The Portland daily press., 1897-09-08
MOUNTAIN AND LAKE.
Beautiful Waterford and Its Picturesque
Surroundings.

Correspondence of the PRESS.)
Waterford, Sept. 6, 1897. Waterford is
little village Nesting among the noun
tains of Maine. Except for its scrupulous
neatness and it's English speaking people,
it might be Swiss village SO similar Is
it in situation and environment.
Waterford proper used to be called Wat
erford Flat. 1t is a small tableland or
plateau five miles from Harrison over
emit it has no communication with the
outside world except by stage, bicycle OF
on foot. The calm waters of a beautiful
lake on one side meet the circlet of noun
tains rising above the little village on
the other, and both together shut it in.
The view as one approaches or casts lin
ering backward glance is charming in the
extreme. 1t is like glimpse of a fairy
islet with a background of dark mountains
which are interspersed with farmhouses
on their sloping sides. The road winding
past these cottages disappears into IN
known regions which seem like an mex
tricable labyrinth needing Ariadne's
thread. Occasionally the bases of these
mountains reach down to the travelled
road, forming an insurmountable barrier
on the left. This becomes especially
striking when the lake shuts you In on
the other side.
1t must be an Arcadian existence, the
summer time herel The peaceful inhab-
itants are entirely absorbed in their own
pleasurable pursuits, and the sun and
rain seem to shine and fall for them
alone. The advent Of a stranger is IN
noticed and causes no ripple Of excite
ment to disturb them in their daily
ton from the uninquisitive inhabitants
he is obliged to seek them out and make
careful inquiry, since no one is ever at
hand to add voluntary contribution to
his store of knowledge, for these busy
people have occupations enough of their
! own. But they will soon be startled from
their primeval existence by that agency,
which is now shaping the destiny of all
mankind. The two villages, Waterford
and South Waterford, win no doubt with
in a year or two be connected with the
Norway and South Paris route by an
electric road, while the prospective line of
electrics which is to reach from Portland
to Harrison, passing through Naples and
North Br1dgtOn, will be extended to. meet
| the other route as far as the little Water
| ford villages which smile among the
hills. es.s
But the arrangement just mentioned
will, we trust, not interfere with the
summer lines of steamers which pass 80
well freighted over che beautiful lakes
and the fair Songo, which at this season
| is SO radiant in autumnal tints. The
| banks of this river are now rich in varie-
gated hues, the brilliant foliage of which
on either shore can be almost touched by
one standing on the deck of the steamer
as it winds in and out in its bewildeIing
serpentine course, which seems q be-
Witching maze of waters to the stranger s
mind. The reflections in these Songo
waters are marvellous to behold. There
is the bush as flaming as the one before
which Moses talked with his Lord, and
this you can see in the transparent
waters below you as clearly as on the
banks you are passing by. and the vel
vety sheen of the surface touched by the
light of the sun, as the boat leaves its
ripples behind is mirror in which are
reflected the feecy clouds and azure sky
and all the glories of the departing sum-
mer time.
Along the borders of the Songo this
year the foliage reached its maturity
many weeks ago.. and where the resplen-
dent coloring does not predominate there
are acres in extent of blackened trees,
which look as If charred by mighty con-
| fagration; these are apparently in the
| bed of the stream, but in reality they rest
on what was formerly the dry land. But
this year the lakes and river have over
flowed their banks, bringing destruction
to the forests as well as to many Of the
boat landings on the shore.
| But before we reached the SongO the
broad expanse Of Sebago has been passed
over. When a stiff breeze blows, this lake
seems like miniature ocean with the
waves beating, and q swell which makes
the boat rise and fall and sometimes al
| most rock like an ocean craft. But Seba-
go is cold and unresponsive compared to
the glistening bay which almost vies in
warmth and beauty with it's sunny god
mother on Italy's fair shore, for Maine 8
Bay of Naples Is full of sunshine as well
as beautiful in shape. 1t seems to rebuke
the unsympathetio Sebago from which
the laughing Songo has cut it off.
But those old images and the Haw-
thorne Cave and the mighty wild Indian
on the bluff make the Sebago after all Of
more historical interest than the rest.
Notwithstanding the material evidence
of their existence, one of the characters
tic denizens of the soil pronounces them
all hoax, declaring that the images are
the work Of modern invention, the Indian
on the bluff tiller of the soil, and the
Hawthorne Cave cleft in the rock,
while Hawthorne himself, the old settler
affirms, was only widow woman who
wrote q book.
But as time and tide wait for no man,
SO the sturdy water steed has led us out
Of the dazzling Songo into 'sthe Lock. :"
This lock is the last remaining enc of
the many which in the old times were
seen on the canal and lake route to Port
land. 1t is hailed as great curiosity by
when in it the predominant feeling is
that you are shut up in bottomless box.
''Facilis descensus' as applied to water
seems out of the category of fact; but as
you glance at the terraced water before
and behind, above and below, you can
only say, "hoc opus est" But like
equation of payments, the terrace before
you diminishes and you find yourself
| lifted on to the level Of the water above,