Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1909-07-21
OWNING A CAMP.
Part of the Fun Is the Work About
the Camp.


From the Lewiston Jourmaf.l
When the snow begins to melt and the
ice in the streams to grow black, the mind
turns to the summer vacation. In the
office, from the boss down, there are
dreams OF life in camp. Those who own
a camp or cottages on the shores of lake
make plans for the season; the ones who
own none cast envious eyes at those who
do. and wish that good fortune might
come their way to the extent that they,
too, might be so fortunate as some day to
possess the luxury.
At night when the work is done and the
pipe is lighted, both he who owns and he
who does not gaze into the smoke, as
seer into bis crystal globe, and there sees
visions OF luxurious future.
Castles in the smoke well describes
them.
Anticipation is a great degree of the
pleasure of camp life. for in those dreams
which come with the smoke OF the pipe
there is naught but idle pleasure for the
one who is living in a cottage.
That is all right II you. happen to have
the money Of Pulitzer and cottage
such as his Chatwold at Bar Harbor,
where are kept about 100 servants to do
the work. Such place permits life OF
Incidence and ease. Against that, for
most OF us, there is the great stone wall
OF limited finance, which prohibits the
employment OF coachmen, gardeners,
cooks, buffers and housemaids.
The man who buys or builds a small
cottage at the lakes has some work ahead
OF him. It is a good thing he has. AL
ways around such place there is some
little job to be done. The owner must do
it. Perhaps the piazza leaks. or the cot
tage roof, or there is boat or slip to be
fixed. A light OF glass in window must
be puttied in.
Then there is the trip to the nearest
farmhouse for milk, butter and eggs.
These things are good for the man who
is on his vacation. They get him out Of
doors; they give him exercise and keep
him from growing stale.
One OF the first things which the average
man who builds himself q cottage does, is
TO locate source OF water supply. That
may sound odd, for, as rule, this cottage
will be upon the shore OF some lake. I'm
less this lake is very great distance from
town it is liable to be the source Of supply
OF the municipality. Yet the man who
OWNS the cottage, though he will drink the
SINE water in town refuses to drink it or
u,eit for cooking purposes in camp.
That ia because he is "hnikyn
He starts out to locate spring. This
may sound easy, but it isn't.
Some men secure the service Of q man
with wand which is warranted to find
water at the cali. Sometimes II does, and
again 1t doesn't, but there's lots Of fun
watching the man and gambling with
yourself as to whether you get water or
not.
Another man will cruise around seek
out OF the ground, where the bottom is
OF gravel and the water is clear and cool.
That is his ideal OF spring.
Still another uses the same method of
locating spring, but will pass by ali
water supplies which bubble out Of the
ground. He wants spring which comes
from beneath a great boulder. Someone
has told him that water Of this character
is pure and colder than any other.
Ii is all q matter of taste.
peculiar thing about this is the differ
ence in men. Some of them have nat
ural ability in localing springs. The
writer recalls at this time . prominent
Maine railroad official, now dead, who
seemed to be able to tell from the appear
ance OF the earth's surface where vein OF
water would be struck. In period OF
many years which the writer was ia COM
pany with this gentlemen in the woods he
never saw him fooled in locating water
supply but once.
No man who builds or hires a cottage is
ever satisfied with conditions surround
ing it,
Be assured Of that.
Something ought to be changed.
First, of, he doesn't like the way in which
nature has left the growth Of trees and
shrubs. They've got to be trimmed out.
lhis Tor two reasons. A grove is neces-
sary, and no one ever saw grove where
The branches of the trees started within
Tour feet Of the ground. and where the
space between the trees was filled with
brakes, bushes and scrub growth.
Assuredly not!
ne grinds his axe or Ratchet, as the case
may be, and starts in work.
oiip, clip, clip goes the steel against the
Mooa. His hands get blistered, his
eiolhes become soaking with perspiration,
ana yet he continues. When the branches
~ SO high that he can't reach them with
.ne axe he builds crude ladder and goes
y 70 them. Sometimes he uses saw to
iepove the limbs in place OF the axe.
., GU couldn't, in all Likelihood, induce
siis same man to saw or split an armful OF
Nipuiing at home, because it's work.
rerhaps he really doesn't want a grove
thd the place. That makes no odds;
Trees trimmed.
Why?
,oa ne takes his pipe from between his
seesa, blows cloud OF smoke into space
i auu looks at Won with reproarhfu mipn.