Webster City freeman. [volume] (Webster City, Hamilton County, Iowa) 1884-1946, 1914-06-16

ed here at that time. There was
no boiling chest in the primitive
mill; settlers did their own boiling
at home. Later hand boiling ma
chine was added to mill machinery,
necessitating "hopper-boy," who
fed the grain by hand into a hopper
which was turned by hand, tanning
out the graham and retaining the
fine flour. An old miller from Ohio,
Father Comley by name, employed
at times in local mills, related how
he, as "hopper-boy" in an old mill
together with companion, was in
structed by the miller, who was to
leave the mill in their care for the
day, to carry several bushels OF
wheat which was stored on the Sec
ond floor. This wheat had been
famed or cleaned and was to be
poured into the hopper to be ground.
Elevators were then unknown. So,
no sooner was the miller out of
sight than the ingenious boys has
tily constructed long trough, cne
end of which they tackled to the
floor above and the other end to the
hopper. Then boring a hole in the
second floor directly over the trough
they had but to pour the wheat into
the hole and their work was done.
But alas! upon his return the thick
headed old miller saw what they
had done and installing their clev-
erness for laziness, made them carry
the wheat back upstairs and down
again by hand, in the good old-fash-
toned way.
Andrew Groseclose had a large
family, one of whom was Mrs. Nor
gan Hill, now living in Missouri. In
1855 DR.. Charles Fisher, an early
day practitioner, also millwright
and miller, came to this county and
bought the mill of Groseclose. Set
tiers came from such distances in
the grinding season that they often
had to wait three and four days for
their grist. Dr. Fisher had two log
houses and always lodged his GUS
toners, often providing them food
if their own store of provisions ran
low. And it was told of him that
he always furnished food free. The
pay of the miller Of this period was
every fourth bushel. This mill also
ran a saw and made laths and shin
giles. The mill itself was a small
frame one-story building, which fin
ally took fire and burned. It was
never rebuilt.
Early settlers also remember the
erection on Lick-skillet-a bottom
land below Bells mill, of a sawmill
in 1854. This was owned by Butter
worth and Messmore. Hiram Dayton
bought it soon after and moved the
mill west of Homer, where it was
later operated under a different
name.
BONES MILL.
The site of Bones mill was for
years one of the beauty spots Of the
county. For a half-mile back onl
either side of Boone river native
timber Of walnut, oak and maple
made it an ideal home for the set
tier and desirable location for al
sawmill. Ruthless hands have since
cleared this all away and converted
the rich soil into farms. About six
rods north of the site of Bones mill,
Thomas Williams built his sawmill
in 1854. He had come with his
family from Dark county, Ohio, to
carve for himself and family home !
out of the wilderness. This mill
was first run as feed and sash saw
mill. Mr.. Williams was unfortun-
ate in his choice of building spot !
and location for the dam. The !
first spring after his mill was built
the mill and the entire dam was eat
en- out by the icy jaws of the spring
gorge, and he moved his machinery
to the site of Bones mill. Charles
Fisher, who bought the Groseclose
mill, was the millwright and took
for his pay land belonging to Will
liams, which is now the w. o. Nc
Cornell farm. The mill, which was
a grist mill, was to have been COM
pleted in three years, but work was
delayed and the property was trans
ferred to Lambert Sternberg. Mrs.
James Brock, of Webster City, is a
daughter of Thomas Williams and
well remembers the troublous times
following the destruction of the mill
by the ice.
Sternburg put in new dam of
logs and large poles bolted together,
also adding machinery for grinding