USA > Massachusetts > Worcester County > Spencer > Historical sketches relating to Spencer, Mass., Volume IV > Part 12
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This time it was a rigid door knob and he went to Provi- dence, R. I., to manufacture them in connection with the business of the New England Butt Co. He made a great success of the knob in Providence, but health failed before he could introduce them in other large places. Mr. Prouty was quite a rhymster and a little poetry with fun mixed into its composition was brought out in connection with most all his undertakings. This is what he said about his new knob :
"Each year to all brings something new That makes the heart with gladness throb The last, of which we offer you, Makes doors complete,-a rigid knob.
Once on a door 'twill so remain As bolts hold firm 'twill never bob And all old knobs are put to shame By this most novel rigid knob.
This knob you'll find is always tight As corn grown on its mother cob Unlike it though when it is ripe There's no come off to this new knob."
In connection with the knob business he issued a pros- pectus, a copy of which is herewith printed as a curiosity, and is said by good judges to be one of the best specimens of alliteration extant.
Prouty's Practical Puzzle Prospectus. Puzzle pleasing, puzzle provoking, puzzle perusing people please peruse. (Profusely patented, provisionally protected.)
Preface-Piteously pleading public patronage perhaps presumptiousness partially predominates. Please pardon promulgator's prolixity.
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AUGUSTUS B. PROUTY.
Proclamation-Prouty's patent paragon puzzle possesses purely practical principles, perfectly pleases particular people, provokes pernicious, philosophical perceive permanence, prac- tical pronounce perfect, prudent purchase, parsimoneous posi- tively prefer. People possessing peculiar proclivities pre- ferring Prouty's paradox puzzle proves pretty plainly per- ceptible perfection, practicability paramount, prospective perpetuity.
Proposition-Prouty proposes paying patrons princely profits providing puzzle, properly placed, prove paltry property.
Preliminary proof-Perspicuous placards, perspicuously planned, (plainly proclaiming peculiarities Prouty's patent, peerless, pleasing, promising, popular, permanent, practical puzzle possesses) promptly posted petitioners, postage pre- paid. Please petition (P. P.) PROUTY, Providence.
Postscript. Please permanently preserve Prouty's practical puzzle prospectus.
HISTORY OF SPENCER POWDER MILLS
BY HENRY M. TOWER
Preface.
My grandfather, Levi Adams, made powder for eight years, learning the trade at Barre and then taking charge of the Seven Mile river mills in 1833, and later the mills on Moose Pond brook, which he superintended from the time they were built until their destruction in the fall of 1840. He had an idea that if extreme care was exercised there would be no explosions and his management was one of extreme caution. He never allowed a stick of wood to be made into coal until he had examined it carefully to see that there were no particles of bark left on its sides nor a speck of grit on the ends, and he was equally careful throughout each stage of every process. He never allowed anyone in the mill unless they wore sewed or pegged footwear and even ordered Lewis Bemis, the pro- prietor, out of the mills several times because he came in with mud on his boots. Mr. Bemis was a well built and muscular man, but no match for Mr. Adams, who measured forty-eight inches around his chest under the arm pits, was a noted wres- tler and could pick up, shoulder and carry off a barrel of flour with ease. So Mr. Bemis went out of the mills when Mr. Adams said go. But for all his caution, the mills were des- troyed one evening about twenty minutes after he had left them, apparently in good order. Mr. Adams then abandoned his theory regarding the absolute safety of careful powder making, and quit the business.
History of the Spencer Powder Mill Industry.
On the 19th of July, 1812, the United States issued a declaration of war against England. As soon as this informa- tion became known along our coast, preparations were quickly made to fit out every available ship as a privateer to prey on the enemy's commerce.
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POWDER MILLS.
Our seamen were more than anxious to punish Great Britain for her persistent disregard of the rights of American citizens, and their skill as well as intensity of purpose cannot better be illustrated than to state that before the year closed they had captured over three hundred of England's merchant vessels, and three thousand men besides.
