Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1858-08-06


would escape ill usage and be rescued. w,
had been balf an hour a1oat, driven head
long southward through impcnctrablc dark
ness and roaring northeast storm of rair
and wind. My thorough knowledge of tn,
river had been useless; add it was only fortu
nate guessing that kept us in the current
under the double impetus of the boiling flood
and OF the four strong arms of the brcth
rcn.
I'VE ought to see a isht on Enfield Bridge
| sald.
Heavens and earthn groaned Elphalet
'the house could never shoot the bridge with
the water up here'
was looking straight south, with strain
ing eyes. Before | could answer, vast
black mass seemed to spring up within the
abyss of the darkness before us. 1t was the
Bridge.
Heads down" l shouted; and, as our
good fortune would have it we shot through
like lightning, just touching pier us We
swept past. That touch, however, risked
our lives, and caused the loss of two or more
by cripping our chase. 1t snapped the two
starboard oars, which the rustic oarsmen
had not unshipped, cut off at the row-locks,
and careened the crank skif so that she ship
ped water on the other side But little
more and our dangerous race would have
ended under the black beams of the old toll
bridge.
We whirled helplessly through, and surg
ed for moment into the eddy behind the
pier.
John, sit still. Hand your oar to Eli
phalet. Lif, pull ashore; we must see the
4 bridge keeper, and get some oars
| Sure enough, said John; and, obeying
my reAdier commands, we succeeded with
considerable difficulty in reaching the shore
and ma king fast at ono end of the high en-
banked road
As we stepped into the carriage way, the
old bridg keeper came from his door with
several lanterns.
Good morning, Mr.. Hall, said. DO
You know Of anybody's going down the riy-
cr in the night?
The old man looked at me in surprise, all
haggard and worn, lis hard features strange
ly lit up in the llickcrins unsteady gleam OF
his half dozen Ii hts.
.Why, Mr.. Truax, shouldn't "A tho t
80 NJ
nard? anybody goin' down the river =
SomeftiA' went down, aud somebody along
with it, reckon. 1t walked me, | tell We
1t must have been house; it was ten chan
ces agn it; but it must have struck plump
in the middle Of the long arch and went thro
us if the rotten old timbers had been twine
string. do no how that breaks agoins to
be fixed; I've hung up those lights three
times ready, they blow straight out.
did you hear anyon scream?'
sYes, SIR. 1t was that woke me. But
couldn't see nothin' on 'em when come out.
They re ten miles off by this time; and
there's the Rapids too
John Barnard groaned.
The Barnard's house is gone, Mr.. Hall;
and old Mrs Barnard and Elm. in it. We're
afraid those Cases are after it; and we Just
broke two oars in the bridge. Can you lend
us couple?'
The old man would have stopped to Won
der and question; but we very quickly got
the oars, and uncercmoniously dashed off to
our boat again, sprang in, put Oft, and once
more were speeding down the wild roaring
river, faster and faster; for here the channel
narrows, converging towards the contracted
passage cllled Enfield Rapids.
As we approached the head of the shoot
the dim roar of the struggling flood came
! threatcninsly back to us against the Shrek
Ing of the wird; thought of the railroad
bridge below; the chances were undoubtedly
ten to one that we should get by; but we
might not We swept into the foamins
waves of the western or main channel, for
the river is here split by an island
'Sit steady, boys; and get ready to drown,
if necessary, Tie house may not have saot
the railroad bridge; but we may swamp on
a pier Take the oars in when tell YOU
At thirty miles an hour we went sweep
ing down the slant, and almost before had
done speaking the lofty bridge rose before
Us.
In cars :, and safe, thank God, We float
ci past it.
Now then, boys, pull. We must catch
them above Hartford. We have 20 business
to expect that the house will escape two
bridges there, even if it has come through
this
would have exchanged places with one
of the brothers; but they refused, saying
that knew the river best, and must steer;
and for some time the long steady oar stroke
drove us swiftly ON in silence and dark
uess.
Now, dim and hardly perccptible lifting
of the close black curtains of the stormy
night indicated the coming of the morning;
slowly, slowly, the sphere of vision grew
wider around us through gray, cold mists
steamins thinly upon the surface of the
flood We had passed the lower end of the
canal and the village at Windsor Locks, and
the mouth of the Pennington River; and
now could see indistinctly as we shot along
quite from point to point OF the main stream.
There it's, Boys
| For at last saw the old roof wet into
blackncss, and all the upper story of the old