Norwich bulletin., 1921-12-23

(Written Specially for The BuEetfn)
 Within sight from my east window are four small mountain brooks. They have no large volume of water running in them ordinarily. But they come from considerable heights and have what the old millers used to call ''big fall" As sources of power, they somewhat make up for their small flow by this fall.
 Today there is just one sawmin &C., tuated spasmodically by one of these four brooks. This mill may be used for two months of the year. For the rest of the time the water of Its stream like the water of the other three all the year, rushes uselessy down it's rocky bed.
 A hundred years ago, every drop of the water in all -four streams was infpounded at suitable points in their courses and made 10 do work There were on them four saw-mills two grist-mills four woolen mills; one machine shop; one woodworking shop two tanneries, and a bark-gTinding mill Fifteen establish ments all told, where today there re- mains just one. In the whole town lhere were at that time six grist mills kept busy the year round with the grain brought them by the local farmers. Today single one does all the work that Is offered 1t and isn't overdriven at that
 When I speak of woolen mills and ETist mills of those former times, don't infer that they bore much resamb- -ance to tho huge woolen mills of today where millions of spindles whirl under a single ro0f, or to the great Touring mills Of St. Paul and Minneapolis They were not in that class. The biggest grist mill had only four run" of stones the biggest wooden mill probably employed at rush times not more than seven or eight hands. The saw mills used long up-and- down jig-saws and only single one to a mill. All the machinery was simple and according to our modern ideas, crude and clumsy and inefficient.
 Probably a big half of all the worl done in the machine shop and wood working mill was done by hand because there were no machines to do it yet in vented. All grain was ground betweer heavy mill-stones, because the roIle process was not yet known. The yarl was spun and cloth woven on device but a step removed from the hand spin ming wheel and the foot loom Hug leathern bellows worked by hand -'fbo, power" usual1y-suppIied draft to tn forges and the iron was forged on com utp nnlvils by clumsy trip-hammu and finished by hand
 The farmer carried his own wool f the wUolen mill and got back etthe ''rovings' or yarn CT cloth. IS he desire7 He took his hides to tle tanneries an, got back leather He took his wheat o rye to the grist mill and got back jus three tiinEs-flour. bran and "canaille, pronounced as is spelled "can-neI with the accept s-rOng on the second syl ls5le. He hauled his logs to tho saw mill and got back boards or blanks c studdlng or beams, as marked. In prac ticaliy every case he could pay in cas when he took the product or the 7nille would 'tOll' the job, taking a fixed pcr centage of the grain the wool the hid or the timber as his remuneration.
 I don't know whether to regret tb passing of that mancfacturing stage C to rejoice over f.. Clearly it had fl disadvantages. Take, for instance. tn wool. Before the farmer eheqrad it + must wash the sheep thoroughly to r. move as much of the dirt and as lit of the natural oils of the wool as DO sible. Then he must decide how rnuc yarn and how much cloth the family wa likely to need during the coming yea He must take his washed wool to the mi arrange for its manufacture go back ar get the goods when completed-vs,Ia' having 10 walt at least month ar make from two to four trips after the- Then "the women folks" had to knit r yarn into socks and mittens and the Ik and make clothes according to a pap pattern obtained from the not alwa! capable local tailor. All of this cause trouble. work and took time But, ga how that cloth wore! As the childr, 0lt-grew their suits they were ma over" not merely once but twice al thrice and perhaps more times for q ouccming brood. ] am this very wi fer wea~ ring as a wrap in which to .Io n barn chores part of an overcoat ma sixty-one years ago from c'oth woven