,transcriber's ,note3 ,italics are enclosed in underscores4 ,additional notes will be found near the end of this ebook4 ,illustration3 7cover7 ,,two ,,men ,,on ,a ,,mill ,the ,story ,of ,,the ,,restoration ,,of ,,baxter',s ,,mill ,the ,baxter boys they built a mill1 ,sometimes it ran-- ,sometimes stood still4 ,but when it ran1 it made no noise1 ,because 'twas built by ,baxter's boys4 ,by ,a4 ,,harold ,,castonguay #aifb ,copyright #aifb by ,a4 ,,harold ,,castonguay ,sketches by ,gordon ,brooks ,printed on ,cape ,cod by ,,the ,,wayside ,,studio ,,south ,,yarmouth1 ,,massachusetts ,illustration3 ,this ,,old ,,water ,,mill ,is ,being ,restored 7,,it ,,is ,,hoped7 ,,by ,,two ,,local ,,characters ,i ,time goes1 you say3 ,ah1 no6 ,time stays-- ,we go6 --,,dobson ,a few days before ,christmas of #aifa we will raise a pen gate in a flume adjoining the ,mill ,pond in ,west ,yarmouth1 on ,cape ,cod1 and a #bej-year old water grist mill will again grind corn into corn meal4 ,and so1 a vanishing part of ,americana1 especially old ,new ,england dating to our colonial days1 has been restored4 ,hundreds and perhaps thousands of people have been going by this little old building1 especially in the summer1 without giving it a thought but the mill's visitors from now on1 growing up in our modern world of television1 jet airplanes1 and high-powered automobiles1 to say nothing of electric can openers1 will get a glimpse of early ,america1 a view of the simplicity of the mechanism1 and the quiet dignity of the building itself4 ,the mill is the only one of its kind on ,cape ,cod1 the few others being either windmills or outside water wheels4 ,the original mill was probably built about #agaj by ,john and ,shubael ,baxter1 sons of ,thomas1 who arrived in ,yarmouth from ,rhode ,island after the close of ,king ,philip's ,war4 ,originally a mason1 the loss of a hand in the war made it impossible for ,baxter to continue his trade1 and he became a millwright4 ,his will1 probated in #agad1 disposes of fulling mill equipment4 ,this equipment was from the fulling mill which he built on ,swan ,pond1 now ,parker's ,river1 in ,west ,yarmouth4 ,he probably offered no more than advice to his sons when they built the grist mill near the ,south ,sea neighborhood1 but it is undoubtedly these sons who are immortalized in the little verse on the frontispiece of this saga4 ,the poem was already old when ,amos ,otis reproduced it in his #ahhj ,genealogy of ,barnstable ,families4 ,the ,baxter mill passed from ,john and ,shubael to their children1 ,richard and ,jennie1 first cousins who were wed4 ,from them1 it went to their son1 ,prince1 and from him to his son1 ,prince1 ,jr41 whose guardian1 ,david ,scudder1 sold one-half of the mill to ,timothy ,baker and his son1 ,eleazer1 and the other half to ,alexander ,baxter1 a remote cousin of ,prince1 ,jr41 through their common great-grandfather1 ,john4 ,extensive repairs were made to the ,baxter mill around #ahej4 ,it is likely that ,prince1 ,sr41 who inherited the mill on the death of his father1 ,richard1 in #aghe1 either made the repairs or caused them to be made4 ,after about two hundred years of continuous operation1 the mill was finally abandoned around the turn of the century1 the last miller being a man aptly named ,dustin ,baker1 who earned the magnificent sum of #fh per day for his work4 ,the mill did lend itself as a gift shop and a lobster stand in the past few years1 but as it stands today1 completely restored in all authenticity it is doing exactly the work it did originally1 with the same machinery1 except the turbine which had to be replaced4 ,illustration ,,ii ,so many people have asked me1 8,what are you doing this for80 8,is there any money to be made grinding corn80 8,what are you ever going to do with this useless old building80 ,and most people1 when they get an answer1 sadly walk away shaking their heads1 wondering4 ,i suppose no one person or no one episode gave rise to my thought in acquiring the mill and entering upon a program of restoration1 unless it could be what ,i have heard in the various entertaining stories of people such as ,c4 ,milton ,chase1 ,dean of the ,massachusetts ,town ,clerks1 and retired ,town ,clerk of ,barnstable1 who tells most engaging tales of his trips as a young lad to the mill with a horse and team1 carrying corn to be ground4 ,perhaps ,i was fired by my friend1 ,george ,kelley1 a ponderous1 phlegmatic1 ,cape ,codder1 attempting to perpetuate some of the characters of old ,cape ,cod1 personified in ,joe ,lincoln's stories2 and perhaps by the stories of ,walter ,b4 ,chase and ,howard ,hinckley of their nostalgic remembrances of the old mill4 ,if you ever meet ,milton ,chase1 see if you can get him to tell you of the adventures1 and strange doings of an old-time travelling barber1 one ,frank ,clifford1 who went around to all the business places1 livery stables1 and grain stores with his little black bag1 plying his barber trade1 and who employed a most ingenious method of warming the shaving lather for his customers4 ,or perhaps it was enthusiasm of ,margaret ,perkins4 ,maggie1 as we affectionally call her1 spent long hours in tedious searching of the records at the ,deed ,registry1 ,town ,clerk's office1 ,proprietor's ,records of the ,town of ,yarmouth1 and interviewing everyone she could think of who might know something of the history of the old mill4 ,maggie was the motivating force in presenting an article at our ,town ,meeting about a year ago1 requesting the ,town to purchase the mill or take it by so-called eminent domain proceedings1 so that it might be preserved and restored1 but the townspeople were not eager to invest in the past4 ,strange how so many people insist upon their rights and forget their obligations4 ,strange again1 how so many people are looking for something without giving part of themselves4 ,whatever it was1 or however it arose1 ,i found myself engulfed in the middle of hard but fascinating work4 ,having lived for thirty-five years close by the old ,baxter ,mill in ,west ,yarmouth1 it is not surprising that my curiosity and interest were aroused4 ,somehow1 ,i felt called upon to restore this old mill1 perhaps to keep a way of life now forgotten in our present civilization1 perhaps merely as a means of self-expression4 ,a clipping from the ,yarmouth ,register1 ,november of #aice1 speaks for itself of the lethargy of present day thought1 when the old ,farris ,mill that stood for many years at the corner of ,berry ,avenue and ,main ,street in ,west ,yarmouth was purchased by ,henry ,ford and moved to ,dearborn1 ,michigan1 despite violent protest4 ,the clipping reads as follows3 ,,twenty-,,five ,,years ,,ago--,from the files of the ,register--,november1 #aice4 ,it is reported that the oldest windmill on ,cape ,cod is to be moved from ,west ,yarmouth4 ,the ,west ,yarmouth ,association is attempting to obtain the sentiments of ,cape ,cod residents1 both permanent and seasonal1 on the rumored removal of one of the ,cape's most picturesque objects of great historical value to the ,cape--the old windmill in ,west ,yarmouth4 ,mrs4 ,george ,breed of ,englewood and ,germantown has wired ,mr ,ford1 the new owner1 direct1 expressing her individual feelings in the matter1 and the ,west ,yarmouth ,improvement ,society has done the same4 ,we quote from a letter also dispatched1 8,if the windmill is to be retained by you upon its present location1 we are delighted1 but if it is to be removed it is a calamity40 8,it may be well to explain that there is no record in the offices of the ,town of ,yarmouth whereby any offer was ever made and presented to the voters that the windmill was to be a gift or offered to be purchased2 thus the townspeople have never been allowed to express their opinion on this matter1 nor have they been allowed to visit and inspect the mill4 ,the door is always locked40 ,i can distinctly remember at about this time the concern and heated meetings held by civic groups1 the letters