Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1872-05-17


ioiced in the hight of six feet seven inches
in his stockings, made the boys believe
had killed several "ugly boys" up in up
per Cohoes These river men might in
deed be called "Sons of Anak," as they
were of prodigious strength. The names
of Sam Granger, Tim Richardson, Charles
Thomas, Bart Douglass, Mart Coy, Sol Cas-
well. Cole Smith and last and stoutest of
them all, Bill Cummins, would strike ter
ror to all loafers, beats or bruisers In the
city of Hartford, or wherever they were
known. Cummins would lit barrel of
salt with one hand by putting two fingers
in the bung- hole, and set 1t from the bot
tom timbers on the top Of the mast-board
I've seen him do 1t. While In Hartford
and belonging to one of the Wells river
boats, he was told that gang Of 20 Irish
men had laid a plan TO meet on the next
night and give him "mauling." He |
found Cole Smith and told him to look on,
and IL he thought 1t necessary he might
lend hand. When the gang made their
appearance near Knox's slip, Cummins
went for them, and In twenty minutes
there wasn't an Irishman in sight except
five or six who were lying around loose on
the ground with bloody noses and broken
ribs. Smiths services were not needed,
but he never liked II In "Bill'' because he
did all the pounding himself
Very few persons or the present day
know anything about the method of pro-
polling a boat of from 80 TO 60 tons up the
river by means of the whiteash breeze
aforesaid, and il may be worth ad explaDa-
ton. In our river vernacular the term
given to this kind of propulsion is pooling
a boat" The poles used are made of the
best whte-ash timber, and are from twelve
to twenty feet in length, according to the
depth of water, and two inches or more in
diameter, with socket-spike in the lower
end, and q head on the upper end for the
shoulder. The bowsman selects the pole
he needs,-that is, If he is an inside bows
man, short pole, If an outside, longer
one,-sets 1t firmly over the side near the
bow of the boat, aid placing the head of
the pole against his shoulder straightens
himself out along the vale of the boat, with
his feet on the bow piece, and walks along
down on the timbers to the mast-board;
showing the boat ahead. If there are two
or more men on each side, No. takes
"set' in the same way, the first one lifting
his pole over No. 2 and walking back to
the bow to take another "set," and so on.
Sometimes in hard water or over bars,
there are five or six men on each side.
This is probably the hardest work ever
known TO men. Men have sometimes been
obliged to pole a boat from Hartford TO
Wells River without any aid from wind or
steam, and for several days before they
got tougbened, their bloody shoulders bore
testimony to the severity of their labor.
The water from Hartford to Windsor Locks
is what is called "hard water" as well a.
many other places further up, and rest as
sured that south wind or steamboat was
welcome to boats crew bound up river.
One Sabbath morning, in the spring of
1887 or g the boat of one of our Oldest river
men, whose destination was Old Hadley,
lay at the foot of Ferry street, Hartford,
loaded and ready for starting. The men
were variously employed. Some we're
smoking, some washing their clothing, and
some reading; but all of them trying to
"woo the southern breeze" which gave
the old captain came down 10 the river,
cycling the mare-tails in the southern sky,
and told his men not to start If the wind
did blow, as he was opposed to Sabbath
work entirely. But as he was leaving he
called "Moses' aside and handed him $50,
saying, "you may want it for toll and other
expenses" Probably Moses knew what
that meant when translated into Connectl-
cut river English. The captain then re-
turned TO Bartlett's hotel, took a glass of
"pep'mint," called for his horse and car
riage, and drove twelve miles 10 Windsor
Locks, where he found his boat and men
trying TO persuade Mr.. Wood, the toll
gather, to let them through The men
were not dismissed for disobeying orders,
for they had glorious south wlnd.'
Now go with me from Hartford up the
river on one of our best cabin boats in a
good south wind or by steam. First get
under Hartford bridge; then up mast, hoist
SAIL and we leave pumpkin harbor gush-
ingly. On Windsor flats and Scantic we
stir up the sand, but the wind increases
and away we go. Steady there! Windsor
Locks. Let off that brace round with
'em down sail. $40 run along and get a
horse ready while we operate through the
locks" And so we pass through Enfield
canal, six miles, by horse power; operate
through the guard lock up sail again. and,
leaving behind the roar of the falls, and
the still louder roar of "Old Country AL
len, our boat goes through "Longmeadow
Reach" kiting, with "bone in her mouth"
W oil ri ha nd
soon reach the foot of Willimansett. Here
Capt. Ingraham bitches on his big team of
six oxen and two horses, with a chain 100
feet long, and draws us through the swim
canal, called "drawing over Willmanseti."
We then cross over to the foot of South
Hadley canal NOW no longer canal), OPP
crate through the locks, after laying toll to
"Unce ST." then through the canal, two
miles, and, If the wind is strong enough,
sail "out at the head" and on up the wind
ing river.
The operation of "getting out at the
head" should be described. On account of
the rocky shore, the canal was begun half
mile below the commencement OF quick
water. OF course the current Is swift, and
in high water II sometimes used 10 require
from fifteen to twenty men to get boat
out. This was done mainly by tracking"
A number Of men go ashore with a long
track line, hitched to the mast, and with
Jokes or collars over the shoulders, trudge
and Chamber along, and "haul her over"
with inside polesmen to aid. These extra
men were put on at the expense of the
canal corporation. In later years, this