The Portland daily press., 1881-09-08
Eazs - [springfeld Republican, sEs9ss
SUNNI ering in$Maine.
Fryeburg LoveweI's Fight = SebaRo
Lake-An Unpublished Letter by Daniel
Webster The Fessendens- Summer
Visitors Whittier.

Lake-An Unpublished Letter by Daniel
Webster = The Fessendens- Summer
visitors-Whittier.
Fryeburg is a lovely little village 80 miles
northwest of Portland, right on the New
Hampshire line. 1t is easily reached by the
Portland & Ogdensburg railroad. Besides be-
ing, as Starr King said, completely saturated
with tradition, 1t is surrounded with exceed
ingly attractive mountain scenery. On the
north looms up old Kearsarge, with the Wins
low house in plain sight on its summit To
the east is Mt. Pleasant, also surmounted with
its summer hotel, looking out in clear weather.
on salt water. Through the midst flows the
Saco, SO crooked that it takes 36 miles Of trAv-
ell TO get across the town, which is six miles
square, The intervales are rich in beauty and
fertility, making some Of the best farms in the
State. The village itself lies chiefly along one
street, deeply shaded with fine old elms. The
drives are delightful, the air is balm, and the
people are cordial. All these surroundings
YOU can enjoy for S5 a week, with board and
lodging thrown in.
Among the traditions that strangers are ex-
Lovewell's fight. / have taken some pains to
look into this matter and take rather prosaic
view of it. An ungarnished statement Of the
affair is about this: In 1925 Massachusetts,
was paying a100 apiece for Indian scalps.
Capt. Lovewell, with 80 men, penetrated to
this region, met Paugus with his so braves on
the shore of what is now called Lovell's pond,
two miles from where am writing, fought all
day and was killed, as were most Of his men.
At night the remnant OF the whites escaped,
but left on the field the dead body of the Indi-
an chief, with good proportion of his band.
A brave fight, to be sure, but at the time it was
regarded as a dreadful disaster and a useless
sacrifice. That shows that you cannot always
Judge of the effects of fight then and there.
The Indians never recovered from the shock,
and gradually disappeared from this whole re-
gion so Lovelps brave band while they got no
bounty for scalps, undoubtedly builded much
better than they dreamed of at the time.
Halfway out to Lovell's poad is somewhat
noted geological puzzle, called from its fancied
resemblance to that useful article of head-gear,
the Jockey cap. 1t is claimed to be the larg-
est granite bowlder in the world. 1t rises
abruptly from the level pine plain to the hight
of 150 feet 1t is certainly unique; it seems TO
have no relation to its surroundings; there is
nothing in sight but sand and pine. From its
summit reached by path fanking its rugged
side, is obtained a fine view, including Loyel's
pond, mile away While contemplating the
latter from the serene hight of the cap, one is
impressed with the infallible character of the
average-guide- one of which asserts that
. love-lorn Indian maiden once committed sui
eide by leaping from Jockey cap into LoyelPs
pondl
The summer tourist, lingering in Fryeburg,
is bound to have his little excursions. One OF
these will of course be to penetrate the very
heart of New England by running up through
the Crawford notch by railroad. 1t can be
done in a dav, aud being done, one feels as
though there were nothing left for him In the
way of mountain scenery and railroad engin-
eering 1t caps the climax, 50 far as land can
do it. But to warm up the very core Of his
heart and make him laugh aud cry, wonder,
admire and applaud, let him take the Sebago
lake trip. This, for odd surprises, beautiful
scenery and unique methods, unquestlonaoly
beats the world. One hour down the road from
Fryeburg, or up from Portland. brings you to
the lake A steamboat about so feet long by
20 wide takes you to the head Of the lake, II
miles. This alone would be called a satisfac-
+ tory trip, but just as you think you are going
to run ashore, you suddenly enter narrow
river SO crooked that they say it is impossible
| to cross it. The boat worms its way along
| this six miles in order to gain two direct
| You could jump ashore almost anywhere;
| Sometimes the turn is so short that they pun
around with rope. In one place there q
/ lock which must be worth much more than 1t
| cost for the additional interest and excitement
| that it lends to the trip. From the river we
emerge into the bay Of Naples rms Is TWO
| miles long and is well named. 1t is not equal
| to the only original and genuine bay OF Naples
but it is claimed to be well up to it,. Through
a regular old-fashioned country draw-Drldge
we come into Long Pond, and ten miles tarth-
er takes us to the pretty village oil Harrison,
the farthest point 30 miles in all price 81 for
the round trip. Everybody goes into ecstacies
over this trip, and do not wonder. Even
Whittier and Longfellow could not repress
their poetlc emotions. Here is sample OIL
what the former says Of the lake;-
Around Sebago's lonely lake
There fingers not wave to break
Tne mirror which its waters make.
The solemn pines along its shore
The frs which hang its gray rocks DER,
Are painted on its CLASSY shore.
The sun looks DER with hszy eye.
The snowy mountain tops which lie
Piled coldly up against the SKY.
The crookedness of the river impressed
Longfellow rather forcibly, as may be. seen
from this extract from his 'Songo River;
Nowhere such devious stream.
Save 10 fancy or In dream,
Winding slow through bush and brake,
Links together lake and lake.
Walled with woods sandy shelf
Ever doubling on ITSELF
Flows the stream, so still and slow,
That it hardly seems to flow.
Never errant-knight of old
Lost on woodland or on void
Such winding path pursued
Through the sylvan solitude
In the mirror of its tide
Tangled thicket on each side
Hang united and between
Floating cloud of sky serene.
Webster's name is indissolubly linked with
| Fryeburg. His fame is an important part ot
| her capital Strangers always enquire ABOUT
| him and visit the little brick office OF the reg
| lister of deeds to scan his hand writing II is
| not very good hand, however. Webster was
| only nineteen years old at this time and ms
| penmanship has some amusingly unsuccessful
attempts at ornamentation. 1t will be remem-
bered that lie employed portion of his time
| copying for the county register. de came
| here on leaving college in 1S0li and taught
| three terms at the famous Fryeburg academy
| Some of the Oldest Inhabitants say that they
| remember him, but the most interesting SOU
l in aft W