Word: elderkin
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Dates: during 1970-1979
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...bright idea of using the river to power a public grist mill. The town was enthusiastic and work began immediately, in 1636. Unfortunately, dramatic alterations in Shaw's scheme proved necessary, as the Charles was simply too lazy to turn a mill. These alterations were left to John Elderkin, who diverted the river down a precipitous slope to his grist mill. This led to a marvelous lawsuit in which a judge ruled that Elderkin was entitled to no more than a third of the Charles's water, although the judge gave no clue as to how the river water could...