My article last week was titled, “Betwixt and between.” Fred Gonet of G&G Restorations in Proctorsville called to tell me about the photo with that article. You may recall it was a photo of an early car driving through an ice jam in Hartford, Vt., in 1908.
Fred has made a career restoring these early cars. He identified the car as a 1908 Buick Model F with a two-cylinder motor. Fred inquired of a friend if he had any information on the “02” dealer license plate. Could he find who the dealer was? Yes. The dealer was the Excelsior Carriage Company in White River.
Fred invited me to his shop in Proctorsville. I went up this past Saturday. Fred’s shop is interesting. He has a turret lathe and a milling machine. He also has a jeweler’s lathe for making tiny parts.
I was there over an hour picking Fred’s brain. While I have no interest in collecting cars, I really enjoyed listening to Fred.
When I left, Fred was readying two cars for a drive to the Gill Home in Ludlow. This was a program at the Gill Home to entertain elderly folks staying there.
Fred drove his 1914 Model T. His wife B.J. drove her 1931 Chrysler, both completely restored.
Fair to middlin’
Another subject in last week’s article was excerpts from an 1840 Bellows Falls Gazette. I repeat one post here, and call your attention to “middling.”
“STRAYED OR STOLEN
“From my Pasture in Londonderry, VT., on the fourth day of July, inst. a light grey six year old Horse; mixed with some red hairs; light mane and tail, middling long switch to his tail, a small bunch on the top of his right shoulder blade. Whosoever will return said Horse, or give information where he can be found, shall be handsomely rewarded, and all charges paid.
“ISAAC DECAMP Londonderry, July 20, 1840.”
I have to admit “middling” got by me. I have since looked up the definition: “Middling refers to something that is medium, average, or neither very good, nor very bad.” Why the switch of the tail was worth mentioning I do not know. Keeping flies away?
A common reply used to be, when you asked someone how they were doing, “Fair to middlin’.” I never knew “middling” was a real word, but knew it to mean “not bad.”
More Bellows Falls Gazette posts
Here are more posts from the same newspaper.
“WOOL & WAGGONS
“Cash and a fair market price will be paid for clean fleece wool delivered at our store. Proctor and Robinson.
“They are manufacturing and have constantly on hand, a general assortment of one and two horse WAGGONS, and other CARRIAGES, made of good materials and well finished which will be sold on very reasonable terms.
“Proctorsville, June 17th, 1840.”
No title
“Came into my enclosure about the 4th of August, a Sorrel Mare about common size, and about 9 years old, with small white spots made by the pad of the harness or saddle, and a little stripe around the breast of white, made by the collar. The owner is requested to call and pay charges and take her away.
“RICHARDSON ROBERTSON South Charlestown, Aug. 12, 1840.”
No title or author
“We are happy to notice the completion of the Bridge at Bellows Falls. The noble pier in the center, and the abutment on the West side of the river, are structures which do credit to Messrs. Silsby and Sargents for the workman like manner in which they have laid the stone, and will we doubt not long remain a monument of their skill. On the New Hampshire side of the river, Nature had formed an abutment. The wood work which stretches itself from abutment to abutment across the pier, has a most striking effect; the beauty of its structure, its columns, side walks, and the entrances at each end, gives the whole a most splendid finish. Capt. Isaac Damon may well call it a master piece of workmanship; we are confident it has no parallel on Connecticut River, and we doubt if such a structure can be found crossing any stream in the Union of such strength and beauty. Its extreme length is 260 feet; width of the floor 25 feet; the oak plank laid lengthwise the Bridge; the heighth [sic] from the floor to the horizontal braces and beams 14 feet, and is 60 feet high from the water.”
This week’s old saying. “He was born in the shallow end of the gene pool.”