The Portland daily press., 1893-10-17
PELEo BUNkER's SHIP.

| A Unique and exciting Event That Marked
/ Red Letter Era In That Section of tI.a
Old Pine Tree State From Charlest IN to
| Tidewater at Bangor.
! Talking of shipbuilding, did you even
| hear of a seagoing vessel being built 2s
| miles from navigation and carried on
wheels down to tidevater and launched?"
|said F. w. Norcross of The Shoe and Leath.
er Reporter the other day. Il have, and
was literally in it, at the launching. Let
me tell you about a schooner that was
| built in Charleston, Me-, up in the woods
north of Bangor.
! Captain Peleg Bunker was an old fish
| ing skipper, who many years ago thought
he had got enough of the sea, and SO bought
him farm up in Charleston and settled
| down to live on the land. 1t didn't take
/ him long to find out that that was no kind
| of life for him, and he pinned for the sea.
| There were with him on the farm his two
| grownup sons, who had saved some money.
They had found sweethearts among the
aeighbors' daughters and were beginning to
| plan for farms of their own.
"Well, the old captain got more and
more restless, and at last, one July morn
ing, when the wind from the south blew a
breath of the sea up inland, Captain Bun
! ker stood snuffing it in. Of sudden he
| turned round to his two boys, who were at
| work sharpening their scythes for haying.
"sBoys,' he said, if you'll build me
| FISHING smack you may have the farm
| ! ''The young men thought it over and
then took him at his word. They got in
| Bangor all the materials that had to be
| bought. All the timbers they foun(. almost
| at their doors waiting to be cut and hauled.
| for in that day the lumber woods were all
about them. When everything was ready
| lat hand, they laid the keel in their farm
| ward. and in six months had built the hull
| of fine shipshape schooner so feet long,
| completely fitted up and painted, with the
| spars lying alongside-for her masts and
| rigging were to be put in after the launch
ing;
| Twenty-Five miles of billy road lay between
| her and Underwater. The builders took
time in the year when teamwork was slack
| to haul her to Bangor. Maine country peo-
| pile were neighborly in those days, and
when the Bunkers got ready to move their
| craft all the farmers in the township were
| ready to help. You perhaps know what a
| Maine OK cart is-that wide, tieup affair on
"a pair of immense heavy wheels. The
farmers came in with their OK carts. took
| off the bodies from dozen of them, ranged
the pairs of wheels in line one after an
| other, then, all hands helping, ran the
schooner upon them, blocked her up on an
even keel clear of the tires, and there she
was, ready to start
| 'sThe next day the farmers were all on
| hand with 90 yokes of oxen, everybody
| cooked and primed for Bangor and picnic.
When they had got the 20 yokes of oxen
strung out in long line before the wheels,
| attached to them by one great chain used
| in booming logs, and the word was given,
| every red shirted driver swung his goad
| stick, yelled at his oxen, and the schooner,
christened the Peleg Bunker, began her
voyage over the hills to Bangor. From a
pole in the stern futtered an American flag,
and from the bows another upheld white
streamer bearing the vessels name. All
along the route the people came long dis
| tances to behold the vessel moving along
| the highway going like duck to water.
| The schoolhouses were emptied of their
| barefooted urchins, who ran alongside the
schooner, and procession of farm wagons
! followed in its wake Farmers along the
| route opened up barrels of cider and passed
| it in pals and tin dippers along the line,
and when night came their houses were
| opened in free hospitality to the teamsters.
ST was youngster then. My father was
| in the procession with two yokes of oxen,
| and he said that I might go along. Proud
| enough felt to ride on the schooner's top
| gallant forecastle alongside Captain Bunk
er, and standing with my hand on the flag
staff overlook the other boys running
alongside
1.-THE first day we made about Is miles.
| On the second, at about noon, the process
sion came into the city. All Bangor had
heard of our coming and turned out to re-
| ceive us. The sidewalks were crowded, and
| there were faces in all the windows. The
| public schools were adjourned that the
pupils and teachers might see the sight,
and they were all there, you may be sure.
| sThe teamsters did their prettiest at
welding the goad stick and shouting to the
oxen as down Main street and the Hamp-
| den road the schooner passed to the river
side landing. There the rollers had been
| laid, and with the help of many willing
hands the Peleg Bunker glided into the
| Penobscot and foated with the appearance
| for the first time of being at home Itwas
the old days of open rum drinking, and the
teamsters were SO Hospitality treated by
the citizens of Bangor that they returned
to Charleston in scattered order, and 1t was
q week before the last stragglers arrived
home, but all were happy, and there was
nobody to find fault
captain Bunker staid by his vessel.
With no loss of time he had her rugged,
provisioned, aud with crew of or 10 men
was off for the winter fishing on the New
foundland banks. After that he sometimes
came back to the farm for visit, but he
followed the sea to green old age The
Peleg Bunker proved seaworthy and
lucky vessel. and for all know may be
still afloat, although her captain. for whom
she was named, has long since paid the
debt of nature. New York Sun.