The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1894-06-18
More Adventures in the "Bicycle"
Canoe.
THE UPPER PRESUMPSCOT AND
THE PLEASANT RIVER.
"A Twenty Mile Trip-Getting Through
Gambo-A Mink, Bass and Muskrat
Sbnntipo tho Eo,,ide-

This all happened last Saturday. The
canoe was in the upper chamber of the barn
of the hotel at Little Falls, about six miles
above Westbrook on the Presumpscot. II is
a good hotel and pretty little village with
small mill-pond, above the pulp-mill.
across which the bridge and main street
extend
The two canoeists arrived from Portland
on the train at sabout nine o'clock in the
morning. They hurried to the hotel for they
had long journey before them up river
and must get into the water as soon as pos
sible They were laden with the paddles and
various bundles to say nothing of dippers
and fshing-reel and bottle of milk in
their pockets, the worst kind of bundles,
the last being SO difficult to keep concealed
and so liable to be misunderstood.
The canoe was in the barn-chamber,
stranded there by rain storm on previ-
Gus trip up from Westbrook
1t was the same canoe de scribed in this
column, recently as "bicycle canoe.'' be-
cause SO liable to tip over, SO feet and so
delightful, when once mastered it.
One canoeist hurried up stairs and began
to push the canoe out through the hay-door
All at once it stuck. There was hay hook
unu0TucdUu anu VI COuTS0 tu0 pOlub nfu
penetrated the canvas, close to the keel.
The hole was as big as a ten-cent piece.
All the resources of the hotel were drawn
upon at once for repair. The hostile hunt
ed for piece of canvas and brought
piece of enamel cloth. Somebody else went
for q bottle of shellac. The cook contributed
her darning needle and the surgical opera
ton began. In fifteen minutes the enamel
cloth was sewed over the hole, the quickly
drying shellac was applied and the canoe
was in the water as tight as ever.
There is an island just above Little Falls.
They took the right hand passage and came
out ON the main river where the little old
fashioned church on its elevated site, looked
down upon them on one side and the birth
place of John A. Andrew on the other.
A turn in he river and the village is left
behind and the forest is entered. Every
thing is very beautiful this spring morning.
There is nothing but trees and water and
sky. There is turn after turn and then
the roar of falling water approaches. There
is roughened streak half way across the
river ahead. A foaming torrentS9 in minia-
ture, pours it's white current directly into
the river. The stream comes from the old
canal, that is close to the bank along here.
Above the waterfall, the canal is full of
water and is navigable. for a mile up through
the Gambo powder-mills, where it is used
as an aqueduct for distributing water to the
many buildings.
The canoists lift their light craft up the
bank and launch it in the canal. How still
and old everything seems. Even the quiet
water over which they fly silently and
noiselessy, seems ancient. There is some
thing quaint and wierd about this water
course in the forest. It is not alive like
the river and the smaller tributaries that
the canoe knows. 1t is dead and
THERE ARE GHOSTS OF CANAL BOATS
upon it and strange hints of more than
bygone men and horses on the old tow-path;
for the custom too, is dead.
Also it is wierd and fascinating water
course because lit traverses forbidden
country. Soon the many buildings and
elevated wooden tracks and bridges of the
powderplant appear in the forest between
the canal and the river, and p1acards are
everywhere, forbidding people to enter the
premises and proclaiming various warnings
against possible spark of fire.
But the canoeists advance. There is no
grit on the bottom of their canoe to cause
an explosion. The great protection struct-
ures, rearing tnelf hlgh sloes TO the tops OF
the trees are ominous, Ior no IRE brand
from one exploding pullolng must reach
announcer, these huge WOODEN walls can
prevent. NOBODY Is SEEM nothing Is stirring
The canoefsts return and launch in the
river below the mills. To get up river they
must carry around the dam and falls where
the tiny village is, just above.
They naddle mn tbrouph the tbraatan;no
forest. with IFS small red huildinos on each
river-bank and it's aspect of guarded nrivacv
that suggests military camn. some man
wheeling barrows of tbe dangerous hlack
sand on the wooden bridge stare at the can
oeists az If 70 ouestion thar temer;+v
Tbev kaan On To the onick wa+ar a. +ho
foot of the dam. 1t is a. picturesque pla ce.
The mills look old and they are old. Some
If the buildings, of irregular stones and
plaster, are so years old. But how get
around them? There are woods and high,
rocky banks everywhere. to say nothing of
the prohibitory signs.
They land in an eddy at the foot of a
rocky slope. Above is one of the wooden
bridges for wheel-barrows. One canoeist
ventures upon it and along it, looking for
a chance to get around the falls If leads hin,