Weather, News, History

 There isn't much to report this morning, but I guess I'm feeling it has been so long between posts that  someone is going to get worried if I'm ok. I am fine. I'm relieved that yesterday's snowfall was light and fluffy, due to the darned cold temperatures. I don't think it got out of the single digits above all day. Today is a bit warmer - I'm seeing 18.9F right now, but the sunshine we had earlier has once again disappeared and there are snowflakes in the air - plus some blowing snow since the wind has picked up out of the northwest. This morning I measured 8.5 inches of new snow - and that was quickly dealt with by Jamie plowing my driveway, and me shoveling off my deck and walkway. We have a system - when I see him coming, I open the garage door so he can get close with his plow, and then I head out and use the scoop to move snow away from the house to where he can get it easily with his plow. Then I do my walkway and deck, and take measurements for CoCoRaHS. By the way, this past week I received a certificate from CoCoRaHS for having made over 5,000 reports. Not bad for an old timer like me! Anyway, it all got done quickly this morning because the snow was so light.

Jamie said hat Luke Persons spend over 9 hours straight plowing his customers during that last storm of wet snow, and he couldn't finish all of them by nightfall. Normally it would take him just a few hours to clear all the driveways on his list. I know Luke puts in long hours plowing and sanding - he sometimes has hit my driveway with sand long after dark. We do appreciate Luke.

My under-counter heat circulating fan was making chirping noises recently and after it nearly drove me over the edge this weekend, I sent Lloyd Rowell a text Monday morning to see if he could stop in and either fix it or show me how to turn it off. Lloyd came about an hour later and took everything apart, found the problem and fixed it. I now have wonderful, quiet heat warming my toes at the counter. He cautioned me the motor is showing signs of age and it might fail any time, but we decided as long as it works, keep it in place. Lloyd grew up on a farm in Walden and understands the mindset, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it." That definitely works for me! He's another really good neighbor that I appreciate.

While he was here, Lloyd told me that Headwaters Restaurant in Cabot closed unexpectedly last Thursday. He said he stopped in Thursday night at The Den in the hardware store next door, and patrons there were abuzz with the news. Headwaters posted a message on Facebook saying they were "on hiatus -- stay tuned!" We certainly hope they will re-open soon. They had just expanded their hours and business seemed to be really good. I was recently told that the employees are hoping to buy the business and continue running it. That is a tall order, I think, but more power to them! I hope they can pull it off.

I've been doing some research on the website, Chronicling America, and came across an article written on January 24, 1889 about a sawmill boiler explosion in East Cabot. I knew about that because it was one of the many stories my grandfather, Aaron Bolton told. He was a young man about 20 years old then and was taking a load of logs to the mill that winter. It was common for farmers to cut logs while things were slow on the farm in winter. Young Aaron had trouble with the team on the way and was delayed. He told about how he came into the clearing above the mill just in time to see the explosion. Had he been just a few minutes earlier, I might not be telling this story!

The mill was on the brook that runs into Molly's Pond, very near the Lesperance home where there used to be a cement statue business. Now there is a new road leading past that house up to a set of buildings near where my grandfather came out of the woods with his team. The road that is now Chatot Road was then known as the Bayley Hazen Road and followed the ridge all the way to Cabot Plain where the Bolton farm was. 

The mill was owned by Albert and John Morgan of St. Johnsbury and was a newly built, the building not quite finished. The boiler had been purchased and set up recently by a little-known company, but was warranted for the required pressure needed to run the mill. Mr. Comstock was a mechanic from O. V. Hooker & Son of St Johnsbury, hired to work on the troublesome boiler. When Comstock arrived at the boiler room on Tuesday January 15, 1889, he ordered the boiler shut down while he examined it to find the problem. It was when it was re-started that the explosion occurred. Several people were killed - Ernest Comstock of St. Johnsbury was killed instantly and Albert Morgan seriously burned and his leg broken in two places. Dr. Wiswell and Dr. Warren of Cabot were first to arrive and had to amputate Morgan's leg. He died the following day. Several other men were bruised and burned with the steam from the exploding boiler. My grandfather recalled seeing one man unconscious, hanging over a tree limb some distance from the mill site. That man fortunately suffered only a few bruises. 

I was thrilled to find the very informative account of that blast that happened 135 years ago, almost to the day. I was impressed that the details in the story matched exactly what my grandfather recalled from his experience. Now if I can just find the final pieces to the puzzle of my great-grandfather John Bolton's time serving in the Union Army during the Civil War that will match up to sorties handed down over the years! I'm working on it, discovering bits and pieces each day that shed more light on that part of his life.

And now, back to researching!