LOG DRIVES AND HAYING

   LOG DRIVES AND HAYING WERE THE MAIN TOPIC OF CONVERSATION.  A SLUICE WAS BEING BUILT ON SWIFT RIVER FOR LUMBER AND WOOD, THE IDEA BEING MADE BY JOHN HOUGHTON OF BYRON.  SAW MILL AT KIMBALL FALLS WAS OPERATING AND THERE WAS THE CONSTRUCTION OF TWO BOOMS ACROSS SWIFT RIVER TO HOLD THE RANKIN LOGS.

A WIND STORM ON NOV. 21, 1883 WAS REALLY BAD AND THE BLOW DOWN HEAVY.  A MAN NAMED DENNIS HATCH DISAPPEARED AND A MAN NAMED MERROW WAS BELIEVED TO KNOW WHO WAS GUILTY.  MUCH LATER SOME BONES, BELIEVED TO BE MR. HATCH'S, WERE FOUND IN A HUNDRED YEAR OLD HOUSE IN BETHEL.

DR. BICKFORD WAS PRACTICING MEDICINE IN MEXICO AND HE "IS WELL LOVED."

O.F. TRIPP APPEALED TO THE COUNTY COMMISSIONERS FOR LOCATION OF A COUNTRY ROAD AND BRIDGE ACROSS SWIFT RIVER.  THERE HAS BEEN NO CROSSING OR FORDING OF SWIFT RIVER SINCE NOV., 1882, AS EITHER THE WATERS WERE TOO HIGH AND SWIFT, OR THE ICE TOO THIN TO CROSS.

R.L. TAYLOR'S NEW BUSINESS WAS STARTED AND HE HAD A CONTRACT TO GET OUT RICH MAPLE AND BEECH TO BE MANUFACTURED INTO SOLES FOR BOOTS.
IN 1885 THE TRAINS STOPPED ONLY ON SIGNALS AND THERE WERE STAGE COACH CONNECTIONS IN EFFECT ON OCT. 2, 1885. L.L. LINCOLN, SUPERINTENDENT OF THE STAGE, ANNOUNCED THAT TRAINS WOULD CONNECT WITH THE STAGE AT CANTON DAILY WITH MAIL FOR EAST PERU, WEST PERU, DIXFIELD, MEXICO, RUMFORD FALLS, ROXBURY, BYRON AND HOUGHTON, ALSO BRITTUN'S MILLS AND IT WAS SPELLED BRITTUNS.