Manitou Beach, Mich., sends us this poem which he says was taken
from the ‘Iowa Sawmills’. That is all we know, so here it
is. Ed.
One hay-wire sawmill,
Nice new location,
Ten mile haul
To the shipping station.
Half mile to plank road
Rest of it mud,
Six bridges, all condemned
But otherwise good.
Timber yellow cypress,
Very few knots.
Awfully sound
Between rotten spots.
Fire box boiler,
Flues leak some,
Injector patched
With chewing gum.
Darn good whistle
And carriage track.
Nine feet left
Of the old smoke stack.
Belts a little ragged
Rats ate the laces.
Head saw cracked
In a couple of places.
The engine knocks
And is loose on its base,
And the flywheel’s broke
In just one place.
There’s a pile of side lumber
And a few cull ties,
But they are attached
By some credit guys.
There’s a mortgage on the land
That’s now past due,
And I still owe
For the machinery, too.
But if you want to get rich
Here’s the place to begin,
For it’s a darn good layout
For the shape it’s in.
Half mile to plank road
Rest of it mud,
Six bridges, all condemned
But otherwise good.
Timber yellow cypress,
Very few knots.
Awfully sound
Between rotten spots.
Fire box boiler,
Flues leak some,
Injector patched
With chewing gum.
Darn good whistle
And carriage track.
Nine feet left
Of the old smoke stack.
Belts a little ragged
Rats ate the laces.
Head saw cracked
In a couple of places.
The engine knocks
And is loose on its base,
And the flywheel’s broke
In just one place.
There’s a pile of side lumber
And a few cull ties,
But they are attached
By some credit guys.
There’s a mortgage on the land
That’s now past due,
And I still owe
For the machinery, too.
But if you want to get rich
Here’s the place to begin,
For it’s a darn good layout
For the shape it’s in.
