
be of any use. Doors were often put to-
gether in the same way, and in fact, there
were few nails about the original buildings
on our farm. All the doors were hung on
HiIktS Iudut Il NOOds dlld lhCl a. oloO n
wooden latch, so that In fact there was no
metal about the door whatever. What few
boards we had were sawed out or timber
cut on the place by means OF a whipsaw.
The money cost of erecting the buildings
was very small, and the expense was al
most wholly in labor, and counted clear
gain.
Whenever a settler had work that was
too heavy to do alone or with the help he
had a simple notice to the ~neighbors was
sufficient 10 raise a crowd. every pioneer
always stood ready 10 assist in such under
takings from the logging up of a piece
OF land to putting up a log building. 1t was
the general custom in those days to have
whisky on all such occasions, and lunch
was furnished to the workmen. but nobody
ever asked or would receive pay for help
ing. Whisky in those days cost a mere
trif1e and the supply was not often stinted,
though il was seldom that there was a case
of drunkenness, at least until after the
work was done. In later days when the
settlers could buy lumber to cover their
buildings they got out framing timbers
instead of logs, and 'raisings' needed more
scientific work, but the pioneers were equal
ton to the rudiments of carpentry and
could superintend the erection of a large
building. Some of the settlers were accus-
toned to climb the frame and see to the
setting of the cross beams and braces, while
those who could do none of the expert work
did the lifting. 1t was no small job to put
up the frame of a large barn, but the pio-
neers seldom, if ever, failed in anything
they undertook.
.sThe BOYS i'm those times had to learn to
do all kinds of things TO help make end.
meet, and they grew up good. practical
men through such training. There Was Lo
idleness in those days. for II was a con-
tinual hustle for a living. 1t was a good
a hard one it turned out efficient grad
IateS."