Silas Pewter, of Hendricks township, Chautauqua County, who discovered the
adamant bug, is getting rich fast off his discovery. It was in August when
he discovered the bugs, and several weeks had passed away before he could
get things shaped up to "colonize" them properly.
He now has at least a dozen different "herds" of them. Some are removing
the stone from fields for farmers by eating it into sand and letting it go
back into the soil when the ground is plowed. Pewter gets two dollars an
acre for this.
One herd is working on the road in Harrison township cutting the rock out
of the hills. Several herds are at work in the sandpaper factory between
Elgin and Hewins.
Mr. Pewter says his sandpaper mill has paid well, but thinks he will close
it down during the spring months because so many road overseers want the
bugs for spring road-work.
He says he is about to close a contract with the Santa Fe for the
mastication of the big boulders along its tracks west of Elgin. This, he
says, will give the bugs work all season.--_Kansas City Journal._