EARLY DAYS

The first settlers had their homes close to the rivers or along the North Shore, trees were cut down and piled in rows for burning, great care had to be taken to have a good space between the piles and standing woods. A forest fire was a serious matter in the early days.

John Stewart in his early history says a good axe-man could cut down, limb and cut in ten foot lengths and pile the wood ready for burning on an acre in eight days. It takes a good axe-man to out four cords of wood per day; generally speaking farmers averaged clearing two acres per year for the first ten years, after that more help and better methods resulted in larger clearings.

Houses were built of logs dove-tailed at the corners. Logs were chinked with moss and mortar to keep out the draft. Some roofs were poles covered with sods but generally they were boarded up and down with slats over the cracks, later boards and split pine shingles were used. Birch bark was used over the cracks under the shingles.

Boards were sawn in saw pits dug seven feet deep in the ground, logs were chalk lined and placed on a frame over the pit, one man was in the pit and the others stood on the log or frame, the heavy saw had large teeth and two handles to operate and guide the saw.

Joseph Constable said he and Dan Duggan could saw 400 feet in a day, both had long arms and were good workers. This operation was called whip sawing.

Floors were made of split logs hewed smooth or plank, cellars were just a hole under the floor at first, good foundations and cellars came later. Open fire places were usually at the end of the house and iron cranes swung the heavy iron pots over the fire, no other heating in the house.

Houses were situated near a spring or brook if possible, if not a well was dug and stoned around down to hard rock, generally water could be found less than thirty feet. As land was cleared some people had to deepen their wells to another water level.

Large families used bunks on the wall for sleeping accommoda— tion as well as the loft. Chaff and pin-e needles were used for mat- tresses, feather beds were a luxury which came later.

Most everyone had their candle molds, a cotton wick was inserted and hot tallow was poured into the molds, when cold they pulled out easy and were ready for use.

The large back log in the fire place was never allowed to go out and helped light the room.

Farms soon became self—sufficient, they had their flour, oatmeal

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