Morgan County Democrat. (McConnelsville, Ohio) 1886-1943, 1926-02-11

mills meant a big undertaking, a
great expenditure of time, labor
and money, unless there should
happen to be natural cataract or
fall of water Perhaps the most in
teresting thing about a water mill
was the wheel itself. There were
two kinds, the "undershot" and the
"overshot" wheel. The former was
| found to be very much lacking in
power, as it was propelled by the
current of water passing down a
sluice way under the wheel; while
| in case of the "oyershot," the
height of the fall and the added
weight of the water were mighty
factors in developing power. But
to harness this power, to bring it to
an elevation where a stream only
had a gradual fall, was big propo-
sition.
] After selecting a mill site, then
by levelling up stream the location
of the milldam could be determin
ed. Then a canal, or "mill-race" AS
it was called, had to be constructed
between as connecting link. These
dams and "mill-races," as you will
see later, were the biggest items in
the whole consideration. Some
times the man contemplating the
erection of one of these mills, would
have to obtain fright of way and
construct the mill-dam on some 9TH
er mans farm.
Some OF these mill-races were
quite lengthy. One on branch of
Meigs creek near here was about
three quarters of a mile long. These
were dug four or five feet wide, the
depth varying according to the un-
ldulation OF the ground. We know
of one of those races that was spad-
ed out By one man, which took
many months of hard labor In the
building OF some of those mill
races, where the stream forked it
sometimes became necessary to car
ry one branch across a stretch of
bottom over viaduct,-but let's
get back 20 the mill
The frame work of these mills
was, like everything else in that
her. The building had to be a two
story, else stiited up on posts or
piling. The machinery was very sim
pie, mostly constructed Of wood.
This was. OF course, most all up
stairs" or over the water wheel. A
heavy coarse toothed saw six or
eight feet long called sash saw"
was fastened in large wood frame
and made to work up and down be-
| tween heavy upright timbers like
window-sash hence the name.
On the urderside of this huge
frame or sash" was the pitman
that reached down and connected to
the crank on the Water-Wheel. A
log carriage, on which rested two
massive bead-blocks, was made to
move along between this "sash-saw"
frame. A ratchet wheel arrange
ment to control the feed and to
draw the carriage back, constituted
most of the equipment. AS this log
carriage was only permitted to move
up to the "tail' or second block on
which the log rested, the log could
not be sawed entirely through, so
there would be about four inches
that would have to be split off,
leaving rough end called stub
shot
or course such a mill was slow,
but it was great thing in that day.
! About 500 feet, board measure, was
considered a good days work. The
sawyer could start the saw in and
then mount up on the log and eat
his lunch before the saw would
work up to him. Outlines the mill
could not be operated for want of
i water, and then when a freshet
came they would have to- work day
and night as long as the water
held out. This was an endurance
test for many man.
1t might appear to the casual
reader that an outfit of this kind,
when completed and through with
the first cost, wouldn't require much
of an upkeep. This might have
| been true to large measure so far
as it applied to just the mill itself,
| but not for moment would 1T ap-
ply to the mill-dam and race. These
two things, particularly the latter,
were a never ending source of trou-
/ bic. There were slips to contend
with, besides 1t made a receptacle
ito catch all the wash from the hill
sides. Little streams which at
times became torrents would tear
away the wall of earth, or muskrats
would burcow through, and away
| would go the water perhaps tearing
across a cultivated field doing all