The past and the present . horized, in 1646, toerect his grist-mill, imported from Eng-land, or paid for the importation of, thestampers — wooden instruments for pul-verizing the corn. Hence the street leadingup the hill, just above Mill bridge, wascalled Stampers street. It is certain thatSmiths mill was the first hydraulic work in Rhode Island, if not the first in Xew Eng-land. In the winter of , the citizens, asa precautionary measure, erected a fort onStampers Hill. Here a garrison was orderedin 1676, consisting of a captain and sevenmen; it was named Kings garrison. In 1650the mil
The past and the present . horized, in 1646, toerect his grist-mill, imported from Eng-land, or paid for the importation of, thestampers — wooden instruments for pul-verizing the corn. Hence the street leadingup the hill, just above Mill bridge, wascalled Stampers street. It is certain thatSmiths mill was the first hydraulic work in Rhode Island, if not the first in Xew Eng-land. In the winter of , the citizens, asa precautionary measure, erected a fort onStampers Hill. Here a garrison was orderedin 1676, consisting of a captain and sevenmen; it was named Kings garrison. In 1650the military stores of the town consisted ofone barrel of powder, 500 pounds of lead, sixpikes and six muskets. Probably swordswere private property. Then every manshouse was his armed castle. The muskets used by the first settlers ofour country were matchlocks. The lightedmatch was moved to the touch-pan by aspring. The pan was opened by the firing the spring brought the match incontact with the powder in the open State House, Piovideuce Matchlock muskets first came into use in1521. Bayonets were attached to musketsnear 1690. Flint locks were first used about1700. It is an anachronism to describe thesettlers of New England as pecking theirflints before going into battle. They struckfire before the action commenced. King Philips War inflicted its savage blowon the young town. When the Indians, withtomahawk and torch, approached the settle-ment and were met by Roger Williams, theysaid to him Brother Williams, you are a 16 NARRAGANSETT SEA AXD SHORE. good man; you have been kind to us manyyears; not a hair of your head shall betouched. He was unharmed, but on the30th of March, 1676, fifty-four buildings wereburned and the town was nearly records were saved by the town clerk,John Smith, the miller, who threw them intohis mill pond, near the present mill centre of the town then was Constitti-
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1870, bookidpastpresent0, bookyear1879
