The Waterbury Democrat., 1940-08-08

holds water on the old road that
follows the course of Jeremy
Brook down toward the Farms.
Asa claimed to have learned
how to make hollow logs from
the Indians and he was close
listed and secretive about 1t. He
would sell you q trough, quick
enough, but he wanted to work
it out on his own schedule and
in his own way, without wit
nesses. Using an axe and an
adze, Asa Woodward would hol-
low out q log that just begged
a horse to drink from II, and
then he would take smaller
sticks and make connecting
troughs to carry the water from
the side-hill spring to the main
reservoir.
The watering trough beside the
way is almost a forgotten institu-
ton, but oid-tirners remember it
well. Generally placed in shady
spot, noss-covered, dank, dripping
cool, those old troughs offered re-
freShment far more satisfactory
than the Oak Tree Tavern or the
Farmers Home Cafe. Hired men,
returning from a too long evening
at one Of the gin mills, often
stopped at the watering trough to
bathe fevered brow and quiet the
inward fires with great mouth
fuls Of shivering-cold spring wa
ter. Horses always stopped for
swig, unless the owner was ugly
and out-of-sorts. Dogs came along
and, after smelling around the
TANKS Of the trough, would climb
up with their forward feet on the
brink and lap up water like cat
tapping ashes. Watering troughs
were the berries.
In lot Of towns where the
First Selectman was social
minded, q taxpayer could get
FIVE or ten dollar rebate every
year il he kept watering
trough in operation, beside the
way. We've heard that such
provision is ON the Statute
Books, but we have not checked
yet. Anyway, many public-spir-
tied folks maintained watering
troughs just for the fun Of see
ing folks stop for q good, honest
drink. A few men we knew kept
sinners in these old troughs for
live bait, and to keep the water
clean.
Sinners In a watering trough
are like trout in a well. There
was a time when it was good bust
ness to keep q bull trout In the
well, and it was considered a
health safeguard, too.
A Communist writer preparing
copy for an epic book on Con-
necticut recently made the
statement that Connecticut was
founded by men who sought
personal profit alone, and fur.
Their stated that this State
never had any sea-going COM
merce. That writer was Rus
sian-Jewish and he worked for
WPA, so we have to forgive his
lack Of knowledge ana ignor-
ance, but we found . swell trace
Of the sea-going Yankee right
here today. Sam Pierce started
talking about "sangaree."
Ever hear Of ''sangaree"?
It's a drink quite common in the
tropics and twice as common in
Connecticut hayfields. It's built
on Q base Of straight water, and
1t may be tempered with wine,
rum, or brandy. Our folks econo-
I1lize and use Inolasses, ginger,
and Just q trace Of vinegar. SAM
garee makes the scythe cut better
and will cool on Q man In the
hottest haymow. The recipe came
TO Yankeeland long before we
took TO importing Communists TO
prove 10 NJ how little we knew
about our own people. sangaree
has genuine authority and char
acter because II came up from the
Caribbean Sea In the galley Of
Yankee sloops returning from q
voyage where the skipner had
ewnpped slaves, corn. and cattle
Tor molaases end rum.