and telegrams of indignation sent to high public officials1 and the angry voice of the people protesting the removal of this old landmark1 but it struck me as being a bit strange that not one person 7including myself7 came forward with donations to purchase the ,farris ,mill and keep it where it belonged4 ,needless to say1 it was the usual story of 8,let ,george do it40 ,in looking back1 it was probably ,george ,kelley and ,walter ,chase who finally prodded me into action4 ,george ,kelley is engaged in a flourishing insurance business in ,hyannis and is very handy and exceptionally good with tools4 ,as a matter of fact1 he is better than the usual expert1 and has an extensive knowledge of craftsmanship4 ,he is meticulous1 patient1 and without his assistance ,i don't think we could ever have accomplished the project4 ,walter ,b4 ,chase and his brother1 ,milton1 are two of the last old-school gentlemen left on the ,cape1 both of them well-known and beloved by everyone and the living examples of young boys graduating from high school and immediately starting in business as a clerk or as an ordinary laborer4 ,one rose to be the ,dean of ,massachusetts ,town ,clerks and the other rose to be the ,president of the ,hyannis ,trust ,company1 the largest commercial bank on the ,cape4 ,they represent a living contrast to the average youth of today1 the product of our so-called schools4 ,these gentlemen1 through their own efforts and by virtue of the simple1 ordinary and basic fundamentals learned in their school days1 made a complete success of their lives and are vigorously engaged today in directing the affairs of two banks4 ,both are in their #hj's1 alert1 and enterprising1 as were their contemporaries1 young men of #ah1 #bj and #bb who became masters and captains of deep-sea sailing vessels going all over the world1 purchasing cargo1 handling all kinds of men1 and making money and profit for their employers4 ,i mention this because of the things uncovered in working on the mill to show the sharp contrast of the average youth of today who is taken to school on the bus so that he can engage in physical exercise and who1 when graduating from the glamorous schools1 hasn't the slightest idea of fundamental mathematics1 of figuring simple interest1 or of handling ordinary division or multiplication4 ,illustration ,,iii ,around #ahgj the water wheel was disposed of and a so-called 8new and improved0 metal turbine was installed for a few very good reasons4 ,the old outside wooden water wheel in the winter became lopsided with ice forming on the paddles and the uneven motion was undoubtedly disconcerting to the miller to feel the building and the machinery wobbling about4 ,whenever solid ice blocked the wheel1 it was useless4 ,further1 the mill pond was limited in its volume of water 78head10 to you engineers71 so that when the pond was low there wasn't very much water to turn a large outside wheel4 ,ingenious engineers of that era came up with the so-called 8improved0 iron turbine to rest under the water and under the mill where ice could not get at it and where there would always be some water in the pond to turn it4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,original ,,turbine ,about two or three months after we started reconstruction1 my friend1 ,george ,kelley1 came up with an old pamphlet put out by the ,j4 ,leffel ,company of ,springfield1 ,ohio1 dated #ahgj1 and sure enough the pamphlet referred to a 8satisfied customer0 as 8,j4 ,baker and ,company1 ,hyannis10 who were successors in title at that time to the ,baxter boys4 ,i wrote to the ,company in ,springfield1 ,ohio1 and much to my surprise received a most magnificent brochure showing they were still in business after all these years1 now supplying turbines to great power dams1 but ready to build a small turbine4 ,i thought it very interesting that at least there was one company left that could turn out and furnish a small turbine4 ,everyone likes to play in the water1 so we went to work about ,august #a1 #aifj4 ,you can well imagine the condition of the mill4 ,windows were shattered1 the sills were powder1 the roof practically gone1 and the building had a definite cant to the east'ard4 ,it really looked hopeless4 ,fortunately1 most of the ancient machinery--the stones1 gears1 brakes1 and chutes--were still intact1 even the miller's little desk where he kept his records1 and the ancient bin for storage4 ,the beams1 the corner post studs1 etc4 are of tremendous size and all mortised1 tenoned and dowelled1 and hard as rock4 ,the stairs were worn paper thin2 the floor was practically gone4 ,dirt and dust1 of course1 were everywhere4 ,the stones are the ,french buhr type1 which are practically impossible to obtain today1 to say nothing of the fact that probably no stone could be obtained1 except in upper ,new ,england1 so many of the old mills having been raided and the equipment1 especially the stones1 taken away for steps and other decorative purposes4 ,illustration ,eric ,sloane1 in his exceptionally fine and exhaustive research entitled 8,the ,vanishing ,landscape10 refers to the pattern of the stones1 meaning the furrows or grooves cut in the stone1 against which the corn was ground4 ,directly underneath the first floor of the mill were the remains of a wooden pit1 which was filled with sand1 gravel1 and debris1 accumulated over the years1 particularly because of the raising of the adjacent ,state ,highway from time to time1 and more or less by the action of the elements4 ,sticking out of the debris beneath the first floor was an iron bar or shaft1 about five inches in diameter1 so ,george and ,i and a couple of hired help went to work1 and on hands and knees we finally managed to dig enough away to stand upright and eventually came to the top of the old turbine which was so far rusted as to be beyond reconditioning4 ,we uncovered the complete wheel pit1 the floor of which was about twelve to fifteen feet below the level of the first floor of the mill4 ,this pit was made of hard pine1 #b inch planks1 set against #ab #ab hard pine uprights1 and was about #aj foot square and probably #ab feet deep to the lower shelf1 called the 8tail race40 ,we had a rough time removing the old turbine with some hydraulic jacks1 muscle power1 and the sage advice and help of friend ,george4 ,now1 ,george is a married man1 blessed with three children1 and ,i noticed in our local newspaper one evening shortly after we had started work that his wife had experienced another happy event4 ,george had not mentioned this to anyone1 including me so when ,i suggested the next day that this was a bit of a surprise1 he said1 8,you know1 it was news to me1 too4 ,last night about three o'clock1 my wife woke me up and said1 #8,george1 ,i think you have to take me to the hospital4' 8,i muttered1 #8,what for8'1 and she replied that she was going to have a baby4 8,you know01 said ,george1 8,i do declare that is just what happened40 ,i suppose everyone has a desire to investigate1 to explore into the past1 and to relive some of our history and past traditions4 ,this mill and its restoration has provided us an excellent opportunity to test our ability to do what the old folks did4 ,they were able1 with their crude tools1 to build this mill and to actually make it grind corn in excellent fashion1 even to the extent of doing a thriving business4 ,it is interesting to reflect that they did not have the modern power tools available today1 nor did they really have the time we have today1 but these folks really built for permanence4 ,eric ,sloane aptly puts it by saying1 8,what a shame that with all our timesavers and with our abundance of wealth1 we do not have the time today and apparently cannot afford to build the way they did or to use the excellent material they did40 ,why is it impossible for our builders and architects to construct a house with a bow roof1 for instance1 a little more overhang on the rake1 a box return with gutters1 a