Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1890-01-30
Chats ALONG THE RAIL.
A Lun herman Who Praises the Win
ter and Fishermen Who Caught
Pickerel up on tho 6ebois
OLD Town, Me- Jan. 90. 30


M. Editor -
In travelling by rail up or down the Ken
nebec. the ice crop is the topic, and the
''heft" of conversation bears toward in
formation as to quantity. quality and bick-
ness. cost OF housing, etc, etc. of one of
Maine's sure harvests.
As we run TO the eastward the theme
changes. There are large amounts OF ice
cut on the penobscot. but the numbering
operations are Of so much more conse
quence we hardly hear of the rivers being
frozen over at all until millmen, rivermen
and iumbermeu generally acquaint US of
the fact by wishing. very fofcibly at times,
that she ice wa, where ii would melt sud
denly.
On board our train from Bangor to this
place we engaged in conversation grey
haired man who having logged" thirty
TWO winters "countin' this" still claimed TO
know nothing practically about the business.
But tell ye stranger" said he, I've
got the damdest best boss that ever mar
veled tote road. I've got tew eight boss
concerns an up { las Monday they'd got
in six hundred an fifty thousand at one
camp an seven hundred thousand ter tn
other an there's no reason why they
.houldn't git risin' tew million n half
easy. Yis sir. best winter fer business
we've had fer years, As good as | ever
see. Two feet n half to three feet O.
snow on level; had pinmp foot this las
storm, but it is feathery an en- wade right
through It snyWhere an' there's plenty @
timber an good size.
The two concerns got ter runnin' each
other on count ill they got tn scales down
to eight an a half to q thousand when they
might a made it seven 'er half jes swell
put snub warp on that racket darn'd
spry an ter day they'r putin in some first
class stuff an the landins lookin up.
Yes, we've got the grab or grlpp or
whatever it is, an il beats the Dutch. Why
Capt | TUX half dozen new men up ter
tn lake las week and bein short-handed |
babied en- all the way. Hired team to
take EN- across the pond and inter camp
cost me three or four dollars apiece extra
al skid my tote road Of four of EN- wasn't
piled up in the berth in lesu three days.
If Ia drove 'em Inlet 'em run it-theys
been all right, by thunder, but then fellers
amt used u bein' babied Yes, I'm goin
up amoug tn boys. be gone bout week
good day"
This talk WAS dung at me with the came
vim which our grey haired acquainta ace
would have attacked a three foot spruce
thirty wears ago, and every word and move
ment bespoke the energetic, hustlng, typ
zeal PenObscot lumberman.
Toastiug our shins 1T the many drum
med office stove, groaning from the guam
tIty of semi seasoned cedar butts with which
1t WAS stuffed and which were supposed to
Yield heat sufficient to make life bearable,
we listened to rehearsals Of experiences
among the camps on Sebois, Suncook,
Crooked Brook and dozen other places, to
write the names of which would bring rheu-
matism to three prouged pen.
"ilullo. Dyke, got back? What luck?"
"Ye en- bet yer bottom dollar I'm back.
an mighty glad ter be here. Had good n
pickerel, about fifty pounds o trout an six
Ious o gripp. Say, Jim, hev yer had the
clutch, yet? Yer h ANTI Wal, take my
advice an keep full from now till spring
an yer orl right.
III tell ye. We struck the tote ro2d a.
IN foot tn lake an nary a gol carned team
had been over il but one, an We might jes'
vel bsoke the road all tn way in an out.
10, Z never rode step for the hoi fifteen
miles in thar nor out neither for that matter.
Tvas as much as the little boss could do to
haul our wagon stuff. She don't We Oh
NOR D SIX seventy five any how. Wal goi
dang 1t oil man, eff hadn't had the gripp
all the ten days ives gone. we might 4 done
some,hn'. Charlie the foo. had to go'n sell
two hundred pouns to Jake Smiley up ter
mouth III river for ten cents poun' when
~e might 'er had fifteen jes' we'll, cause
they amt none in the market.
I've got ninty good ones up ter tn
house yit. Come up an I'll gin We a
couple, got one weighs five pouns an there's
five of EN-, that gees little risin' eighteen.
O her kinds? Oh yis. got one white perch
that weighed three pouns. He's whelp.
| tell ye. Gamer Stranger, the woods is
full Of il. Over TO simpson's camp TIL
shot moose the day after we got there
He was q rubin hisself on the logs on
the landin' an the cookee dropt him right
in his tracks first crack. Yis. csribou's
plenty, an deers are thickerp muskeeters
on Squaw Brook in June.
l hey say the wolves is drivin EN- in. but
thar amt so. Its jes snsthera1. stranger for
wolves 10 go where the deer's is, as tbs fer
US TO go to Sebols fer p ekerel. We knows
,hey's there and the chances is ives goin TO
catch EN-. That's jes' the way vi the
~ol,es. Yes We heard em youlin way up
the lake but we dida't see none.
Charge US anything. Wal boss, the
van; camp within forty mile but what d
been glad to paid US somethin ter stay'd
another week. Charlie n me. Wal I'd like
ter stay q but wasn't feelin' real pert an
ter ,,lI W. the truth w. didn't hpy bnt four
gallon of oil Med.ord ~heu we started an
tina, uss gone fore we'd b, en- thar a week,
an fer one wss gittin COL darued kinder
parcted up. By the way IN sier, DO W
ever NO kew with the Maine s~? No,
Smoker Don't. Wal you must live west
O. Bangor" JAY EFF BEE.