Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1907-02-27

III the forest WIGS OF the Island OF
Cape Breton, a part OF Noya Scotia
furnish an illustration of the difficulty
OF making a town grow just where 1t
Is wanted to.
On the purchase of the Brouehton
areas in 1904 by an English syndicate,
work was started with vim. Largo
gangs OF men were employed uncover.
Ing the coal veins and in other pre-.
liminary work about the mine. Houses
went up as If by magic, and the nu.
cleus Of permanent population had
been established, when suddenly and
without the slightest warning orders
were given to close down everything
Operations ceased. and gradually
those who had taken UP their resi-.
renee In the little mushroom town in
the woods, realizing that the boom
had busted" packed up and left in
for more remuneratlYe fields. Today
there are not more than sixty people
! In the town.
| One of the two hotels that were
erected the Crown. was Intended for
the wortlngmen, and the other. the
Broushton Arms In luxuriance Of
equipment is unsurpassed in the Mari
| time Provinces Of Canada. It strong.
~ resembles an old English tavern
of the eighteenth century. The floors
are hard wood, and in the trim black
walnut predomlnates. Rich pile car
pets cover tho floor. and rare orna.
ments from London and Paris adorn
| the walls. There is n telephone in
| every room. and the furniture is OF
the best. manager wns imported
from New York to run the hotel, an
excellent chef took charge of the cul
mary department. and for time
everything went we'll.
The company. however. soon began
to encounter difficulties. II planned
to ship It's coal over the Sydney &
11ouisburg Railway to either Sydney
or Louisburg, and track was laid
to connect with the Sydney & louis.
burg line. But when the track had
been laid 1t was discovered that the
Dominion Coal Company. which owns
the Sydney & Louisburg Railway,
wouldn't allow the new company to
use 1t. Undaunted, the men behind
Tit set about to construct n line of
their own from Broughton to Sydney
and from Broughton to Loulsburg; Sur.
veys were made. and. as 1t was found,
that 1t would be a much more ex.
pensive undertaking than at frat an.
ticipated. tho Nova Scotian govern.
ment was approached for subsidy.
rms was never granted.
Other signs Of hard times then he.
gan to appear The staff was cut
down and the general manager ana
chief engineer resigned. 1t was an
nounced that President Mayhem was
going to manage the company himself
and he came out from England to di.
rect operations. After few months
he went back to the old country
leaving his son In charge. This was
the last he was ever to see of that
son. for few months later the young
man cut his throat in lonely farm.
mouse near the scene of the com.
panys operations. why he did the
deed may never he known. He took
his secret with him to the grave, but
the general impression was that the
company's trouble had something to
do with 1t. The suicide of young
Mayhem was the last blow to bring
Broughion's troubles to elimination.
Disheartened by his sons. sad end.
ing, HORACE Mayhew, .Sr.. ,relinquished
all his interest in the place. The few
persons who still lived in the Brough.
ton Arms moved to Sydney. and that
hotel and the Crown were closed and
now stand. empty, representing he
tween them 100000 practically thrown
away :
No longer is the little church filled
as formerly. Only a few persons at.
tend the services there now. This
church is perhaps unique in Ameri.
ca, III that 1t is finished inside with
birch bark. The walls and altar are
covered with this, and the seats are
made of birch poles with the bark
still attached. The contrast between
the dull gray of the bark and the
heavy brass cross and candlesticks
presented to the church by various
members OF the Broughton company
Is striking.
Thomas Fl. Quinn, of Worcester
Mass, a dealer in secondhand ma
chinery. recently purchased the sum
OF $4925 practically the entire Gil.
lagc. Of Wilklnaonville, situated on
Old Blackstone River, about a dozen
miles from Worcester The village
was sold at public auction, ordered
| by the trustees of the Slater estate
, formerly well known in mill circles
throughout the country.
The only thing that did not go with
the village was the rectory-an church
OF st. Johns parish. For an inhabited
place Wilkinsonyille is as near to "a
deserted village as can be found II
made brave start in life, but pros
perity took another road
In 1915 Jeremiah Stone sold what
was known as the Dudley farm TO
Asa Waters. of Millbury, Mass The
latter in 1923 sold to David W1lkin.
son. of Pawtucket, the farm and ali
the water privileges. Hn built mills
and Wilkinsonville flourished for some
| NCara. He huff O. inr, ,,thI.,.- - :.