decent-sized chimney1 and many of those small things that lend charm to a house and give it character and dignity8 ,why are we satisfied with chicken houses1 or is it that we have not made the progress we thought we had8 ,all these things we thought about as we went about the business of restoration4 ,illustration ,,iv ,the peace and quiet of the mill pond every ,saturday morning was shattered by the rumblings of two water pumps4 ,these pumps had to suck out the water from the pit in the flume to enable us to even see what we were trying to do4 ,three or maybe four1 very muddy characters1 attired in the necessary garments to withstand the cold1 were always in the depths of the mill1 working in the mud1 sand1 gravel and debris1 and at times it seemed as though we were merely moving these from one place to another1 rather than disposing of them4 ,we finally managed to extricate the old turbine4 ,the simple mechanism and design of this ancient piece of machinery to me is always marvelous4 ,we had hoped to renovate the old turbine and put it back in its place1 but age and rust made this impossible1 and the turbine now rests on the shore of the pond for all to see4 ,in the process of moving all the mud and sand1 we uncovered the remains of the original flume or sluiceway leading from the mill pond to the wheel pit4 ,we found the flume to be about five and a half feet wide and originally about ten feet high and1 roughly1 thirty feet long4 ,the sides were planked against #h #h hard pine timbers which were in turn cut or tenoned into #h #h mortised supports1 twelve on each side of the flume1 about two feet apart1 and each dowelled or pinned with one and a half inch hard pine trunnells 7wooden pins to you74 ,we were now down about twelve feet in the dike of the flume1 and we had to hand shovel and excavate all around each stub of these timbers1 knocking back the dowels and prying out each stub4 ,these uprights had been broken off when the flume was filled in4 ,every one of the stubs and the pins was bright and new as the day it was put in4 ,packed around each section of each stub was about six inches of semi-hard blue clay4 ,apparently wood or any substance long immersed in water will last forever and undoubtedly the clay we found packed around each helped to preserve this wood4 ,we threw the stubs upon the top of the dike1 and they were not in the air and light two or three days before they turned gray1 discolored and aged looking4 ,george ,woodbury1 in his book1 8,john ,goffe's ,mill01 says3 8,wood can be almost indefinitely preserved if it is kept either consistently dry or consistently wet all the time4 ,let it get wet and dry out a few times and it quickly decomposes4 ,in ,egypt where it never rains1 wooden objects are found well preserved after countless centuries of burial4 ,in ,switzerland1 the piles driven into the ,lac ,neuchatel by the aboriginal lake dwellers are still sound after two thousand years40 ,we could not obtain any proper hard pine #h #h1 but we did find some creosote #f #h hard pine timber creosoted1 about twenty feet long4 ,friend ,george very carefully made the tenons1 and we were able to replace them in the old position from whence they came4 ,this may sound easy1 but just try it6 ,after a few hours of this work1 the writer became exhausted4 ,hot baths and horse liniment helped somewhat1 but ,i think ,i can still feel the effects4 ,the chances are1 our tenacious forefathers had no trouble whatsoever in this work4 ,we were able to re-use about fifty per cent of the old pine pins1 or trunnells1 recovered from the joints4 ,the new ones we made by hand4 ,i would suggest to anyone contemplating such a venture as this that he would be wise to anticipate endless frustration1 hard work1 and snide and caustic comments from onlookers and discouraging prospects of completion4 ,the embankment would cave in every few minutes1 notwithstanding our amateurish shoring attempts1 but we managed to keep ahead of the cave-ins by shoring up quickly before the whole dam caved in on top of us4 ,during all this1 the level of the water in the mill pond had to be lowered so that we could work in this spot1 which is about two or three feet below the bottom of the mill pond4 ,the lowering of the water level resulted in great consternation to the inhabitants thereabouts1 whose only concern seemed to be when were we going to raise the pond4 ,no one seemed to care about our sudden demise from the pond breaking through the dam4 ,of course1 the pumps had to be working constantly while we were employed in this operation4 ,one of these pumps was loaned to us by ,s4 ,r4 ,nickerson of ,hyannis1 and the other was given us by ,colonel ,ralph ,thacher of the ,cape ,cod ,shipbuilding ,corporation1 some of the few persons who were sympathetic with our cause4 ,although this pump from ,colonel ,thacher was probably around fifty years old1 it proved to be a most reliable and excellent piece of apparatus1 consisting of a large1 horizontal1 single cylinder1 8make and break0 engine1 driving a heavy1 eighteen-inch rubber diaphragm pump4 ,it certainly puts to shame some of the modern pump equipment of today1 chugging along hour after hour like a patient old horse without much noise and clatter4 ,we all became very fond of this sturdy antique which1 to my mind1 combines functional beauty with gratifying simplicity and reliability4 ,cooling was a simple matter of a pail of water in the cylinder jacket tank2 lubrication was by a few grease cups and an outside glass oil container about the size of a large tea cup2 and the starting was easy and positive1 all by hand4 ,illustration ,all the visitors seemed to be drawn to this piece of equipment when it was operating1 and we signified our tribute by mounting a small flag on the pump every ,saturday morning4 ,i should not forget to relate how ,harvey ,studley1 a young1 local contractor1 sent up three men and all the shingles necessary to entirely re-do the roof of the mill itself4 ,harvey also gave us a goodly supply of #aj #aj hard pine timbers which we put to good use in the sills and otherwise4 ,about six months before this project got underway1 ,harvey1 who is generally a quiet1 peaceful soul1 delivered an impassioned speech at our annual ,town ,meeting1 decrying the lack of interest by the townspeople in the preservation of some of our own landmarks4 ,the building itself had to be raised by ,bob ,hayden and his crew1 and a new foundation completely made on the old4 ,when this was done1 new sills put in and the building lowered1 things looked a little better1 for at least the building sat upright4 ,harvey gave concrete help1 but although a good many people expressed their admiration of the job we were doing and the task which we had undertaken1 we didn't get too much actual help4 ,it is always more fun to watch work being done4 ,we did1 however1 among other people1 receive help from a photogenic barrister1 ,harold ,hayes1 who spent an afternoon in his boots with a shovel helping us to disturb the mud of the centuries4 ,one kind gentleman1 whom ,i do not know1 was watching us one day as we were trying to pry off some of the rusted bolts and nuts from the old turbine4 ,he showed up the next afternoon with a large1 much-needed1 ,stilson wrench which he donated to the cause4 ,ben ,baxter1 one of the living heirs of the 8,baxter boys01 and a descendant of some of the best sea captains the ,cape has ever produced1 gave much of his time and effort and loaned us considerable equipment4 ,ben is an expert mariner1 engaged in ferrying cargo back and forth to ,nantucket1 virtually bring 8oil to the lamps of ,china04 ,i don't think anyone knows ,nantucket ,sound better than ,ben ,baxter4 ,between his trips to the island1 ,ben found time to be with us every ,saturday4 ,he is a stout fellow4 ,my friend1 ,john ,doherty1 who is engaged in the building of homes and selling of real estate1 has delivered to us many loads of loam1 fill1 and sand4 ,charles ,cunningham1 