The Republican journal., 1904-02-18
THE FREEzE-uPs OF 1s7s-1eo4.

Inc present lce hDdIso iccdiAs Tile great
blockade of 1875, when the harbor was
closed to navigation from Jan. oath to April
18th, and teams crossed on the ice between
the eastern and western sides of the bay
and to the islands. Willis E. Wright, Rufus
Seavey, Wilder P. Sellers and Josiah Ord
way skated and walked from Little River,
between Belfast and NOrthpOrt, to Hurri-
cane Island, 12 miles from Rockland. They
remained at Hurricane one night and
started to return home the next morning in
thick fog. After walking several hours
and failing to reach the mainland they be-
came confused and could form no idea of
the direction in which they were going.
After walking awhile longer they struck
track where some one had Travelled with
sled and followed it to the shore and up to
a house, which proved to be in Vinalhaven.
The next day was clear and they skated up
the bay to Northport Messrs. White and
Sellers skated up Little River as far as the
the shore. The ice broke up in the lower
bay the day after their arrival home.
to be in order, the writer will give his On
May 18th of 1875 he arrived here on the
boat from Boston. The bay was then full
of floating ice, ana while there was mud and
slush in the roads there we're snow drifts
on the sides. 1t was cold and continued
cold for some time.
The Rockland Opinion has consulted it's
files with regard to the winter of 1876 when
the ice extended clear across the bay and
finds that man named Randall drove from
Vinalhaven to Belfast on the ice. On Feb
ruary 18th, Mr.. Martin II. Kiff of Vinal-
haven, who then represented that district
in Legislature, left his home at a. M.
walked to Belfast, a distance of 80 miles,
and took the train for Augusta He arrived
at Belfast at 8 p. M, and at Augusta at 10.
He got supper, and then put on his spike
tail coat and attended ball, dancing all
night till the broad daylight, and (presum-
ably), went home with the girls in the
morning. The experience was too much
for him, however, and he was ill for week
and unable to leave his room.
George II. Witherle of Castine in CON-
munication to the Bangor News gave some
interesting notes from diary kept during
the winter of 1875. We quote few para
graphs:
Feb. 18th, Capt. II. Hodsdon and Jere P.
Hatch rode to Belfast in sleigh. They
western side of the peninsula. The same
day team went out of the entrance of the
harbOr and returned the same way, hauling
load of about ton. This is the first time
of which there is any record or other ira
dition, as far as l know, of such things
having been done. Many teams. some of
them loaded, have since crossed from Cas-
tine and BroOkSville to Belfast, Searsport,
IsleSbOrO, etc
February 9th pleasant. Thermometer
10 degrees ice still solid; teams crossed to
Brooksville and many persons on foot.
March g. Teams went to Belfast and
back without trouble, except having to
bridge crack near Turtle Head with short
planks.
March % Thermometer II degrees. Ice
quite firm in middle harbor. People crossed
on foot, hauling a boat ard afterwards
without any At STOP. IN. started on foot
for Brigadier island, taking hatchet and
stout pole. About mile out cut into the
ice 175 inches without striking water.
Reached Brigadier island at 4.45. Had a
little trouble in landing on the rough shore
there, but there was no danger, except of
WettiDg feet. Left at $50. Stopped when
about half across, just as the sun was set
ting and cut through the ice, which was Is
inches thick. Reached shore at GAO, having
stopped on the way 10 minutes. A splendid
ly clear afternOOn-Sun warm, and but
little wind.
March %. Thermometer 10 degrees.
People crossed harbor and teams went to
ISleSbOrO
A walk along the water front last Sunday
was strongly suggestive of the Polar
regions. There was no clear water visible
anywhere. Along the shores the ice was
piled in great masses and on the bay and
river clear ice alternated with snow-cover-
ed patches and areas of rough surface
where the ice had been broken and came
together again. The channel from the
draw in the lower bridge, which in ordinary
winters remains open is closed and the
yacht Mallard and the little schooner Ida
May, moored near by. were frozen in. The
wharves were encased in ice to their cap
sills, those of cobwork in solid masses
while the spiling was cased in ice having
the largest circumference at about half
tide and tapering above and below. In the
ice above the railroad wharf is slOop and
the big schooner yacht Speranza The
steamer fremont lays at the head of the
wharf and on the upper side of Lewis
wharf is the sloop Jennette. The good
schooner Polly has snug berth on the
north side of the Swan, Sibley Co.'s wharf,
and Capt. Turner's schooner lays just
above. In the dock north of the Lane
wharf two bay coasters are laid up, and the
schooner Henrietta Francis is moOred off
the marine railway. These with schooner
on the beach at the east end of the lower
bridge comprise all the shipping in port, al
though mention might be made of the old
packet P. NJ. Bonney and the steamer
Florence in Dyer's dock. The Bonney is
laid up for good. The new Vinalhaven
packets, the Windward and Circle are
frozen in at Vinalhaven.
Sunday afternoon quite a number ven
tured on the ice, starting from below the
steamboat wharf and going down along the
shore or out into the bay. Some went as
far as the red can buoy beyond the monu-
ment and one young man said he had
crossed to lslesboro. No doubt he might