The Somerset reporter., 1908-07-09

as to interfere with their movements
to some extent. For this reason Cap
tain Rice omitted some portion OF the
drill he had planned. In spite of this,
however, the parade and drill were
interesting features.
VIA SAW LOG TO THE EDDY.
The Log Riding Demonstration was
a great hit. 1t had been intended to
bring it off in the nature of a contest
and to start the men all at once, but
the water had fallen and the channel
navigable even for spruce timber,
had narrowed down SO much that
each man had to have a clear field,
and they were dispatched at one
minute intervals. The contestants
were Joseph Parquette of ST. Fran
els, Beauce County, P. @, Henry
Bourgeois of Skowhegan, Noe Clair
of Jackman, Norris Roulliard of
Skowhegan and on the same log with
the last named, negro, Taylor Wary
of Madison.
To view this event the crowd
gathered on the railroad bridge to
such an extent that the forenoon
passenger had to go over the river
and stay there to do its making up for
the afternoon trip, not daring to
make the flying switch from the
bridge as is their usual custom. The
bridge was black with people, quite a
number going down on the plank
walk at the bottom of the trusswork,
and the banks on both sides of the
river were lined with spectators near
" all the way to the Eddy. Several
of the participants missed their foot
ing and fell from the logs they were
riding, into the water 1t is probable
they felt safe enough, having simply
to work their way to the end of
their log and climb on again, but the
impression gained by the spectators
was to the effect that they were
struggling for their life in the water,
which ran pretty white in some
places. Bourgeois took two logs
instead of one and had not gone more
than one third of the journey when
he fell and lost his pickhole. He
worked his way TO the end of one of
his logs and climbed aboard but the
pole was over beyond the other log.
He danced back and forth from one log
to the other in the effort to get them
together but they worked farther
and farther apart and he finally fell
between them into the water again.
He was able, however, to get his pole
at last and, by laying across both
logs, to climb out again and com
pleted the balance of the Journey
without incident. To add to the in
tensity of interest in the adventures
of Bourgeois, just narrated, it should
be known that his wife was among
the spectators and viewed the scene
from the rear balcony at St. Mary's
Convent. She was naturally some
what disturbed but, no doubt, felt
confident her husband, would, as he
finally succeeded, conquer his diff
culties and come out all right.
FIRE DEPARTMENT DOES GOOD
STUNTS.
The Fire Department is as impor-
tant to a celebration as is Hamlet to
the play which bears his name. The
footing of the whistle connected with
the Gamwell fire alarm, the dash of
the horses across the bridge and down
Water street to Railroad square is al
ways part of the program which
loses nothing by repetition from year
TO year. When the department came
out at 11.30 on Saturday last, the
steamer took its station at the reser-
yoir on the Railroad Crossing, laying
line of hose on Court street. The
Hook & Ladder truck stopped in Rail
road square and in space of time to
estimate by seconds rather than
minutes they had ladders all over the
Pumlow restaurant building. The Tn
ion Hose Company made it their bust
ness to lay line of hose down Water
street, and it should be noted that,
from the time of the alarm to the
moment that the water was turned on,
was but one minute and fifty seven
seconds, taken by stop watch in the
hands of careful observer. Right
here was introduced some events that
Harry Sedgeley, a member of the
HOOK & Ladder Company, had pre-
pared lite sized dummy, costumed to
represent an aged female, with mask,
black gown, grey wig etc, looking
the part to perfection, and, unknown
except to himself and a few confed-
crates, this figure lay in the attic of
the Pnmlow building awaiting rescue
Mr.. Sedgeley had felt that there
should be at least little smoke to go
with such a demonstration and, with
out taking anyone else into his conf
dence he managed, short time be-
fore the department came on the
scene, to place on the metal roof of
the Pumlow structure large mass of
excelsior, moistened for safety's sake
with water but rendered reasonably
inflamable with kerosene. He touch
ed this off at the proper moment and
the crowd and the department did the
rest. The volumn of smoke resulting
gave every body the impression that
the building had been on fire for some
time and had just broken through the
roof The crowd yelled fire and both
hose companies swung around from
Water and Court streets in a double
quick, the men at the nozzles conf
dent they had a genuine fire on hand
The water was turned on as they were
executing this change of base and the
crowd had to scamper to escape a
wetting. OF course when the sire ans
from the steamer and the CITY hy-
drant struck the mass of steaming
excelsior, it vanished in about the
fashion that a cobweb does at the
swish of broom and the onlookers