Here I am fourteen miles from nowhere, with a broken axle and not a bit of baling wire to mend it." In those days the baling wire that came around baled hay, was used for almost universal repair work, a broken hamestrap, tug, or other parts of the harness, or double trees, neckyoke, tongue and some parts of the wagons, but just how it could be used to mend a broken axle, was left to the imagination.

We had in our midst at that time a fellow named George Ringler, who had quite a tendency to appropriate to his own use, things that he came across when the owner was not around. Some harness disappeared from the commissary, and watchers found where George had buried it on the ditch bank. Kind-hearted Mr. Orr did not wish to prosecute, but did hope to reform the misguided man. With the harness back, he gave George a quiet talking to, about where that policy would lead him. Ringler cried like a good penitent, and Orr was much impressed with his sincerity, until a short time after he discovered that during the stay at the store, either just before or after the talk, George had again let his fingers stray. Ringler afterwards went to Canon City penitentiary for an offense in Colorado, where I believe he died.

Canal Construction

An agreement was entered into between the local management of the Farmers Canal company, and Jesse Harrison and others, whereby the latter agreed to build and complete the canal for $400,000. Because of the stringency in the money market, and the lack of financial ability of the Harrison company, the deal fell through. In the meantime individuals along the route had been induced to take up and excavate sections of the canal, for which they in some cases received part money, part goods and part was to apply upon their water rights.