The independent-reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1909-1955, 1924-02-07
Eureka
(By r. r. Patten)

lBy IL. L, IdtLeHJ
In my boyhood days Welchman
came to the town where | then lived
The arrival of a stranger was infre-
quent enough to attract attention. II
he did not at once state what he was
there for, 1t Immediately became eve
rybody's business to find out. This
fellow excited our curiosity by roam
ing around the hills and Yallys in
the vicinity of Monsoon, apparently to
no purpose. Later, 1t became evident
that he knew what he was about. He
was looking for slate. He had been
a miner in Wales and had more re-
Gently been working in the slate quar-
ries in Vermont. He was familiar
with the fact that slate veins have a
consistent northeasterly and south
westerly direction and he had made
up his mind that these out-eropings of
beautiful dark slate which showed up
in Vermont and elsewhere in New
England must pass thru Monson. He
was correct about this; the same vein,
or one near by and absolutely paral-
lei with it, which comes to the sur
face in East Madison and Mayfield,
also shows up in Blanchard, Monson
and Brownyille No doubt in the
same line, to the northeast of Brown
VILE and to the southwest of Madi-
son, similar formation could be found.
Now, | have told all about this
slate business to account for the title
of this article. This Welchman, or
his associates, opened up slate mine
MI, oh
told meant ~ have found it."
The use of the same word in con-
nection with this story does not indl
cate that / have found slate; | haven't
been looking for It, But, I have
FOUND A TORCH TO GO WITH MY
CAPE COD LIGHTER.
Soon after the publication of an ar
ticle on this subject in the Independ-
ent-Reporter of November 20, Nina
Bragg was in to see me and said that
If | could show him the thing or a
picture of it, he believed he could find
one He wanted to try anyway. My
old one had been destroyed l didn't
even have a picture of the device and
could not help him much. l did give
the best description could.
In the meantime, my cousin, Mrs.
Pearl Curtis Sprague, had read the
article in the Reporter of November
goth. Somewhat in jest and perhaps
in part moved by the desire to help
me in obtaining the asbestos torch to
make my Cape God lighter complete,
she ordered one from a Boston deal
er and it arrived by parcel post. l
returned 1t to the Boston establish
ment promptly and wrote my cousin
in Lexington, Mass. that I could not
keep it as 1t confiicted with my Gus
tom never, so far as the matter could
be by me controlled, to eat, drink,
wear, consume or make use of any
thing not bought at retail In Somerset
County. She had right to be Offend
ed by was kind enough to pardon my
crankiness.
Before returning the torch showed
1t to Mr.. Bragg. He made a mental
picture of it and was successful in
getting a similar one from whole
sale house with which Bragg & Var
ney do business. Now comes an in
teresting comparison. The price
charged by Bragg G Varney was $1.35,
while the price of the Boston house
to my cousin was $1.50. Not an
important difference but balance of
fifteen cents in favor of Skowhegan.
Perhaps | should explain that this
torch is kept soaked in kerosene and
Is used for lighting a fire. My old
one went out of commission a year
or two ago, | made repeated efforts
to buy one locally but have only been