a local contractor and builder of large buildings1 was most generous in offering the use of his stock pile1 where a treasure was found of different sizes and shapes of all kinds of lumber and materials4 ,he told us to take anything we could use1 and the offer was music to our ears4 ,i do hope ,mr4 ,cunningham didn't feel too chagrined when he saw how much we were taking1 but nevertheless he grinned and said to go ahead and take whatever we wanted4 ,the ,hinckley ,lumber ,company of ,hyannis graciously offered1 and we quickly accepted1 lumber and supplies from their mill and warehouse4 ,our busy surveyor of highways1 ,chris ,marsh1 loaned to us from time to time a machine called a back hoe1 which does marvelous things1 and some men to help with the hard digging4 ,one generous soul1 ,tom ,powers1 has given us several beautiful trees which we are planting and hope will live to beautify the structure and the landscaping4 ,tom is a director and officer of several banks1 owns most of the real estate on ,cape ,cod1 and is a teller of tall tales in any dialect you wish4 ,the two signs1 and especially the final sign1 which grace the mill property were made by a sign painter and artist extraordinary1 one ,h4 ,o4 ,thurston1 of ,centerville1 a friend of long-standing4 ,there were many times when it seemed to me we would never finish this job2 that it really was perhaps too much for us to have ever started1 what with our limited knowledge and seemingly insurmountable obstacles4 ,somehow we all kept going1 hoping that we would finally have the mill completed as we envisioned from the beginning4 ,it reminded me of the chap who had the tiger by the tail and didn't dare let go4 ,v ,this land on which we live1 called ,cape ,cod1 is visited by hundreds of tourists in the summer and dwelt upon by the year-round residents1 most of whom are totally unaware of the richness of the tradition and of the way of life which is found here4 ,this way of life is quite different than any one finds in any other part of our country4 ,we do live close to the sea1 and we have many little villages nestled around quiet1 patient roads4 ,we have innumerable ponds and lakes1 and the vast seas on either side of us4 ,express highways bring crowds to the ,cape1 but there are many villages and communities not encroached upon as yet to a great degree by speed and hasty living4 ,being close to ,plymouth1 the birthplace of liberty1 and the second landing place of the ,pilgrims1 we1 of course1 are bound to history by close ties4 ,i think and ,i hope many people are becoming more and more aware of the gradual loss and decay of our historical landmarks1 and my thought is to preserve the rich but dwindling heritage of our traditional land1 not by or through the ,federal ,government or by the ,state ,government1 but by all the people in local communities through our own ,town ,government4 ,there are a few restoration projects now under way and some have been completed in the past few years4 ,i can think quickly of the ,west ,parish ,meeting ,house in ,west ,barnstable1 which can be seen from the ,mid-,cape ,highway2 the old ,hoxie ,house in ,sandwich2 the ,sandwich ,water ,mill1 now being restored by the ,town of ,sandwich1 which1 by the way1 has a most excellent setting at ,shawme ,pond1 in which are reflected the tall1 white buildings surrounding it2 the ,brewster ,mill at ,stony ,brook1 having been restored about three years ago by the ,town of ,brewster1 where one can purchase corn meal every ,saturday afternoon at twenty cents per pound4 ,i recently purchased some of the corn meal from the ,brewster ,stony ,brook ,mill1 where it is slowly ground between old millstones1 and if you have never tasted corn meal muffins made from this flour1 you are in for a real treat4 ,ground in this manner1 the corn apparently keeps the goodness and the natural nutrients of the grain4 ,it is not processed and bleached to a point where it tastes like a blotter4 ,it actually tastes like corn4 ,we have also tried some of the wheat flour1 and the bread made from it is something to be experienced4 ,other restoration projects that come to mind are two or three windmills in ,chatham and ,eastham which have been restored or reproduced1 and a few herring runs1 but there are many other places and sites that are gradually going unless we all make some effort to preserve them4 ,we cannot1 of course1 entirely recapture the way of life in the #ahjj's1 nor probably would we want to1 but it would seem that we could preserve and keep that which was good and those methods which were efficient1 employed so long ago4 ,i don't think anyone wants to give up our electric lights for the old oil lamps1 nor indoor bathrooms for the outside 8privy0 7notwithstanding hearsay that the outdoor 8privy0 was quite pleasant on a balmy summer afternoon71 but there are many things which we can learn from the old people that certainly would make our mode of living and our existence a bit more pleasant1 tranquil and serene4 ,although it may cost a bit more to 8post and beam0 a house1 a bit more for a bow roof1 or box returns1 or dental work on the trim1 ,i do believe that many people would really prefer this type of construction once they have seen it1 and ,i do know that most people could afford it4 ,i will also go farther out on a limb and say that this type of construction is actually cheaper in the long run1 and the long run means the lifetime of a house4 ,plymouth is now embarking on a very ambitious program of rebuilding the old 8,plimouth ,plantation04 ,i do not think that we on the ,cape can do another ,williamsburg1 nor do ,i think that we should try to restore everything we find1 but each town could do a little bit each year toward setting aside some of its historical treasures4 ,we have all kinds of beaches1 public landing places1 swimming pools1 both public and private1 for the two-week visitor in the summer1 all kinds of dance halls and bowling alleys for their entertainment2 but what a great wealth of information1 interest1 and education could be aroused through the restoration of some of the old buildings and landmarks4 ,the ,yarmouth ,historical ,society1 like many other similar groups1 has been doing an excellent job4 ,the ,captain ,bangs ,hallett house has been authentically repaired1 restored1 and reconstructed by and through the ,historical ,society4 ,captain ,bangs ,hallett was one of the deep-water sailors who commanded some of the well-known clipper ships1 the giants of the sea4 ,this house is open to the public every afternoon in the summer and reflects the way of living at that time of the more well-to-do sea captains4 ,my idea is not to restore the ,baxter ,mill just as another museum which would be filled with all kinds of ancient bric-a-brac1 furniture1 glassware and curios for people to look at and pass by4 ,my thought is that we should restore and reconstruct this mill1 holding to exact authenticity1 so that the final result would be exactly the same mill with its fundamental mechanisms and its simple dignity1 and turn out the same products4 ,illustration ,,vi ,snow and bitter weather came early to ,cape ,cod in ,december1 #aifj4 ,we have always bragged about the mild winters enjoyed on the ,cape1 but we certainly had a real old fashioned one this year4 ,every ,saturday it seemed that the very nastiest weather prevailed1 but on ,monday it was beautiful4 ,it was really hard work in this flume and in the wheel pit at ten and twelve above zero1 notwithstanding our heavy winter clothing1 but nevertheless about ten o'clock a welcome coffee break was taken4 ,time after time ice would form and congeal around our boots while we were working1 and a penetrating1 deadly chill arose from the wheel pit4 ,i don't know how many hours were spent in breaking up the ice before we could even start to work4 ,fortunately1 no one seemed the worse for wear4 ,we collected all kinds of lumber1 materials1 and supplies of various descriptions1 widths1 and lengths1 