Morning journal and courier., 1889-07-25
SARANAC LAKE.

who Arc There.
a SARANAc LAKE, N. Y, July %.
To the Editor OF the JOURNAL AND COURIER:
. The great North Woods or Adirondack re-
gion has long been known as "The Sports
mans Paradise" The electric pen of Rev. w.
II. H. Murray, better known as "Adiron'
dack" Murray, attracted more than ordinary
attention to this vast wilderness more than
twenty years ago and now thousands Of
pleasure and health seekers yearly take their
"outing" in region famous Throughout the
world for Its beautiful lakes and streams Of
cool, sparkling water, its lofty mountain
peaks and health restoring forests of balsam,
spruce and pine.
The wilderness may be entered from al
most any point, but within two years the
completion of the Chatsaugay railroad to
Saranac lake has made Plattsburgh the Lead
ing gateway into the mountains. Tourists
can leave the Grand Central depot In New
York city ct 7:s0 O'Clock in the evening, by
the Now York Central railroad, making the
journey to Plattsburgh In through sleeper
and arriving there in ample time for break
fast at the Foquet House before the depar-
ture of the early train for Saranao lake on
the Chateaugay railroad. This train leaves
Plattsburgh at 7:30 o. m, arriving at Saranao
Lake station ut 10:45 o. m. The Chateau
gay railroad Ia one of the best narrow guage
railroads in the country, and has parlor car
service on all trains.
The village Of Saranao Lake is situated In
the heart of the mountains at an altitude Of
nearly sixteen hundred feet above the sea
level and mile from lower Saranac lake. Its
prosperity is due to the healthfulness of its
climate, which attracts to IL large number
Of people with constitutions enfsebled by
overwork, and to the desirability of its looa-
ton AZ base of operations for travellers and
sportsmen, who, entering the lower Saranac
lake with their guides, can pursue their ex-
petitions through both the Saranac lakes
into the region of the Upper lakes, Long
lake, Rsquette lake and Blue Mountain lake,
Regular stage lines connect Saranac Lake
station with Lake Placid and Saranac Inn,
and livery teams are running daily to Paul
Smiths. Here ut Saranao Is the winter home
of the eminent Adirondack physician, DR.. E.
L. Trudeau, the founder of the sani-
tarium In the management of which
he is associated with DR.. Alfred
L. Loomis of New York city. This santa
rum ia designed to arrest incipient lung
troubles. The most approved methods of
medical treatment are employed with the
most gratifying results. The cottage plan
has been adopted. These cottages, with a
u
protected hillside mile and half below the
Sarapac Lake station, at an elevation COM
manding u splendid view of some of the lofti-
est peaks in the mountains. During the
summer DIR. Trudeau makes weekly visits to
the sanitsrium from his summer camp near
Paul Smiths.
The village contains several hotels and
boarding houses, q number OF stores, large
town hall aud two churches. Rev. Elmer
Miller, recently ordained by Bishop Doane at
Albany rs an Episcopal clergyman, was a
copal church here last Sunday. He is . good
reader and pronounced most excellent dis
course. The leading hotels are about the
lake. The Ampersand is the largest and
newest and is perhaps the finest hotel in the
mountains. Milo B. Miller's Saranao Lake
House, formerly Martins, is the Oldest and
best known. Alsxander's, situated further
up the lake, has the best location.
About these hotels the renowned Lower
Saranao guides center, and from this point
make their expeditions with their small ca
noe-shsped Adirondack" rowboats into
any part of the wilderness. One of these
boats will comfortably hold two persons be-
sides the guide and the luggage. The services
of reliable guide are worth three dollars
day and actual expenses. Ho has to know
how to row, paddle, carry a boat, erect q
u
''jsok at all trades" and good at all. His
life Ia one Of incessant toll. A "carry" is a
trail or path in the woods between two bod
les of water. Over these "oarries"
sometimes several miles in extent, the guide
must carry the boat, suspended bottom up.
wards over his head by means of wooden
yoke about his neck. The luggage includes
Among the essentials, in addition to personal
are rifle land almost every guide
has "Winchester'O, fly rod, cartridges and
fishing tackle, wooden and rubber blankets, a
tent hy, q lantern with kerosene, tar and oil
mixed for protection against insects, frying
pan and tin baker for an open FIRE, coffee pot
and pail. knife, fork, plate, spoon and CUP,
Hour and potatoes, baking powder and sugar,
bacon, coffee, butter, condensed milk and salt.
Most of these articles can be carried In two
large pack baskets. A pack basket Is slung
over the back, being held In Its place by
straps. All the camping and cooking uten-
sils mentioned with the exception of the
wooden blAnkets) are furnished by the guide
a. part of his services.
We have had the good fortune to GO into
the woods with Andrew J. Baker, an inAuen.
tial citizen of Saranac Lake and ono of the
best guides in the mountains. Among the
in the New York Graphic for
May 8, 1888, is q sketch of picturesque cot
tage situated on the banks of the Saranac
river near the base of Baker Mountain, a
mountain peak named after Mr.. Bakers
father, and owned in large part by the son.
In this cottage Robert Louis Stevenson and
family spent the winter of 1873. This is
Mr.. Bakers residence, aud it Ia in this hos
pitable home that the writer OF this letter IL
spending few weeks during the vacation
season.
Among the guides centering about lower
Saranac lake are several of those named by
Murray more than score of years ago in his
Adventures In the Adirondaeks." The tall
sinewy form of the veteran guide, Stephen
Martin, the hero or the chapter entitled
Jack Shooting in Foggy Night" is still a
figure about the lakes, now
tired from active service and bearing the bur-
den of increasing years. but his form and
features arc easily recognized by anyone who
has read his description by Murrsys graphic
pen. His boys all follow the avocation of
the father and are all "chips of the old
block" Charlie is the guide for Mr.. f. A.
Wood of Brooklyn, who, with his family, are
in camp on Nobby Island. Bernard brought
In single day last week, a distance of fully
seventy miles, and Walter proved himself the
best oarsman In this region, capturing
. twenty dollar prise, by outpulling
his competitors In q two mile
boat race on the lake last Saturday.
Saranao lake IL admirably situated for
making short trips into the wilderness. On
one of these expeditions last week We had an
which we will not soon forget.
W. II. Coffin, jr., of Boston, w. Edgar Capp,
of philadelphia, Ralph J. Baker, of Saranao
lake, and the writer of this communication
started Wednesday afternoon on q little fish,
ing excursion. We rowed about seven miles
up Saranao lake, taking with us days ra-
lions, blankets, fishing rods and bait. When
We reached the mouth of Cold brook 1t was
rapidly growing dark, but Baker took
out three speokled beauties with his
fly rod before going ashore for the night. We
found an old dilapidated board shanty for
only visited by wild animals and occasional
boughs of balsam and spruce we deposited
them in one corner of our rude habitation,
covered them with rubber blankets, then
rolled ourselves up In our wooden blankets
and went to bed ,snuffing out the light of our
tallow candle with O bullet from q revolver
after we had retired.
Not long after midnight, through the
depths of the forest we heard O terrifying
sound resembling, on large scale, the wail-
ing of q child and the cry Of cat. We
aroused ourselves when Baker told us that
this was the yell of panther, for although
the guides say that the bears and panthers
which still dwell In these woods rarely at
tack man, yet Is far from agreeable to find
yourself In the heart of the woods, many
miles from human habitation, huddled into
q frail structure only partially inclosed, with
no shooting irons save revolver Of No. % cal
ibre and the yell Of q panther growing louder
as 1t approaches, angered by the intrusion of