[FN] Now (1889) the residence of Peter D. Swartwout.
Jacob Cuddeback built a small mill on a spring brook near his residence. How it answered the purpose of grinding is not known. One of the stones in my possession (now broken) was about two feet in diameter and about two inches thick. It was found in a cellar of an old house which stood near Cuddeback's first residence.
The animals, fowls and fishes probably did not diminish whilst the Indians were the only inhabitants of this part of the country. The increase of these people was slow. A married couple generally did not have more than two or three children, in consequence of which they did not become more thickly populated than to consume only a small proportion of the abundance of wild meat this part of the country continued to produce, and they, not having the means we have to kill and get the wild animals, fowls and fishes, often suffered in consequence of not being enabled to kill as many as they wanted for their support. The most dexterous of them could generally get a plentiful supply, but those who were inactive had sometimes to be assisted by the others, especially in the cold season of the year.
When we take a view of the difference between the acquirements of the Indian race of people and those of our own nation, and the European and other enlightened nations of the world, we behold an endless acquisition which the industry and perseverance of the latter have brought into their possession, whilst the former have scarcely made a remove from a state of infancy in respect to improvements. This we cannot so much ascribe to their mental abilities as to their indolence and distaste of the pursuits of our people, preferring their own mode of life to that of ours. They were in a state of great destitution before their intercourse with Europeans for want of such materials as they were enabled to procure after Europeans settled among them, from whom they could obtain such materials as were necessary for their livelihood, guns, traps, hatchets, knives, blankets, and other articles of which they stood in need, whereby their condition of life was much improved; and these advantages which they derived and which their descendants still continue to obtain as mentioned, were, and continue to be of greater benefit to these people than the territories which they abandoned; for they now have the means of obtaining a more comfortable living than what they had before Europeans came into this country. Yet we must admit that it was a disagreeable and melancholy trial for them to leave their native places; but for these sacrifices they have received and continue to receive a good reward, of which they would have remained destitute if they had remained alone in this country. It is the lot of mankind to undergo such changes. Thousands of foreigners and our own citizens are continually migrating from place to place to advance their interest and better their condition in life. Before Europeans came into this country, stone, wood and clay were the only materials of which they manufactured any implements for their use; and stone axes, bows and arrows were the most valuable articles they manufactured. The stone axe was made of a solid stone, about six inches long and two thick, one end round and the other flattened with a rounding towards its edge, which was made as sharp as the nature of the stone would bear for its intended use. With these they would get bark from trees to cover their wigwams, and made other shelters under which to evade the inclemency of storms of snow and rain, night air, &c.; also to get bark for canoes, and girdle trees to kill them, so that the bark and limbs would fall for fuel. And with these axes in a slow operation they could cut and split small saplings for bows, and with these and other sharp stones and bones could scrape them off to a required thickness. Arrow heads (generally called harpoons in this section) were made of different kinds of flint stones, from three to about four inches long, one inch wide at the large end, and tapering from that to the small end. They were flat and rounding towards each side for sharpening the edges; a notch was worked into each side of the big end to fasten it into the arrow. These appear to have been made by knocking off small scales, whereby their surfaces, were left uneven.
It was said that they had manufactured pots of clay for cooking, and that a few remains of these had been found, in a broken condition, and that they made eel-pots of with and caught therein eels and fish by setting them in the mouths of eel-weirs, which consisted of wings of stones thrown up in rivers and streams of water. The stone axes, bows and arrows were of great value to the naked-handed Indians. With the latter it was said that they could even kill a deer by making the bow very stiff and laying down with it in the tall grass which grew on the flats near to a deer-path, would, when a deer approached to pass, place both feet against the bow and with both hands draw the string or cord of the bow and shoot the deer as it passed, so as to kill it. It was said they made use of a sharp flint stone to skin it.
Now, although the improvements the natives of this country had made during their existence in it was very trifling, yet they had attained to about all that was in their reach in the circumstances under which they labored, and had come to the borders of a gigantic step which was necessary to be made for entering into a field of improvements similar to that of the enlightened nations of the world.
[MANUFACTURE OF IMPLEMENTS OF IRON AND STEEL.]
This step is the manufacturing of iron from the ore, and iron and steel utensils. The most ingenious of our own race of people would be puzzled to get into operation any works to answer that purpose, naked-handed as those people were, and in their state of ignorance when alone in this country. This discovery of manufacturing iron and steel utensils is the most useful to mankind of any ever made. Without the manufacture of iron, or some other metal which would have answered the same purpose, mankind must all have remained in that low, naked-handed and unimproved state in which the Indians were found in this country. The production of this metal by the original cause of all things, and its manufacture, are indispensable for the whole business of mankind. The blacksmith and manufacturer of iron and steel stand at the head of all other mechanics. If the productions of the former were to pass out of existence, that of the latter would inevitably become extinct and the farmer would have to abandon the cultivation of the earth, and the wheels of all the hydraulic works and manufacturing machineries whatever would cease to move. The oceans, seas, lakes and rivers would become unburdened of the ships and vessels passing thereon; the rattling of cars on the railroads would stop their music, and the still voice of the telegraph would cease to whisper its news. The consequence of all of which would be starvation and a miserable life of such as should survive to witness such a terrible catastrophe.