Rocky Ford enterprise., 1901-01-18
A Four.FOoted Mail Carrier.

There are about twenty dwelling
houses. a blacksmith shop and u small
store on the east side OF Long pond.
II Is a settlement OF woodmen. farm
ers and bear-hunters. says Santiago.
Me-. correspondent In the New York
Sun. The nearest postofiice IL at East
Bucksport. half mile across the pond.
but more than three miles by the road.
For nifty years the residents have
carried their mails to and from the
distant posting place. using up many
years of time to keep In touch with
the outside world. In 1898. when
Shafter and Sampson were pounding
away at the south Side Of Cuba. the
citizens could stand their isolation no
longer. and sent petition to Senator
Hale. asking for postofilee and re-
questing that II be named Santiago.
| The demand was granted 80 quickly
that everybody wished he had thought
! OF such a plan twenty-five years bo.
4 fore and began to count the hours and
horse shoes that had been worn out
going after mails and bringing them
home.
| No sooner was m once established
than every resident OF Santiago had
an Idea that he was the proper person
to carry the malls. Tho second assist
ant postmaster general received doz-
en- letters from Santiago by every mail
Petitions poured In. hllinE the mail
bags and thereby increasing the earn
inKs Of tho fortunate man who should
get the coveted place. Santiago Is four
| miles distant from Dcdhnm. from
which place II Is only two miles TO
Georges Corner on the line OF the Bar
Harbor railroad. On the south side.
however, Il was but three miles from
East Bucksport. where railroad con
meets with Bangor. The northern
route was the longer distance. but the
time required was less. owing to the
ncarncss OF tho mall cars. Here was
a question that puzzled the Washing
ton officials. An inspector was sent
down. who made report. after which
a surveyor was sent to measure the
two routes In order to IND their cx-
act length.
Meantime John Hubbard Of Santa
70. had been carrying the daily mall to
East Bucksport. crossing on tho leo In
tho winter and making n wide dctouf
around the pond during warm weather.
An aged Newfoundland dog. who had
J earned retirement In n bear fight years
before, was Hubbard's attendant on
every trip. Tho dog was In the hab!t
Of following the mail wagon down In
tho forenoon. and then II the day
, proved warm, be would swim back
home. allowing Hubbard to so his
roundabout course alone. Hubbard
noted the action OF the dog and came
to tho conclusion that he could make
some profit by cultivating tho habit.
He was making two trips n day. which
was waste OF good time, when he
could make the dog perform one trip
alone and thus have the whole after
noon left for hunting bears. The next
morning he forgot to feed tho dog be-
fore starting out. On arriving at Eas;
Buckport he took the postmaster aside
and confidcd his plan for carrying the
mails by dog power.
Here's n water-tIsht bag" said
Hubbard. I'll chain up the dog be-
fore go home. want you to keep
him fast until the mail comes from
Bucksport. Don't feed him or SO near
| him. As soon us the mail gets In tie
the bag to n.s neck and let him go.
I'll warrant he'll get the mall to San
tiago ahead OF time"
Hubbard's idea worked splendidly
nil summer. The dog was ut home and
the mail was distributed inside OF half
an hour. while It had always taken
Hubbard more than an hour to go
around the pond. He was saving time
and money and giving perfect salts
faction, Along In the middle OF Octo-
ber there came a day that was cold,
SO that shell ice formed on the pond.
Later the wind grew to n gale. When
the stage came in there was big bun
die of mail for Santiago. consisting OF
political documents for the voters and
a score or SO of official reports from
Washington. The mail route fight at
Sa- -tiago had made the place famous.
| Postmaster Hewey tied the heavy mass
to the dogs neck with many misgiv-
ings. Then he fed three links OF new
sausage to the animal and cut 1t loose
! That night the neighbors waited I'M
| til Q o'clock for the arrival OF the mall
which was due two hours earlier.
| Then Hubbard harnessed his horse and
drove furiously to East Bucksport to
look up his dog. He did not return un-
til nearly midnight. Patrons OF San
tiago postofiice knew what had hap
pened as soon as they looked at Hub
bard's face. The dog had attempted
| to swim the pond carrying n heavy
load in the face Of rough water and
high wind. and had been drowned
while in the performance of his duty.
They dragged the pond for two days
before tho body was found. The mail
was unharmed. They buried the dog
under big apple tree.