The demand for powder to carry on this aggressive line of warfare was unprecedented. The few little New England powder mills were overwhelmed with orders, and as fast as consecutive tons of powder could be made, were hurried to the coast and sold at an approximate price of a dollar a pound. This meant enormous profits for those who knew how, and
ROCK AT RUEL'S POND, SITE OF OLD POWDER MILL
had at hand the facilities for making powder. As early as 1810 powder was made in a modest way in a mill that stood on the site of what has long been known as the Knowles steam pump works at Warren, and on a small stream afterwards named Powder brook. Two brothers, Isaac and Lemuel Smith, were the proprietors. and employed as workmen Nathan and Samuel M. Hobbs. also brothers. from Brookfield, and these four men became the pioneers of powder making in Spencer. They established here a successful and prosperous industry which continued on without interruption until the
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SKETCHES OF SPENCER HISTORY.
spring of 1861. A business legitimate, useful, and in its nature essential to the public good, but probably one more hazardous to human life than any other except railroading, ever carried on in Spencer.
Finding the water power at Warren inadequate to the needs of their expanding business, they sought an available location for other mills nearer Boston, their chief market, and within seven months from the declaration of war they had purchased at the upper end of the great meadows, and along the eastern bank of the Seven Mile river in this town ten acres of land for their proposed new mills.
Eight acres north of the road they bought of Elias Hatch for $221.CO and on this land built a dam and raceway, some portions of which are still to be seen. Their mill pond when full, covered quite an area of land belonging to other parties, north of the Whittemore bridge, for the use of which the Smith brothers and their successors paid an annual flowage tax. The owners of this land in 1823 were Washington Hill and Reuben Whittemore.
On the north side of the road also and west of the canal they erected a refinery in which saltpetre was purified for the powder mixture. About three rods farther west was located a small brick building used for making charcoal from the wood of the alder and white maple wholly denuded of its bark.
The two acres of land south of the road was purchased from Ezra Bennett for $106.00, and later additional land was bought from him as the demands of the business increased. On this land they built what was long known as the old powder mill house and where the cellar is still to be seen. It was in this house that the mill superintendents usually lived and where most of the workmen boarded.
*The Powder Mill at Warren was abandoned after the Smiths came to Spencer. One day in November, 1818, three boys, David Child being one, obtained access to the mill. Each had a gun and were amusing themselves firing off caps. It was not long before an explosion took place and all were well burned, though not permanently injured. William Child of Templeton, grandfather of David, kept a diary and thus records in regard to the matter.
It was desired that we all go. * Mr. Knight came over to inform us. * * *
Nov. 5. Heard the sorrowful news of David's being burnt. *
* We arrived there, and * * * found David shockingly Friday, 6. *
burnt, and in a dangerous situation. *
Saturday, 7. Saw David's sores drest, appearance as favorable as could
be expected. *
*
*
* Elisha, Thomas and myself went to see the powder mill. We think it strange that they were not burnt worse. David is burnt the worst of the three boys. The names of the other two are Abner Burroughs and George Burroughs, the last of which was burnt the slightest-will be about in a week or two.
Monday, 9. The Doct. came at 9 o'clock and drest the sores-(his name is Hutchins) - he has guarded against mortification-has been some appearance of it-it takes nearly two hours to get through with the dressing. * *
the evening the Doct. came found the sores not so well. Some more appearance
* * In of mortification-applied more anticeptick dressings-a poultice of flour and * * * * Dec. 14. - * *
emptvings, or yeast-and bark.
* * Tidings of David's recovery. Sores all healed but
a spot on one hand.
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POWDER MILLS.
A short distance easterly they built a small barn used as a cow stable, and also large enough to shelter the horse and carriage of the proprietors during their daily visits from the village, for it is a point worthy of observation that with rare exceptions all the powder mill owners lived in the village, or at least at a safe distance from the mills.
On the site of the house recently occupied by Charles Wil- son, and formerly used as a planing mill by the late Samuel Barnes, the first powder mill was erected. It was here that the ingredients were mixed in a long wooden trough or mortar made from an oak log. Vertical wooden pestles operated by
-
SAMUEL HOBBS
machinery and moving up and down made the mixture homo- geneous and ready to be pressed into sheets. These were about an inch thick and subjected to very great pressurs. When dry they were fed between heavy corrugated apple- tree rollers, crushed into kernels, separated as to size and then glazed or finished and taken to the dry house, quite a distance farther south.