piling all of this around the mill site4 ,it was a great source of concern to many passers-by where we possibly could be putting all this vast amount of lumber and supplies4 ,those that took the time to see could readily understand the large amount of lumber necessary to go into the wheel pit and the flume4 ,joe ,carapezza1 the stone mason1 was then employed and did a most excellent job in renewing the foundation and rebuilding the retaining walls1 mostly out of old dressed granite blocks4 ,these old fashioned dressed granite blocks are about two and a half feet long and about ten to twelve inches square and make a most attractive addition to the landscape of the mill4 ,not being accustomed to this heavy work1 which was indeed difficult for a professional like ,joe1 you can well imagine that ,i gradually gravitated to an assistant hired hand1 but in this weather one did not stand around and become solidified4 ,it was necessary1 for self preservation1 to keep moving1 and while you are moving you might as well be doing some work4 ,we did indulge in a welcome respite at ten o'clock on a ,saturday morning of adjourning to my homestead where we would have some hot coffee and doughnuts4 ,i don't know how many gallons of coffee and how many doughnuts we consumed over this year and a half1 and ,i don't know how much mud my wife had to clean up in the kitchen after we all tramped in and out4 ,we were all very thankful to her1 however1 for putting up with us4 ,friend ,george is slow1 meticulous1 and very exacting4 ,as for myself1 ,i know that ,i am impatient and ,i have to do everything in a hurry4 ,naturally1 both our natures at times clashed1 but ,i think one was good for the other4 ,i did object strenuously to ,george's most annoying habit of suddenly standing up and shouting1 8,harold1 where is the rule80 ,i found that ignoring him did not help1 so ,i acquired some earmuffs which worked admirably until ,george resorted to making signs and perhaps lifting up one of the earmuffs and gently requesting the rule4 ,incidentally1 the rule most of the time was sticking out of his own pocket4 ,everyone slept fairly well after a day's work at the mill1 but ,i asked ,george one morning how he slept4 ,he replied1 8,not too well4 ,i had to turn over once40 ,i furnished no small amount of amusement to my co-workers as ,i tried to fashion a fifteen-foot board to the floor of the mill4 ,the board had to be fitted in about five places1 and ,i would saw and cut and chisel and then saw and cut some more1 finally ending up with a board about three feet long1 much to the gratification and mirth of my so-called assistants4 ,it seems that shingles are always in demand no matter whether you are rebuilding an old building or building a new one4 ,i never realized how handy shingles were until we began this project4 ,apparently1 shingles were made not only for roofs and side-walls1 but to take up the error in the professional's work4 ,somewhere in ,maine ,george made a large speech to an assembled populace about the necessity of everyone having shingles at hand4 ,illustration ,,vii ,new ,england is especially favored with many rivers1 streams1 ponds and lakes1 and it is with never-ending admiration that one reflects on the ingenuity of the early settlers putting to practical use all of the water power4 ,throughout the whole region will be found hundreds of remains of water mill sites1 small and large1 and the settlers soon found ways of putting a harness on them for water power4 ,if the stream happened to be small1 the early millwright built a dam across it and in no time he acquired a small pond4 ,the higher the dam1 the greater the head of water4 ,where there were large rivers1 you can now find tremendous power plants1 textile mills and other manufacturing establishments all using this water power4 ,most of us today1 when we think of power1 think of electricity1 gas1 or steam1 but it is very simple to consider the water in an ordinary little stream and the amount of power it can deliver4 ,although the machinery built by the early millwrights was a bit crude1 nevertheless it was functional and worked with efficient success4 ,on a recent scouting trip ,george and ,i took through ,massachusetts1 ,new ,hampshire and ,connecticut1 we visited a few restored mills4 ,one of them was in ,rowley1 ,massachusetts1 just off the ,main ,road1 called the 8,jewel ,mill04 ,here an enterprising and resourceful chap had rebuilt the outside water wheel on a fairly small stream and he was driving a small ,d ,c generator supplying electricity to his house and to a small lathe shop4 ,this1 he told me1 had been going on for five or six years without interruption4 ,the lights were steady and there was no fuss1 clamor1 or noise4 ,the only thing one heard was the splashing of the water over the wheel4 ,his mill was so named because he was actually cutting and polishing small1 local1 semi-precious stones4 ,i find that there is a small group of enthusiasts who are gradually picking up and collecting all the old turbines they can find of ancient vintage1 so if one wishes to invest in the future1 he might consider picking up one of these old turbines which in a few years will be extinct4 ,another interesting site we visited was ,john ,goffe's ,mill near ,manchester1 ,new ,hampshire4 ,having read with fascination ,george ,woodbury's tale of restoring this mill1 we were very anxious to actually see it4 ,mr4 ,woodbury1 a very learned gentleman1 former archaeologist and now author1 had performed a most remarkable job4 ,another mill1 farther along the trail1 was in ,alstead1 ,new ,hampshire1 where ,heman ,chase was conducting a class in woodworking1 the power being supplied by an old refinished turbine4 ,mr4 ,chase1 in addition1 is a land surveyor1 a teacher of mathematics and the philosophy of ,henry ,george1 as you can see from his letterhead4 ,at ,weston1 ,vermont1 at the ,artists' ,guild1 will be found a real old mill where they are grinding corn and wheat and other grains4 ,late the first night of this expedition1 ,george and ,i holed up in a modern motel somewhere in ,new ,hampshire4 ,i was not quite prepared for ,george's night attire4 ,it seems he still wears an old fashioned nightshirt1 split up on each side1 and ,i got a bit of a start to observe this character climbing into bed with this on4 ,george will deny this1 but he also had on an old night-cap4 ,coming home we went to ,monson1 ,massachusetts1 and there found all kinds of mill apparatus in various states of repair1 gradually rusting out and disappearing into the ground4 ,i was a little sad to observe how the owner was tenaciously clinging to his old way of life3 his machinery1 tools1 and all the things he had collected all his life4 ,but how his eyes did light up with enthusiasm when he learned we were attempting to restore our own mill4 ,a tall1 gaunt man1 weather-beaten1 with hands that had known many a piece of machinery1 he was a living figure of the old millwright and gave us a great amount of information on the revolutions per minute and various other facets of millwrighting4 ,most of us think of antique things as so many curios and objects to be placed in museums to be passed by1 but we do not realize how much better some of these things did work than the ones we buy today4 ,for instance1 ,i have a small hand garden trowel1 forged perhaps fifty or sixty years ago1 and it is much more practical than the new trowels on sale in the hardware stores4 ,i have often wondered why they couldn't make one like this rather than the ones on display but perhaps this kind would last too long and the factory would go out of business4 ,we did not find on our pilgrimage a turbine suitable for us1 but we did find the brilliant foliage of the hills and mountains1 the quiet patience of the roads1 and the beauty of the small towns of ,new ,england4 ,a few weeks later our fast trip in upper ,new ,england paid off1 for we heard by mail of a turbine that seemed might be just