10 Comments

Once in the 60s a group of teenage girls had summer jobs there. My late sister told me this story. At some point during the workday an enormous spider started descending from the ceiling and everyone female completely freaked out. Work came to a screeching halt. Irma Kinnunen calmy and without fanfare grabbed the spider silk string and positioned the offending arachnid in a convenient place and crushed it. None of these girls had paid much attention to Irma up to that point as she older and wasn’t a showy person. But all those girls loved and admired her after that incident.

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Seems fitting that a spider should appear at a place that weaves material. Maybe they should have hired it?

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The spider thought it was just working along with everyone else. Meanwhile all the girls were gagging watching it.

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Yes, that is Phil Emma in the grey suit on the left.

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Thanks, this is how we learn history, with your help

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My dad Toivo Kangas worked as a “fixer” maintaining the knitting machines from the mills early days up until it shut down in the early 1970s. In the late 40s there was even some small apartments there for workers.

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I worked with your dad and Leonard and Lionel Thibault and Gus Doucett as a"fixer" on those large knitting machines. Replacing broken needles and helping the ladies Changing those "spools" of yarn . Lea Kolapakka was one of those ladies who worked very hard. Omer Brouilett was another fixer. Lionel Blais was our foreman and a great guy to work for.

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I worked there at the same time as all of the above. I don't think I knew you back then. Most of the others were from Greenville that's probably why I remember them so clearly,

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Leonard was my brother-in-law and Lionel was a good friend. My sisters Eva and Janet also worked there. My mother was part of Tricnit's first crew. Phil sent my mother to Laconia NH to learn 'looping' and other procedures before the operation moved to Greenville. My mother lived in a boarding house with other young women. I have letters that my mother received from my father before they were married in 1938.

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I worked in the sewing room there and remember your Dad. We all walked through that area to get to the lunch room and your Dad was always pleasant and smiling.

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