A Construction Accident
by George Holcomb • Transcribed by Betty McClave • Edited by Alex Brooks
Wednesday, April 26, 1848: We this morning began to raise a hog house. Raising the second bent my bar slipped holding the foot of the post and not help to raise it up, the bent slid partly down and came onto Geo P. and squat him down, the beam and brace came across his back and hurt him bad. John F. took a horse and rode to Lebanon and got Doctor Bates in a little short of an hour and he bled Geo P. It releaved him a little. Today said Mercer helped timber for to new sill my wood house. I sowed grass seed on the hill. Abraham worked with said Mercer scoring timber and to help partly take off boards and raise up the wood house and put under part of the new sills. On this evening we the proprietors that stuck to finish the belfry met to the school house and we found that Samuel Mercer’s bill was 18 dol and 37 cts and we charged him one dol and 25 cts per one hundred feet spruce siding and his balance due him was 17 dol and 12 cts. We contributed 20 dol this evening and I had 16 dol 50 cts handed to me to pay Mercer and he took up with 16 dol and I handed the 50 cts to Fred Russel. I paid in four dollars to help pay said Mercer and to help paint the belfry.
Thursday: Today we worked at the wood house finishing new silling boarding and underpinning. Doctor Bates came to see Geo P. and says he will get along with good care.
Friday: Today I cut and drew timber for my hog house sleepers and said Mercer hewed them and fitted in and nailed on the board on a board fence that Geo P set the posts. It is opposite to the house across the street, and I paid said Mercer for his ten days work at one dol per day, and his hired man for ten days works at 75 cts per, which is 17 dol and 50 cts.
Wednesday: Some rainy. Today we cut and split and drew rails and Samuel Mercer helped cut a butternut for ox yokes. Tonight brother Sylvester and another peddler stayed with us, each of them had a horse to keep. Ludwick Babcock sent his son and got four bushels of carrots.
Saturday, May 6: We plowed, harrowed, and sowed oats on my Rodgers farm.
Sunday: On this morning Stephen Bull cut his throat but did not kill him. He was deranged.
