The Portland daily press., 1868-11-09
Miscellany.
The story of a Narrow Escnne.

The Story of Narrow Escape.
A correspondent OF the journal of the
Telegraph. writing from this city, tells the
following:
In the month of April, 1857, fearful gale
spranS up one Sunday night, which prostrat-
ed the telegraph wires between Portland and
Bangor in most discourasing manner. TAX
ing crew of men with the necessary mate
rails, started from Bangor on the early train,
dropping a man at the station as we went
along, to foot 1T back and mend the bi eak. |
saw some fifty breaks within seventy-fiye
miles, besides numerous crosses and trees on
the wires. When arrived at Lewiston some
thing over one hundred miles from Bangor,
ran to the office, and found it was o. K. TO
Portland. at once telegraphed repairman
Pierre to take the train and go through to
Water vile without stopping, and 1 would
meet him ON his arrival there. That Pierre
was model observation-disclosures ready and
willing, and not only anxious to do Two mems
work IN day, but generally did it. l had
Just time TO Jump on a freight train going
east; and as luck would have it, business was
light that week on the road, and ! pressed
the conductor and engineer into service
They stopped the train at every break and
helped me repair, and when the regular pas
senger train overlook us near Waterville, l
jumped on board, and IN a few moments
found the wires were o. K. to Watervile. As
soon as possible | obtained a hand car, and
hiring a couple of Frenchman to propel it,
started with Pierre for night raid" 1t hap
pened to be be a bright moonlight night, the
only one during that whole moon.
About midnight we were between Clinton
and durham. The Frenchmen were clear
ing heavy tree from the wires, and Pierre
Was some distance in advance, on top OF a
poe. was near by, endeavoring to extricate
the wire from mass OF roots in which it had
become entangled, when l was startled by
cracking in the wo DDS. like the stealthy tread
OF some heavy animal on the dry twigs. In
voluntarily grasping my Ratchet, stood with
ears and eyes wide open, and as l peered
around caught sight OF what seemed to my
excited imagination TO be two black heads
slowly and cautiously appearing above the
clump. thought to myself, "h ere is situa-
tion Tor the father OF familyr' 1t was of no
use to run, for as it appeared to me then, there
was the bare (bear) fact of eight legs against
two; but as the black heads emerged and
their bodies came into view, / saw that they
were not bears at all, but two good-sized boys
The next instant l was Mortified by seeing
them raise their guns and take deliberate aim
at Sleffe, who was away upon the pole quiet
~ attending to his business and utterly un-
conscious OF the danger which menaced him.
Like lightning it flashed into my mind that
ehCy OoOh uiut d DEAR, anu gave a yell
Which mnst have astonished all who heard
it. 1t had the desired effect, however, and l
came out OF the wood and explained to the
boys that it was "human" up that pole, and
that L objected to their giving him double
dose OF blue pills, as didn't think his dia-
phraSm would stand it.
Pierre was in high state of wrath when
he discovered how near he had come to hay
ing his connection broken, and he delivered
small speech from his cedar pulpit. which
was anything but complimentary to the
moonlight huntsmen. He advised them TO
90 back to their musket hunting, and not at
Tempt TO shoot bears with homeopathic pills.
The bo apologized to the best OF their abil-
ity and fitted.
1t was narrow escape, but we could not
stop to moralize. We kept on with our work
anu made twenty miles that night, removing
some hity trees, from the wires, and mending
numerous breaks. AT half past ten A. NJ.
we had the satisfaction of feeling the current
both ways, and knowing that the wires were
in WORKING condition through