Rockford
July 29th, 1868
Mr. Benjamin,
Yours of the 10th July duly came to hand. I had about given up the idea of hearing from
you again concluding that you had either starved or been eat up by the Indians who
I suppose are all cannibals in times of scarcity. It was with added pleasure that I received
your last epistle. I can assure you that
your community is not the only one suffering from hard times, though no doubt
you may or might feel it worse than we if the crops failed. Wheat
here is about a half crop owing to the “rust”.
Corn promises well and also other crops.
We too have had a very wet spring. the river was higher than ever before, about
the same as when the ice ___ in Feb. You
recollect the dam on the water rather being even on both sides of the dam and
the water running over the end of the race into the creek, so that you would
suppose the rain had been cut through to the creek, and it continued some days
causing immense damage to life and property. In Roscoe, just above Rockford, eight lives
were lost out of a family of nine persons, the father, only, being saved by
clinging to a tree. The house was washed away; it was a brick
one. A number of cattle and some furniture
came down and went over the dam, also an entire two story house, larger than
mine, with furniture inside. The men on
the river tried to get it ashore but it went so swift and was so heavy that
they could not budge it. The people in
this vicinity had to vacate in short order.
The water rising in Dr. Rotchen’s barn into the hay loft, he had to swim
his horses out this; this caused by the culvert west of the engine house
becoming stopped with bridge stuff, fencing, etc. I tell you when the bridge gave out, if there
wasn’t a rush of mighty waters. It
carried Mrs. Holland’s bridges, chains and fences off in hot haste, but the Stone
Bridge there stood while the water part of the time was up to top of the
arches. I don’t recollect whether the
bridge was built before you left or not.
Since that the weather has been very dry and hot, till last night we had
a good shower.
Business continues dull.
I have not been to work for two months and can't get any excess
harvesting at ten shillings per day. I
am awfully in need of ___ and I have not paid anything in my place since last
summer and am paying Sanford twenty percent from money borrowed on the Bird
order which is worthless; this is eating __ more especially since I can’t get
out; however, I don’t expect you to pay anything under existing circumstances but
as soon as you are at all able, some, if not all, will be very acceptable. You can’t but see this yourself. I have improved my place very much since you went
away; all my own work when I had nothing else on hand. I have on it 24 fruit trees and about 200
bushes. The front from the house to
Montague St. is grasses and looks first rate, but property is very much down
here but it may and probably will advance again.
Our business Is no nearer closed than when you were here. We shall, Dickerman says, owe about three
thousand dollars when all is settled.
L.V.W. have got every dollar of their interest added. Rowland, the last of the judgments, has as
yet only received three hundred dollars with about $150 in bank and 100 owing from
Lane Sanford & Dickerman going to pay Chichester Dickerman’s salary, etc., with
all the machinery left and going to rust and ruin. He has not collected the bill for that “monster
bookcase” and never will. The property
on Main St. I forgot to enquire after, but you can guess the fate of that also. I told
him in such another case I never would make an assignment, but arrange it so
the property could be divided equally among all creditors. Seems he didn’t like me he says. If Theodore ever troubles you in a note he
holds against the “firm”, send to me for a receipt in full which I have. He thinks it don’t clear both parties but I guess
it does, don’t you. It is ruining me to
pay these matters but I trust you will feel it a duty to settle one half of them
when you get able. I have settled with
him and Osborn.
As for news, they are very scarce. Montague has built a new block of three
stories where Main is and he (____) has moved into one the next door to where
he formerly was. J.B. Skinner is
building two stores by his shops. Edwin
Day is the current backer for all of them.
Dempster has built a very nice house; he is running Waring & Daniel’s
mill. They have failed in a quiet way
and dissolved partnership. Daniels has
lost all his property. J.R. Manning is manufacturing
a new machine of his invention which promises to run under L.E.H. though they
are trying to ship more by suits for ___.
He has paid $500 already. He is getting up another.
For news from Dedham, Russell was out in the spring and took
dinner with us. He was much cash driven
but hopes to get under way again and pay up in full. I have rented my house and am going east to
spend the winter. Please write again and
direct your letter to Dedham. I want
eventually to get further west somewhere in your neighborhood, but can’t till I
get my place paid for or sold. It is
impossible to do either now. I should like
to be kept advised of the country round about you from time to time as you get
leisure.
This is Monday.
Saturday night was one of the awfulest thunderstorms I ever
witnessed. I have not heard of any
damage yet. I see in the Boston papers
that on the 22nd they had a storm doing considerable damage, killing
three persons. The rest of the
metropolitan block was partly blown off during the high winds. On Friday night I thought we were going to pieces
for a short time. This seems to be an extraordinary
year for casualties. There has been a
number of tornadoes in this state doing great damage and one in St. Charles
Iowa lately blowing down houses, fences, etc.
Ned Griggs was here last night. He is in Stafford Clark’s bank. I have just been called for to go up now, so
must close, wishing you better luck in money matters for the future. Myra joins with me in love to yourself &
wife for an all well.
Yours truly,
Geo W. Macbeth
No comments:
Post a Comment