Western Carolina Democrat and French Broad hustler. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1913-1915, 1915-09-16
A Chapter Each on Bill eye the Basket
Maker, and. Ward, the Hat Maker.
(By Thos. J. hickman. J

/ GeCLlng Dack to old time Industrial
ism, it might be well enough to say
that it is nowhere, claimed so far as
we know, that old Rip Van Wrinkle, in
his old identical parsonage, or even In
his legendary existence, ever skulked
into the mountains of Henderson coun-
| ty, looking for "co1d-tater,'' for if he
had done so, plenty of folks would
| have handed him one. Henderson
| county has never lacked Irish taters"
1t never will, but what has that to do
with Bill eyes basket factory and
other Industrial enterprises. promised
last week?
Gye is not living, and if he were,
then this history of him would not be
written. for he was some of fighting
man, especially during apple brandy
| season, when stills were active, in. the
fall and early winter of each year. Now
we have no i'll feeling against any of
the inhabitants, who may happen to
live in that neighborhood at this pres
ent time. but Gye and family were said
to have lived and had their basket fac
tory in the region of Buck Shoals,
near the Henderson and Buncombe
county line. convenient for Bill, when
legal troubles should come about, to
other, relative to jurisdiction of con-
stables. with habeas corpus papers.
No buildings or shelter, covered or
enclosed the said basket factory. 1t
was out in the open and the machin-
cry necessary for carrying on the same
was an axe, maui and wedge, for get
ting out the white oak timber for MAX
ing ribs, splits, the essentials in his
basket work.
AS to whose lands "Wm" got the
white oak timbers from, no man know
eth unto this day, for he had no lands
himself, neither did he procure any
timber\ leases. He would have scorn-
ed such thing as paying for timber
to make basket splits and ribs. Bill
was assisted at his factory, by his wife
and daughters and the sizes of his
baskets were bushels, half-bushels,
pecks and dinner school baskets, all
with handles, running around and
across the top. In fact, the basket
was built onto the handle and not the
handle to the basket. Fall of the year
was basket sale time, when old Gye and
family would start on the road. He
himself, would precede the caravan,
with twelve bushel baskets strapped
onto his back with hickory bark, for
want of strings in that day and time.
His wife, Nancy, would follow with
twelve half bushel ones, then would
come his eldest daughter, Samantha
with twelve peck sizes, while the rear
van, would be brought up by his
younger daughter, Jerusha, with twelvE
dinner school baskets, all strapped on,
with hiskory bark, as first mentioned.
Owing to the width of the roads in
those days,>n two could walk abreast,
hence they went in single file, single
track, as railroad cars now go. AS
they went, Gye would sing out the
prices, so cents, 35 cents, 25 cents and
15 cents, either in cash, applejack, or
side--bacon. Where produce was
taken, as was in most every sale, the
same would be left and gathered up
on the return trip, and any farm, or
corn crib, without a Gye basket or
two. would have been counted as poor
ly equipped, while school children, who
were without one, in which to take
their dinner, were hardly in the quality
class.
Poor Gye is gone, so are his family,
factory and baskets and as we are adj
monished to speak we'll only of the de-
ported, we can only say, resquat pa
Gem, we shall see you no more.
Ward, the Hat Maker.
Ward the hat maker, was probably
known to many of the Democrat read
ers, even if they never wore one of his
hats. His rule was, that you should
bring him bag of lambs wool and he
would keep one half and manufacture
the other half into hats and return to
you. He never used old sleeps wool
and whether the lamb producing the
wool was to have been one without
blemish, there has been no record kept.
The block and ticket with which Ward
manufactured these hats, were rarely
exhibited to the common and vulgar
eye. 1t was Wards secret for making
hats, you see, and instead of getting
patent on his device, he quietly kept
the thing in his own cellar. The as,
tonishing thing, with many, at Wards
factorS, was, if you took a "a pound
bag of lambs wool, you would only get
back about four pounds of hats. in
Guiding the paste used, when you
should at least have received IL
pounds. to your part. When complain
ed at, Ward would explain that the
great pressure eXerted by his block
and ticket, on which the hats were
made, caused the weight of the wool
to e1 aporate and pass away, notwith-
standing the paste consumed. If
man saw proper to dispute his theory
about this evaporation Of weight, then.
the hat-maker. in retaliation, would
hint that much of the wool brought,
was old sleeps wool and his factory
used nothing but damb's wool of the
first shearing The wool was expect
ed to be taken to the hat factory in its
natural color, as he did his own dye
ing and the color of the hats turned
out was what might be called ground
hog color. while the man who wore
one of them long, would likewise have
grounding look. 1t is/now said by
S.:a.4aAo tIa4 thn 1,ross,11.e