A Little Historical Sketch

It has been noarly two yeara sinne ths agitation looking towards the parchase of a roadrollor flrst bega in Ann Arbor. Wlien the counoil iinally g-ot down to business, the agente of various roadrollers began to put in au appearanee. The lirst on the ground, - and the last, too - wa Mr. F. D. Franklin, Manager for Michigan, Ohio and Wieconsln, fo the Pitte Agricultural Work-, ol B iffi lo, N. Y. Although Mr. Franklin wa a now hand at the roadroller feature o his business and had to compete wit menwho represented other strongcompanies, and men of largo experience with roadrollers, he knew that hc had a 2ood machine, in fact the best machine upon the market. Competition d'd not scare him in the least. He came to Ann Arbor to do some legitimate business, and he was rcady to make a prloe as low as the lowest. Thcn too, he knew that it would be a credit to any company to place one of these rollers in this city. When the street committee visited the various factories. Mr. Franklin was indefatigable in his efforts to make the trip enjoyaable to the committoe. When it came right down to the merits of the different rollers, the Pitts pcople, represented ly Mr. Franklin, easily convinced the committee that the Pitts was the ma! chine to purchase. When compared with the Kclley and Harrlflburg rollers the latter rere not in it. When the roller roaehed Ann Arbor. the engineer Bent here by the company to test the machine, got boo.y and ran the roller into a sink hole. Mr. Franklin at once telegraphed to the factory at Buffalo for Mr. Henn, the superintin lont of the construction room where the rollers are made and had him come to Ann Arbor. Under his work as an engineer the muchine provod capable of doing even more than the contract called for. The roller ciimbed the Observator; street hill, the steepest in the city, with the greatost case and did it in remarkably quick time. Kverybody who has watehed the woi-k of the machine or who has listened to Mr. Henn oxi)lain the many commendablo features about the roller, is tiimly convinced that the steam roadroller will do all that has been elaimed forit. Mr. Franklin. during his frequant visite here has made many [rienda by 1 1 Is honest way of doing business and his pleasaut and aureeable marnier.