The dry house was heated by a fire built from the western and outside of the building under an arch of brick about on
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SKETCHES OF SPENCER HISTORY.
a level with the floor, and extending about four feet inward to an inverted iron kettle. The kettle was covered with brick and mortar, the combination being fireproof. Then with a good fire underneath sufficient heat was generated to dry the powder inside the building ready for packing in kegs. Then it was taken to the magazine located on the hill northeasterly, and stored for shipment. With the plant thus completed it is thought the business was in active operation as early as August, 1813.
Little information is now obtainable regarding the senior partner, Isaac Smith. He was a married man and well-to-do for his time. He was in Spencer with his younger brother Lemuel, and paid a poll tax here in 1813. It is thought that as soon as the mills were completed he returned to Warren and continued to operate the mill there until about the time of its explosion in 1818. He died in 1826.
Lemuel Smith was an honorable gentleman, short and portly. He was a very self confident man, outspoken in his opinions, and a vigorous champion of any cause he deemed to be right. He lived on the farm now owned by George Wilson, known as the George Bemis place, west of the Moose Hill farm house.
It is related by the late Thomas Whittemore, the distin- guished Universalist preacher, that wishing to promulgate the doctrines of that denomination in Spencer about the year 1828, he sent forward to some citizens of that faith then living in town an appointment to preach in Spencer on a certain date, and they endeavored to secure the Congregational church as a place of meeting, "But," said Whittemore, "when I reached town, I found the church doors were barred against us" and because of this "the large and lion hearted Lemuel Smith, not an adherent or believer then in our doctrines, opened the doors of his house as a place of worship and bid us welcome." It it thought Mr. Smith at this time became interested in the Universalist faith, as later he became one of its foremost cham- pions.
From the following lease given by the town of Spencer to Mr. Smith, it seems probable that prior to 1828 he had been an attendant of the Congregational church: "I, William Pope, Town Clerk, by authority vested in me by a vote of said town of Spencer passed at a legal town meeting on the sixth day of November, 1826, do hereby lease unto the said Smith, his heirs and assigns, the following described shed lot : viz .- Lot No. 3 range of shed lots situated at the east end of the center meeting house fronting the town common, and is according to the plan
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POWDER MILLS.
of the allotment made out by a committee chosen for that pur- pose by the town, of the following dimensions, viz. ten feet in width and nineteen feet in depth, sold at public auction and struck off to Smith for $22, he being the highest bidder. In consideration of this $22 he has the lease of the lot for forty years, and paying therefor the rent of nothing. And he also promised to build a new shed the next season according to the plans made by the town committee, also to pay all taxes and assessments on the shed and keep the same in good repair."
LEWIS BEMIS
It is related of Mr. Smith that after the death of his first wife, Mary, Sept. 4, 1818, he boarded a short time at the Jenks tavern, and occupied the chamber directly over the bar room in the southeast corner of the house. Access to his room was gained from a large hall frequently used for dances and enter- tainments. The platform was at the east end of the hall and near his chamber door. A musical entertainment was about to be given by two women who were for the times distinguished performers, ore on the violin and the other on the violincello.
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SKETCHES OF SPENCER HISTORY.
The audience was in waiting, when the women mounted the platform and commenced tuning their instruments. It is apparent Mr. Smith was not a musician. He supposed the tuning of these instruments should have been done before coming to the platform but that the women found no suitable place and hence tuning them in public was a source of em- barassment. So he arose in the back part of the hall, and publicly though very politely offered the ladies the use of his chamber until the instruments should be properly attuned. Everybody laughed but Mr. Smith, and all the more heartily because he took the matter seriously, and evidently could not see that there was anything funny in his proposition.
About 1830 it was a common saying that Lemuel Smith and John Muzzy were the best farmers in town. They had the best stock, were progressive men for the times, extremely intimate, and often arranged to make business trips together, especially to Worcester to sell hay, each driving a yoke of oxen with a horse in the lead. Mr. Muzzy lived on the summit of Maple street hill, the road to his house from town then being known as Muzzy Lane. Muzzy Meadow pond also derived its name from the same source.