right for our purposes4 ,chuck ,stanley gave us the loan of his truck and ,george and ,i1 fortified by a packed lunch1 hot coffee1 and sandwiches1 started out at #d3jj ,a4 ,m4 one ,sunday morning for ,livermore ,falls1 ,maine4 ,there1 we found on the side of a hill an old turbine weighing about two ton1 and after poking about this monster we decided we could use it4 ,the task of loading this beast upon the truck seemed formidable1 so we finally located a mountaineer who possessed an oversized auto wrecker1 and backing our truck against a strategic hump on the side of the hill we proceeded to load the turbine on the truck4 ,the wrecker hooked onto the turbine1 but the turbine proved too much for it1 so much so that it turned it over on its side4 ,a goodly crowd had by this time gathered to watch the operation1 and enlisting the aid of some husky boys1 we finally managed to push the wrecker back on its four wheels4 ,friend ,george1 in his unruffled manner1 soon had the turbine on the truck1 and we fell to the task of shoring it up with chunks of wood1 plank and chalks4 ,we could vividly imagine what would happen if this baby got away from us going down some mountain1 so we took a long time in lashing it securely to the truck4 ,of course1 ,george could not let the day go by without shouting1 8,harold1 where is the shingle80 8,didn't bring one10 ,i replied4 ,then followed an impassioned speech by friend ,george from the tailboard of the truck to the assembled populace1 extolling the virtues of shingles and decrying the negligence of the author in not bringing at least one shingle to ,maine4 ,,viii ,a brief glimpse of the ,cape ,cod ,village in the #ahjj's and its everyday life in those days would be interesting and would also throw some light on the fascination of the mill4 ,this mill and many others like it played a most important role in our small towns1 as did the country store1 the blacksmith shop and1 of course1 the church4 ,on the ,cape at about that time1 there were between thirty and forty mills1 either powered by wind or water1 and these mills supplied flour and corn in its various stages to the villages4 ,corn then was more important than gold4 ,the meal1 of course1 was used for corn meal muffins and corn bread1 and the cracked corn for the chickens and pigs4 ,every family was practically self-sufficient1 growing their vegetables1 and if they did not have a cow1 trading eggs or other produce for milk or cream with their neighbors4 ,almost everyone would supplement their food supply with shellfish from the shores and flats and fish from the various boats that plied the sound and bays4 ,there were many orchards1 most of which have now disappeared4 ,one can hardly find a grape arbor left1 but in those days apples and other tree-grown fruit were found in every other home or homestead4 ,cranberries played no small part1 but they were just about developing in the #ahhj's1 and ,i can remember distinctly1 while growing up in ,brewster1 of earning small amounts of money from time to time helping the farmers harvest their cranberry crop1 together with asparagus1 turnips and strawberries4 ,i cannot remember any people being on ,old ,age ,assistance1 and ,i recall distinctly there was no ,social ,security program4 ,there was always something for everyone to do whether they were young1 middle-aged1 or old4 ,for us young children there were ordinary chores in and about the house to be done morning and evening1 cutting the kindling1 getting wood ready for the fires1 and generally being handy boys around the house and barn4 ,i can definitely say there were no gangs of teenagers with switchblades4 8,mac the ,knife0 was wholly unknown4 ,the only knives we had were pocket jackknives used for whittling and playing mumbley-peg4 ,i can remember that there were many things to do the night before the ,fourth1 but ,i can remember no destruction of property4 ,perhaps a few privies might be displaced1 and on ,halloween fences might disappear1 but they were always found somewhere1 and the culprits made to replace them4 ,in the ,fall almost everyone would gather seaweed from the beaches and bank it around the house1 because only the very rich could afford full basements and what we call central heating4 ,the small1 round ,cape ,cod cellars were used to keep fruits and vegetables4 ,i can also distinctly remember working on the town roads1 helping to get in ice for the ice houses1 and ,i can also remember that almost every boy knew how to handle a hammer1 a saw1 screw driver1 or chisel1 which did not seem work to us at the time4 ,the mill was not exactly a gathering place for the country folk2 that was left to the country store4 ,in ,brewster1 the mail would come in about #f3jj ,p4 ,m41 and it was a great thing for us younger boys to gather at the ,knowles' store at about the time the mail was due and listen to some of the older men around the stove discuss the events of the day and the nation4 ,i do not recall many critical periods of wars and threats of war1 but ,i do recall the fusion of the wonderful odors of the country store1 the far off cry of the lonely whistle of the mail train1 the hard candy1 and the attractive chocolate-colored tobacco4 ,i can also recall vividly the old time 8drummer0 with his fancy1 gay1 colored straw hat1 the horse drawn carts that would bring groceries1 meat and fish once or twice a week4 ,all around the towns1 almost everyone had a horse and some more well-to-do people had two or three4 ,it was not necessary to turn in the horse every year1 because the model never changed4 ,the horses sometimes died1 but only after twelve or fourteen years of good service4 ,almost everyone owned a so-called ,cape ,cod truck wagon1 painted a faded blue color4 ,i can remember the ,may baskets1 the sleigh rides1 and sliding down the hill in ,high ,brewster in the winter-time4 ,all this is in sharp contrast to the children on the present day and the problems of juvenile delinquency4 ,undoubtedly lack of parental care and instruction1 to say nothing of planned obsolescence1 time payments1 and lack of individual initiative1 can be blamed for the conditions4 ,being fortunate to have been born at about the turn of the century1 when the era of the horse was just about departing and the automobile beginning1 ,i think ,i am in a fairly good position to compare conditions of that day with today4 ,i might say that ,i do recall when ,i was about ten years of age1 my mother and grandmother sadly declaring that things at that time were different when they were children1 and that they did not know where we then were going4 ,i put this in to show that there may be an answer to all this through the process of evolution4 ,i do not know4 ,i do know that the flour and the meal coming from these old and ancient mills produced much better food than the present day processed flour and meal4 ,i can remember many of the older figures of that time4 ,seth ,rogers1 a typical country gentleman1 and many other well-known men about that time1 who were not looking for something for nothing4 ,they all did work of one form or another1 either on their farms or their cranberry bogs1 or in some business or trade4 ,they did not have much time1 but the time they had was put to great use in production4 ,they did not have too much money because they did not need it4 ,a man that died leaving an estate of #e1jjj4jj or #f1jjj4jj was considered reasonably wealthy4 ,these men would do something for their town without expecting great pay in return2 they were not constantly looking to the town1 state1 or government for handouts4 ,they produced and developed a way of life totally different from the way we have today4 ,illustration ,,ix ,now1 after the machinist has repaired and fixed up the old coupling1 and other parts of the old turbine which could not withstand our battering1 it becomes necessary to drop the turbine in place and hope everything will work4 ,first1 we have to pull out the temporary retaining walls