The Portland daily press., 1896-04-04

the other New Workers of their day were
at the Rangeleys they were moro than
contented with the rough acconmoda-
tions of a bark-covered camp open to a
fire Of logs IN front, and there, resting
upon bad of fire houghs, they mado the
sounding aisles of the dim wood riEg
with Dandy Jim of Caroline" the pop
ular air of that day, almost ffty-three
years ago. Now, close by the scene of
the old camp at Indian Rock rise the
stately buildings of the Aquossock Ang-
ling Club, the receding forest giving
place to parterres of flowers and vege-
able gardens. In 1913 the journey thither
from the steam boat on the Kennebeo at
HalloWell, was by stage tosPhillips, fifty
two miles, thence thirty miles by private
conveyance, including a mile OF forest
footpath. Now railroad cars take ths
sportsman TO Rangeley village, at the
head of the upper lake, or to within ten
miles of Indian rock, and eight miles of
that distance is covered by steamer. The
last mile OF the journey is by buck board.
Near the foot Of the second lake of the
Umbagog chain another railroad Is rap
idly advancing through the wilderness
from Rumford Falls, on the Androsoog-
gin. The approaching season will prob
ably find it IN operation. A picturesque
depot Of logs is in readiness for the first
train.
In 1843 there was no village or hotel
in the region Now the daily train comes
into thriving hamlet, and hotels abound.
Then less than half dozen men served
as guides. Now there are about hun
dred regularly in the business Of plotting
visiting sportsmen. There may be few
old New Workers left who will pleasantly
recall the menswho in the early 40's served
them as guides, boatmen and cooks. The
leader, Capt. Kimball, was q famous
trapper in his day, and shared with the
Indians in the peltries and moose meat
of the region. His home camp up the
Cupuptic was in the region now domi-
mated by Billy Soule, hunter and host
The other men in the service of the
Gothamites were Lem Quimby and John
Cakes, both good woodcraft men and
liked by their employers. Two of the
trio long ago passed to the happy hunt
ing grounds along with some of their
New York friends. "Cncle Lem," who
was the last Of the three to go, Joined
them within year or two.
There was no ice in the Ran galey Lake
| country in the summers Of those days,
and no device, save sailing and smoking,
| to preserve the great catches for trans
portation. For this reason, and in de-
fault of salt, Col. Bloodgood and party,
who had been fishing a few hours in
Trout Cove, near the place now desianat.
ed as Upper Dam, wers obliged to throw
away full barrel of fine trout.
The artificial fly was most seductive
novelty to the pork-baibed Salmolinus
fontlnalis of that region and time, and
fishing with it often Became slaughter,
especially as the later practice of return
| ing over catches to the water was un-
known then. Unless there is something
| in tradition that an English disciple OF
Izaak Walton named Ware a friend of
the English squire who gave his proprio
tary name of Rangeley to the region)
| fshed these waters with rod, reel and fly
seventy years ago, the New Workers. and
their Providence friends were the first
to win that distinction.-N. Y. Sun.