It was during Mr. Smith's management of the powder mills that the first explosion occurred. This was one Sunday evening, probably in the winter of 1819 and '20. What es- tablishes this as a probable date is the fact that in the spring of 1820, Samuel M. Hobbs was courting Caroline, daughter of Reuben Whittemore, and married her Oct. 18, 1820. He said the explosion took place before his marriage. The time of the year and day of the week are established by the fact that Dwight, son of Elias Hatch, was at that time courting Philetta Hobbs, sister of Samuel, every Sunday evening in the parlor of the old powder mill house. The night of the explosion he was out of town and it seems to have been well that this was so, since the brick hearth in front of the fire place, where the young couple usually sat, was completely destroyed. All the windows in the house were destroyed and wreckage of furni- ture was to be seen in every room, although none of the in- mates were injured. Crockery was shaken off from shelves and broken in the house of Mr. Willard Prouty at Hillsville. Mr. Horatio Hall of Lincoln Street, who recently died, aged ninety-five, well remembered this explosion. He was asleep at the time in a trundle bed at the Sullivan Hill farm house at Hillsville, known then as the David Barnes place.
Prior to this time it had been whispered around that Mr. Smith's powder was very poor in quality and that it would
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POWDER MILLS.
not burn if touched with a live coal. This explosion gave some man of imagination an opportunity to add a new para- graph to these stories, and now it was said that at the time of the explosion kegs of powder were seen flying through the air, hoops, heads and staves all afire, but carrying the powder still intact. Whether there was much or any truth in the original stories we cannot now tell, but this is known, that as late as 1848 a keg of his powder was in the United States magazine at Watertown and on the above date was said to be of fine quality and in an excellent state of preservation. It was part of a lot made for the government years before for a special purpose, the kernels of which were about the size of medium beans. The name of the man who is supposed to have given wings to his imagination in creating the flying powder keg story was Andrew Morgan. He was a carpenter, built and owned the house now occupied by the Manning sisters, on the road south of the house owned by Mr. Horace
Austin on Morgan hill. He was a pensioner of the war of the Revolution, and Morgan Pond, lying northeasterly of his house, was named after him. but his chief claim to distinction was in his ability to fabricate stories. Perhaps one will suffice. He said he was helping shingle the Congregational church and ascending a ladder had reached the eaves with a thousand shingles under each arm, when the ladder broke Still hold- ing the shingles under his arms, he grasped with his teeth the lower course of shingles nailed on the roof and remained sus- pended in that position until another ladder could be secured from Deacon Sumner's on lower Main street. The old saying about the irony of fate possibly may have an illustration in the fact that in 1824 Mr. Morgan became indebted to Lemuel Smith, and the latter came into possession of his place for $60. Mr. Smith sold his interest in the powder mills in 1832, moved to Worcester about 1835 and later lived at Westfield. where he died of heart disease. August 27, 1866, aged eight-five, having outlived two wives and all six of his children.
Samuel M. Hobbs came from Warren with the Smith brothers. He appears to have been the practical powder maker from the beginning. and with his older brother Nathan, sister Philetta and mother, were the first occupants of the Powder mill house. Samuel M. was a cousin of the late George L. Hobbs of this town. He commenced work for the Smith brothers in 1810 and prior to his removal to Spencer was en- gaged much of the summer time in supplying saltpetre for the Warren mill. In those days and in this section it was obtained from the evaporation of a lye made by leaching water
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SKETCHES OF SPENCER HISTORY.
through earth that had been gathered from underneath old buildings, and had remained in a dry state for years ; the longer the better Mr. Hobbs stated to his son, Warren J. Hobbs, an elderly man now living in Worcester that he had worked a great many days under buildings lying flat on his back, scraping up earth for this purpose. While he found saltpetre in all places where he worked, it abounded most in the earth at Wilbraham. This pursuit at this time was one of great profit, since saltpetre found a ready sals at one dollar per pound.
January 10, 1814, Joseph Wiley Patrick acquired a one- fourth interest in the mills which he resold to the Smith brothers September 2nd of the year following. Mr. Patrick followed the life of a farmer at Warren, where he was born July 23, 1788, and where he died the same day of the month 1858. February 10, 1816, Samuel M. Hobbs acquired a one- fourth interest in the mills. He lived on the premises and had charge of the mills until 1823 when he sold out to Walter W. White of Spencer, a young man twenty-three years of age, son of Nathan White, brother of Moores Mirick White and uncle of Mrs. Phoebe Anna Bemis. February 6, 1826, for $525 he sold his interest to Walton Livermore and removed to New York State, where he became a successful merchant. Mr. Hobbs, after disposing of his interest in the mills, pur- chased what is now known as the Bemis Valley Farm and fol- lowed the life of a farmer for about ten years, when he re- moved to Barre, to take charge of the Barre powder mills, which he had been instrumental in establishing in 1826 in com- pany with three other Spencer men, Silas, Charles and Lewis Bemis. He was a tall, slim man of great energy and after he had acquired a competence in the business removed to Worcester where he died.