next to the tailrace1 dig down below the pool1 and put in a brand new wall1 so that the rush of water will not tear away the earth next to the ,state ,highway which would stop all the dear people from dashing about on the ,state ,highway1 especially the tourists4 ,i have often wondered what ,i would do if this mill doesn't work when we get through4 ,all sorts of suggestions have come from skeptics1 the practical ones being to install a gas engine or electric motor to turn the stones4 ,i doubt very much that we will ever do this4 ,we are still convinced that if the early settlers and tenacious people could make this work with their cumbersome and crude tools1 we can do the same thing with our so-called improved modern equipment and tools4 ,so now the flume is finished1 a good solid bridge is built over it1 and we must go and dig out and repair the tailrace and get ready to place the new turbine in its position4 ,this tailrace runs from underneath the building1 from the bottom of the turbine out to the pool near the ,state ,highway and then under the ,state ,road into ,lewis ,bay4 ,all the rocks which attempted to retain the embankment adjoining the ,state ,highway were merely dumped there by someone hoping they would shore up the embankment4 ,the result was1 over the years they were gradually disturbed and found their way into the pool1 and1 of course1 a lot of the dirt and sand from the embankment slipped off into the pool and the bottom of the tailrace4 ,so we again call in our stout and genial mason1 ,joe ,carapezza1 and a machine to dig out the rocks1 dirt and mud4 ,putting the rocks back into a firm and complete wall turned out to be a little more of a job than we planned on4 ,every one of the rocks1 some of which weighed from five hundred to a thousand pounds1 had to be handled manually1 as there was no room for cranes and the like to lift them up and work them around4 ,after about two weeks of this1 we finally managed to build a fairly solid retaining wall next to the tailrace4 ,just about this time the herring began their annual migration to their spawning ground1 so we had to raise the level of the mill pond so that nature could take her course4 ,it would seem that every time a weekend came around there was either rain1 snow1 drizzle1 or some other sort of foul weather1 which didn't help things along a bit4 ,in browsing through some old pamphlets by one ,daniel ,wing1 a school master who taught school in ,yarmouth about #aijj1 ,i ran across the following interesting paragraph3 8,the old gristmill directly opposite the ,captain ,baxter residence was known as ,baxter's mill4 ,it was at one time owned by ,captain ,timothy ,baker1 ,senr41 7born in the first half of the eighteenth century7 and later by his son1 ,captain ,joshua ,baker1 born in #agff4 ,the mill pond was fed by several streamlets which came down from the north1 but its work having been completed1 the dam has been allowed to wash away2 and1 there being some question as to ownership1 we learn that this once beautiful and interesting spot is now grown up with rushes4 ,it seems as if the water power here might1 in this day of improved machinery1 be made again to serve a useful purpose40 ,i wonder if ,daniel can see the mill now4 ,the old turbine that we excavated from a side hill in ,maine was lowered into place after much straining1 blocking1 and running around4 ,george's careful measurements and minute calculations paid off1 because it fitted perfectly in the large hole cut in the bottom of the wheel pit4 ,we had to call upon the machinist to fashion a coupling in order to fit the old coupling still left on the shaft coming down through the first floor into the wheel pit from the gears above4 ,illustration ,while this was being done1 ,george1 ,dick ,mc,elroy1 and ,i managed to make a decent pen gate with the necessary worm gear attached to it so that we could block off the water in the flume and raise the gate when necessary4 ,at this point ,i happened to mention to one of my friends that ,i would like to find1 somewhere1 a metal wheel similar to a freight car brake wheel that we could use on the shaft to raise and lower the pen gate4 ,a few days later1 my friend left at the mill a real old timer4 ,it was a wheel which was about two and one-half feet in diameter1 and which was nicely adapted to the top of the rod of the pen gate4 ,this wheel suspiciously looked similar to a wheel that would toll a bell on a church steeple1 and when ,i suggested the possibility of this to my friend1 he merely smiled and walked away4 ,illustration ,x ,we have used to a great extent ,oliver ,evans' 8,the ,young ,mill-,wright and ,miller's ,guide40 ,this book was printed about #ahjj1 and ,i think ,i have referred to it before1 but it has proved invaluable to us in the course of our work4 ,the words and references in the book may have meant something to the millers one hundred years ago1 but not us poor amateurs of #aifa1 the words millseat1 flutterwheels1 cockheads1 cubocks1 to say nothing of 8tailflour10 confused us no end1 but on closer reading and more attention to the details of the book1 we did finally make some sense from it4 ,under ,article #ajh in this ancient volume is found the following3 8,of ,regulating the ,feed and ,water in ,grinding40 8,the stone being well hung1 proceed to grind1 and when all things are ready1 draw as much water as is judged to be sufficient2 then observe the motion of the stone1 by the noise of the damsel1 and feel the meal2 if it be too coarse1 and the motion too slow1 give less feed and it will grind finer1 and the motion will be quicker2 if it yet grind too coarse1 lower the stones2 then1 if the motion be too slow1 draw a little more water2 but if the meal feel to be ground1 and the motion right1 raise the stones a little1 and give the motion right1 raise the stones a little1 and give a little more feed4 ,if the motion and feed be too great1 and the meal be ground too low1 shut off part of the water4 ,but if the motion be too slow1 and the feed too small1 draw more water40 ,i doubt very much that the venerable ,mr4 ,evans would have relished 8the noise of the damsel0 if he had observed ,george one sunny afternoon pick up a luscious creature of the female sex1 heave her over his shoulder and transport her into the depths of the mill1 all in plain sight of the general public4 ,it seems that it was a little too muddy for this fair lady to walk to the mill1 but the following week1 however1 the same damsel was there and took the same ride on ,george's shoulders into the mill4 ,we could not and did not observe either the motion or the noise of the damsel1 which probably is just as well4 ,the damsel referred to by ,evans1 however1 is nothing more or less than a square wooden shaft which turns against a shoe suspended under the spout of the hopper to regulate the flow of grain into the stones themselves4 ,there is1 of course1 a definite rhythm to the clatter created by the damsel1 and this is what ,evans was speaking about in 8noise of damsel40 ,farther on in ,evans' book1 it states that we must 8pick up the stones0 and sharpen them1 but as ,i said before1 we found that we were too ignorant of the art of sharpening the stones1 and that is why we obtained the services of ,mr4 ,mattson1 who did an excellent job in 8picking up0 the stones4 ,it is interesting to read ,evans' book1 and ,i have taken the time to copy directly from the book the chapter on the 8,duties of the ,miller40 8,,chapter ,,xviii ,directions for keeping the mill and the business of it in good order4 ,,article #aaf ,,the ,,duty ,,of ,,the ,,miller ,the mill is supposed to be completely finished for merchant work1 on the new plan2 supplied with a stock of grain1 flour casks1 nails1 brushes1 picks1 shovels1 scales1 weights1 etc41 when the millers enter on their duty4 ,if there be two of them capable of standing watch1 or taking charge of the mill1 the time is generally divided as follows4 ,in the day-time both attend to