JOSEPH L. CARROW

HERCULANEUM MACHINIST PENSIONED

Machinist Joseph L. Carrow's many years of service with the St. Joseph Lead Company ended on April 29, 1955. He was first employed at the Smelter in 1907. As he remembers, no other person among the present employees was working in the plant at that time. After working intermittently for St. Joe for several years he had steady employment from 1911 until 1918. The larger part of the next two years was spent in Detroit. He returned to the Smelter as a Machinist Helper in 1920, and save for a break of several months in 1923, remained with St. Joe until pensioned.

Mr. Carrow was born in French Village on April 27, 1890. His wife, nee Bird Hook, came from Doe Run. They were married in March, 1915. Mrs. Carrow has two children by a previous marriage: Miss Dorothy Robinson of the home, and Myron Robinson of Festus. Myron works at the Smelter.

Joe Carrow is the father of five children. A daughter, Sybil, died at the age of 18 months. Three married daughters live in Herculaneum: Velma, wife of Richard Burchett; Marcella, Mrs. Lee Boyer; Johanna, Mrs. Clifford Simpson. Lee Boyer is employed at the Smelter.

The son, Joseph James Carrow, married the daughter of Moody Johnston. He and his wife, Rosetta Marie, live in Herculaneum, and young Joe works for his father-in-law, who is Foreman in the Carpenter Shop at the Smelter.

The Carrows have six grandchildren.

Mr. Carrow is an accomplished gunsmith, so he will not actually retire. He has a well equipped shop, and he always has more work on hand than he can do, in fact, he states that he could use a helper. His output has averaged some 300 guns per year on a part time schedule. >From now on he will operate full time.

The October, 1950 issue of St. Joe's Safety Magazine carried a feature story about Mr. Carrow, with pictures of him at work in his shop, also a picture of one of the antique rifles of his collection, a gun which he had restored. He is the only gunsmith in his locality who is equipped to restore the rifling in old weapons of this kind. He also manufactures most of the parts which are needed in all of his repair work.

Mr. Carrow's interest in precision machine work began in the days of his youth. Through the years he has perfected his skill. He was indeed a handy man to have in the machine shop when gauges or timing devices played out. But for Joe some of these instruments would have been discarded, or returned to the factory for repair. So Joe became Mr. Fix-it for "Uncle Joe," and now more than ever, he is the man you will go to see about a gun.

Published by THE LEAD BELT NEWS, Flat River, St. Francois Co. MO, Fri. May 6, 1955.