to Philadelphia on business to see his and his father’s agents, Talbot and Spicer, to see Novus Easley, and for pleasure, to buy books not carried by the printers’ shops in Caxton and Williamsburg.
One hot afternoon, the summer following Jack Frake’s marriage to Etáin, Reece Vishonn rode from Enderly to Meum Hall to broach again the idea of Hugh standing for burgess. Although William Granby could have retained the seat and probably won reelection even though he had already moved with his wife to Fredericksburg and another county, he had expressed no interest in continuing to represent Queen Anne County. And no one else had announced his candidacy for the vacant seat. With Vishonn was Edgar Cullis, the remaining burgess.
The planter and his younger companion found Hugh on the top platform of the pine tower, wearing a straw hat and a carpenter’s apron that was heavy with nails, busy with another man hammering planks to the structure. Near the base of the tower were some thin, curved lengths of pine. Several workers were busy hewing and planing other lengths, while another group was engrossed in the task of fitting another length into a flat contraption that lay on the ground near the cooperage.
Hugh did not notice his visitors until the worker with him spoke to him. He waved his hat at them, then climbed down from the platform. He rinsed his face and hands from a bucket of water, then strode over to the mounted men. “Good day, sirs,” he said in greeting. “To what do I owe this call?”
Reece Vishonn nodded, but stared back at the tower and the activity around it. “What is it you’re putting up, Mr. Kenrick? A watchtower? Are you expecting Indian raids, or mischief by Mr. Swart?”
Hugh laughed, and explained the work that was going on. “…It’s not so strange a machine, sir. There are several like it in London. Once it is assembled, we must treat it like a ship. We will caulk the seams inside and out, even though the tongues will fit into the grooves and the weight will help seal the whole. Then we must tar the inside wall as well, to prevent further leakage. That will give the water a slight taste, but they say tar water has medicinal qualities. But, see here,” he said, as he showed his visitors around the cooperage, and pointed to the flat, oaken device that held a single curved plank. “This is an idea I’ve adapted from how carriagemakers up north fashion continuous rims for their wheels. Once a plank is ready, and its tongues and grooves finished, its length is forced into this mold and allowed to set until it assumes the necessary shape…. The tower vessels in London are rectangular, and their corners often spring leaks…. ”
Edgar Cullis squinted in thought, and asked, “But, sir, how is water to get into this receptacle?”
“By rainfall,” answered Hugh. “The roof, or lid, will have three wide funnels to collect it.” He grimaced. “Of course, I shall need to devise something to discourage birds from making nests over them.” He nodded to a pile of iron pipes that lay beneath the tower. “And, once the receptacle is finished, we shall connect the pipes. I’ve prepared two rooms in the house and the kitchen there to link the pipes with the tower.”
“Those are not
my
pipes,” remarked Vishonn.
“No, sir. I purchased those in Philadelphia, as well as the brass taps and the basins. Porcelain basins, no less.”
Vishonn shook his head. “You, sir, are a wonder. Who would have imagined that London plumbing would ever come to Caxton?” With an admiring glance over the tower and the scene around it, he added, “I shall have to look into constructing one of these for Enderly, Mr. Kenrick.”
“When you are ready to, I would be happy to offer my consultations.” Hugh waved his hat to the house. “Well, please come in, sirs. I shall ask Mrs. Vere to prepare some tea.”
When they were settled in Hugh’s study, Reece Vishonn stated his business. He knew that his host
One hot afternoon, the summer following Jack Frake’s marriage to Etáin, Reece Vishonn rode from Enderly to Meum Hall to broach again the idea of Hugh standing for burgess. Although William Granby could have retained the seat and probably won reelection even though he had already moved with his wife to Fredericksburg and another county, he had expressed no interest in continuing to represent Queen Anne County. And no one else had announced his candidacy for the vacant seat. With Vishonn was Edgar Cullis, the remaining burgess.
The planter and his younger companion found Hugh on the top platform of the pine tower, wearing a straw hat and a carpenter’s apron that was heavy with nails, busy with another man hammering planks to the structure. Near the base of the tower were some thin, curved lengths of pine. Several workers were busy hewing and planing other lengths, while another group was engrossed in the task of fitting another length into a flat contraption that lay on the ground near the cooperage.
Hugh did not notice his visitors until the worker with him spoke to him. He waved his hat at them, then climbed down from the platform. He rinsed his face and hands from a bucket of water, then strode over to the mounted men. “Good day, sirs,” he said in greeting. “To what do I owe this call?”
Reece Vishonn nodded, but stared back at the tower and the activity around it. “What is it you’re putting up, Mr. Kenrick? A watchtower? Are you expecting Indian raids, or mischief by Mr. Swart?”
Hugh laughed, and explained the work that was going on. “…It’s not so strange a machine, sir. There are several like it in London. Once it is assembled, we must treat it like a ship. We will caulk the seams inside and out, even though the tongues will fit into the grooves and the weight will help seal the whole. Then we must tar the inside wall as well, to prevent further leakage. That will give the water a slight taste, but they say tar water has medicinal qualities. But, see here,” he said, as he showed his visitors around the cooperage, and pointed to the flat, oaken device that held a single curved plank. “This is an idea I’ve adapted from how carriagemakers up north fashion continuous rims for their wheels. Once a plank is ready, and its tongues and grooves finished, its length is forced into this mold and allowed to set until it assumes the necessary shape…. The tower vessels in London are rectangular, and their corners often spring leaks…. ”
Edgar Cullis squinted in thought, and asked, “But, sir, how is water to get into this receptacle?”
“By rainfall,” answered Hugh. “The roof, or lid, will have three wide funnels to collect it.” He grimaced. “Of course, I shall need to devise something to discourage birds from making nests over them.” He nodded to a pile of iron pipes that lay beneath the tower. “And, once the receptacle is finished, we shall connect the pipes. I’ve prepared two rooms in the house and the kitchen there to link the pipes with the tower.”
“Those are not
my
pipes,” remarked Vishonn.
“No, sir. I purchased those in Philadelphia, as well as the brass taps and the basins. Porcelain basins, no less.”
Vishonn shook his head. “You, sir, are a wonder. Who would have imagined that London plumbing would ever come to Caxton?” With an admiring glance over the tower and the scene around it, he added, “I shall have to look into constructing one of these for Enderly, Mr. Kenrick.”
“When you are ready to, I would be happy to offer my consultations.” Hugh waved his hat to the house. “Well, please come in, sirs. I shall ask Mrs. Vere to prepare some tea.”
When they were settled in Hugh’s study, Reece Vishonn stated his business. He knew that his host
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