business1 but one of them has the chief direction4 ,the night is divided into two watches1 the first of which ends at one o'clock in the morning1 when the master miller should enter on his watch1 and continue till day-light that he may be ready to direct other hands to their business early4 ,the first thing he should do1 when his watch begins1 is to see whether the stones are grinding1 and the cloths bolting well4 ,and secondly1 he should review all the moving gudgeons of the mill1 to see whether any of them want grease1 etc42 for want of this1 the gudgeons often run dry1 and heat1 which bring on heavy losses in time and repairs2 for when they heat1 they get a little loose1 and the stones they run on crack1 after which they cannot be kept cool4 ,he should also see what quantity of grain is over the stones1 and if there be not enough to supply them till morning1 set the cleaning machines in motion4 ,all things being set right1 his duty is very easy--he has only to see to the machinery1 the grinding1 and the bolting once in every hour2 he has1 therefore1 plenty of time to amuse himself by reading1 or otherwise4 ,early in the morning all the floors should be swept1 and the flour dust collected2 the casks nailed1 weighed1 marked1 and branded1 and the packing begun1 that it may be completed in the forepart of the day2 by this means1 should any unforseen thing occur1 there will be spare time4 ,besides1 to leave the packing till the afternoon1 is a lazy practice1 and keeps the business out of order4 ,when the stones are to be sharpened1 everything necessary should be prepared before the mill is stopped1 7especially if there is but one pair of stones to a water-wheel7 that as little time as possible may be lost3 the picks should be made quite sharp1 and not be less than #ab in number4 ,things being ready1 the miller is then to take up the stone2 set one hand to each1 and dress them as soon as possible1 that they may be set to work again2 not forgetting to grease the gears and spindle foot4 ,in the after part of the day1 a sufficient quantity of grain is to be cleaned down1 to supply the stones the whole night2 because it is best to have nothing more to do in the night1 than to attend to the grinding1 bolting1 gudgeons1 etc40 ,shades of the coffee break and the forty-hour week6 ,apparently ,evans and his millers hardly found time to stop and get a bite to eat4 ,interesting1 the old methods and way of life compared with our present day methods and ways of existence4 ,,xi ,the summer of #aifa is now hard upon us1 as is the horde of vacation seekers2 so1 at least for a while1 we are forced to give up our labors at the mill and go to other pursuits1 but just as soon as autumn comes around we start in again ,saturday mornings at the old mill site4 ,the mill stones had to be sharpened and we found out that this was really beyond the scope of our knowledge and skill4 ,inquiries at ,old ,sturbridge ,village in ,sturbridge1 ,massachusetts led us to finding one of the few men left who could 8pick up0 the stones4 ,this gentleman1 ,arthur ,mattson1 of ,plainville1 ,connecticut1 consented to come1 and finally did come to the ,cape1 and in a matter of hours had sharpened the stones to the nth degree4 ,while he was here1 we gleaned as much information from him as we could1 in the course of which we found that he owned five mill stones which were grinding out stone ground flour1 and that he had been supplying1 for many years1 the stone ground flour to the ,pepperidge ,farm ,mills in ,connecticut1 famous for their ,pepperidge ,farm ,bread4 ,among other things1 he showed us how to construct a 8damsel0 7which is nothing but a small flutter board hung below the mouth of the hopper7 and wiggles just enough to let the grain drop into the stones at the proper quantity4 ,about a year from the date we started to work on the mill1 to wit3 ,august #c1 #aifj1 we are able to open the pen gate1 let the rushing water fill up the flume and wheel pit1 raise the skirt in the turbine1 and with a feeling of great self-satisfaction1 see and hear the stones turn1 albeit1 a little slow at first1 since the stones were not properly balanced1 but1 nevertheless1 lo and behold1 all our work finally paid off4 ,someone shouted1 8,ho1 ho1 she starts1 she moves1 she feels a spark of life40 ,you can well imagine who that was4 ,as near as we can figure1 these stones had not been turning for exactly seventy-one years1 and frankness would be lacking if we did not feel proud of our hard work and efforts4 ,the mill actually ran smoothly1 and with very little noise1 but to be sure that we were not subject to hallucinations we spent the better part of the afternoon turning the wheel off and on4 ,the wheel and its heavy but simplified gears responded with slow speed and gradual pick-up of revolutions to a very deliberate cadence4 ,again ,i was struck with the simplicity of the working of the turbine and wheel1 and perhaps the economy of the whole affair was intriguing4 ,one had only to look at the water pouring into the wheel pit to see the power of the stream and to reflect upon the fact that it cost absolutely nothing for this power4 ,gear grease1 oil or other lubrication was absolutely unnecessary to maintain the operation4 ,the stones were originally enclosed and covered with a wooden casing1 half of which we found in the mill1 but the other half we had to build ourselves and make them1 of course1 exactly as the first half4 ,as usual the boards that were available at any lumber yard were not the same thickness1 so again we had to have proper boards milled out to match up with the old4 ,finally1 ,george found an old blade adequate to make the same beading on the edge of these new boards as the original beading1 and it was not too difficult to do with the aid of this old fashioned plane4 ,about this time we received in the express from ,mr4 ,mattson1 the genial gentleman from ,connecticut1 who had sharpened the stones1 a cradle and a shoe4 ,the cradle is to hold the hopper and the shoe is for support1 as ,i said before1 underneath the spout of the hopper4 ,the cradle was practically a perfect fit on the top of the wooden casing1 and the hopper fitted the cradle perfectly4 ,this was one time something really did fit4 ,and so - - - - just before the ,christmas ,holidays of #aifa everything seemed to be about finished4 ,we procured a bag of whole corn1 part of which we dropped into the hopper1 opened up the pen gate1 and lo and behold1 yellow gold came flowing out of the chute4 ,to be sure1 at first the meal was a bit coarse1 but after ,george maneuvered the 8tenterer10 we obtained about the correct texture of meal4 ,it has been said that the end of something is better than the beginning1 but ,i think ,i felt a little sad that we were finished and somewhat surprised that the mill actually worked4 ,sad1 perhaps1 because we had no more to do to complete the mill project4 ,we were constantly uncovering new sights in the ancient mill4 ,the actual work1 the research1 the conversations with new people1 the reading of stories of old mills1 seeing the old mills1 some of which were restored and others abandoned1 and being able to finally rebuild this old mill and to renew a small part of life now long forgotten1 has been most fascinating4 ,george just called me on the phone1 saying1 8,harold 444 you know what80 8,no1 what80 8,i think ,i have found an old tide mill - - - -0 ,transcriber's ,notes ,punctuation1 hyphenation1 and spelling were made consistent when a predominant preference was found in the original book2 otherwise they were not changed4 ,simple typographical errors were corrected2 unbalanced quotation marks were remedied when the change was obvious1 and otherwise left unbalanced4 ,two typographical errors in quoted text on page #cg were corrected after consulting a copy of the book from which the quotation was taken4 ,the illustrations at the ends of chapters ,i1 ,,ii1 ,,vi1 ,,viii1 and ,x are simple decorative tailpieces4