The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1867-12-27

t... MACHIAs, Dec. "a, 1867.
To the Editor of the Press:
An all-night ride out of Bangor in the Cal
ais pung, with the mercury at 20 or % degrees
below zero is open to some objections, and it
has some alterations. L tried it few nights
ago. Sleep visited the ''fevered" brain at in
tervals interrupted first by telegram from
the feet, to the effect that the hot brick had
strayea to the next pair of pedestals. Then
the spinal column reports drop of water ten
thousand times colder than ice, slowly cours-
ing down from the neck. Moustache sends in
word that it is firmly welded to the beard
mouth Dramatically sealed. Eyebrows report
frosty rhine fast gathering, and winking sus-
pended. Left ear gives notice of loss of strip
OF cuticle down to the edge Of fur collar. Fin
gers hurriedly telegraph that villainous cur
rent of air has worked between the rot es and
is cutting them off like butchers knife.
Nose hoists signals of distress, first red, then
white, then relapses into icy indifference.
Then all is quiet, and chilly stupor reigns
at headquarters, until sudden lurch of the
pung jerks the right eye half OPEN Stout
passenger seated on that side red face, close
shaved and bare to the wind, ears ditto. I
speak to him and succeed in saying, "U-r-r,
ugh, Ugh"
"Haw?" s,.r rf
A desperate effort cracks the glacier attach
ed to my face and i inform him that sit is
rather rough night"
"Yaas, middlin', but L don't feel it none
s longs en- keep my hands warm Got an
awful pair Outings on 'em. They're half an
inch thick, an was offered three dollars for
em" ll
"What's the name Of that mountain?"
'Waal, that's Scoodic; it's awful steep on
t'other side. They was loegin' there one year
an they had rayther long log ON the bunk
sled, an it worked loose an gin jump for
ward right over the oxyoke, jest grain the
critters horns, an took into the woods an
down over the mountain like all Je-rusalum,
an never stopped till it skooted out onto the
lake. to
"Do you camp out when you are numbering
about hereo" ,-9
"Yaas; build a camp right in the woods.
WAL, one time / was hewin' timber over on
the side of Bald Hill, an twas so awful
sidlin' I he'd ter chain every stick ter bew it.
! he'd forty foot stick chained TO tree an
got it most hewed ten inches square, an it
broke loose an started right down over the
pitch O. the hill an struck kersmack agin
rock apls an split it from eend tn eend intu
tew five inch plank, an kept gwiue one
one side and tother tother, a wbippin through
the saplins like chain lghtnin'."
Here we arrive at "clever little place"
comprising one house and barn-the last for
eight miles. While the horses are changed we
stumble into the house and thaw so much as
to laugh quite naturally at dog which has
almost human folly of chasing his tail.
So much for the ride. The rest would be
mere tautology.
The most noticeable business just row at
East Macbias is catching the tom cod alias
frost fish. The thing is done with dip net,
and also with two sticks fastened together
like pair of long nippers. This instrument
is thrust down upon the innocent fish as he
lies among the rocks, and the jaws are closed
upon him. Quite company of men and boys
were engaged in this business last Sunday.
The bridge at Machias is built on timbers
driven thirty feet into the mud. The new
dyke is built by dumping gravel along side of
the bridge, and the lateral pressure of the
dyke is so great that the bridge is thrust aside
some fifteen or twenty feet. KANAPH,