After Mr. Livermore had purchased the interest of Mr. White he also bought a one-fourth interest of Lemuel Smith and the business was then conducted by Smith and Livermore as equal partners until February 25, 1832, when Lewis Bemis acquired Smith's interest. July 6, 1835, Livermore sold out to Bemis, who from thence on, until his death in 1856, was sole proprietor. After this his heirs continued the business until the spring of 1861. Walton Livermore was a man of
unimpeachable integrity. He kept store in the large block now standing and used as a dwelling, corner of Main and North streets. He held many town offices of honor and trust. There were few Savings banks in those days and none in country towns and he was often made the custodian of sums
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POWDER MILLS.
of money the citizens wished to put out at interest, and it is believed that no one ever lost either principal or interest on money placed in his keeping. His son, Charles F. Livermore became distinguished as a financier and was a partner in the New York banking firm of Livermore, Clews & Co., after his retirement known as Henry Clews & Co. Walton Livermore died July 13, 1835, aged forty-nine.
After Lewis Bemis got full control of the powder business he at once planned to extend the same, and obtained as a part- ner a farmer from Oakham, named Edward Hall, a man of
AMOS BEMIS
education, ability and strict integrity. He moved into the old powder mill house in 1838 and took charge of what later became known as the lower mills. In the meantime Mr. Bemis had caused to be erected on Moose pond brook what was called the upper mills, designed to manufacture the finer grades of sporting powder, while the lower mills made what was known as blasting powder. All his plans matured well and business prospered until 1840, when two disastrous explosions occurred and so much uninsured property was destroyed that the upper mills were never rebuilt. The first explosion occurred April
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SKETCHES OF SPENCER HISTORY.
26, 1840. The following account is taken from the Barre Gazette. "The powder mill belonging to Messrs. Bemis & Hall, about a mile from the lower village, was blown up on Tuesday, April 26, and three men were killed by the explosion. The accident is supposed to have resulted from the use of an iron bar to pry up some timbers in making repairs on the mill. Abijah Bemis, Lyman Bullard (quite lately in the employ of Hobbs, Bemis & Co. of this town) and Burroughs, a French- man, were blown in different directions to a distance of twelve to fifteen rods, and dreadfully mangled. Mr. Bullard's hand was nearly driven into the ground, his flesh badly lacerate. and many bones broken. Breath was discovered in the body of Burroughs after the first comers reached the scene. A carpenter named Worthington, engaged in the repair of the mill, had a most narow escape. He left the mill but a moment
before and the weather being chilly ran from it He had not reached fifteen rods before the explosion. About two hundred kegs of powder were burned and the loss including that of the building, which was of trifling value, is supposed to amount to about $1,200. The explosion was heard and distinctly felt in our village, a distance of fifteen miles, and the smoke was seen to roll up in a dense column."
Bullard and Burroughs boarded with Edward Hall. Mr. Bullard was a large and rather portly man, of an agreeable disposition and known as the old powder maker Mr. Bemis was from Paxton. He lived on what was known as the Ben- nett place, on land now owned by Noah Sagendorph. He be- longed to what has become known as the Paxton branch of the Bemis family, and was thirty-seven years old at the time of his death. His grandfather, Abijah, was one of the earliest settlers of that town, coming from Watertown in 1751, and was a nephew of Samuel Bemis, the second settler in Spencer. Mr. Bemis was a brother of Amos Bemis, the father of William O. Bemis, the landscape painter ; of Edwin P. Bemis lately de- ceased, and Amasa T. Bemis now living at Hillsville. Amos Bemis had been the superintendent of the powder mills from 1823 to 1828, but on account of his health gave up the business and purchased of his mother-in-law, Ezekiel Tucker's widow and other heirs, named Huldah Tucker, June 28, 1830, the farm now owned by his grandson, Leslie W. Bemis. Amos Bemis was laying wall on his farm when the explosion occurred. He at once said to his son Amasa, who stood near, "Abijah is dead," and going to his house took his team and drove to the scene of the disaster. Mrs. Bemis, whose maiden name was Eliza Newhall, with her two small children, Mary, six years
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