The independent-reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1909-1955, 1912-10-10

) bank just this side Of Norridgew oek
: Village on the north side. One writer
: says he went three miles, but he may
nave made too low an estimate or his
boats crew may have been hindered
and stopped Two miles short Of the
rest
Writes Abner Stocking OF the jour
ney of Sept. 30th: After getting over
the carrying-pla We found the wat
er more still. W. proceeded i've
miles and at shutdown eDcamped in
most delightful wood, where |
thought | could have spent some time
agreeably in solitude, In contemplate
ing the works Of nature. The forest
vas stripped OF its ferdure but still
appeared to me beautiful I thought
that though We were in a thick Wild
erness. uninhabited BY hUman beings.
yet, We were as much in the immedi-
ate presence of our divine protect
or as in the crowded city"
The second division OF the army in
cluded the companies Of Captains
Thayer. Topham and Hubbard, and
was under the command OF Lieut.. Col.
Greene and Major Bigelow. All these
officers made a record OF distinguish
ed service later in the war This
division left Fort Western Sept. %,
and on the evening of the 10Th reach
ed the settlement at Old Canaan,
three miles down the river, where
they camped near the homes OF Yves
ton and Haywood, and perhaps a part
of them on Great Island opposite
Capt. Thayer in his journal complains
that it is beginning to be cold-it had
F hpan fine foil bpr a thig time
so that they stopped on their march
to make large fires and refresh them
selves. Capt. Thayer says: The
stream is very swift, which makes it
difficult, and our bateaux leaky, be
sides the place being very shallow,
which obliges our men to 90 into lae
river and haul the bateauX aftes
them, which generally occupies three
or four men, two of whom are at her
head and one or TWO at her Stern
which occasions a slow progress"
September 10Th they came to Skow-
hogan Falls-the Captain spells it
Squhegan, which is little the queer
est of all the spellings found, though
we have in the different journals Co
hogan, Cohigin, Schouhegan,' Scohegin,
Cohiggin. ScoWhegan, Scohegan,
Scunkhegan, Squhegan, Sou heagen,
and Sou heavyon.
. They proceeded towards the Falls
through rapid water, says Lieut..
Humphrey. They camped on the
main land opposite the island proba-
bly, on the spot over against the west
end of the carry, where the ground is
low and level.
Capt. Thayer writes as follows:
The carrying place is across an is
land. Here is mill erecting, (the
property of Mr.. Copelin,) the worst
constructed | ever saw. The people
call this place Canaan; Canaan, in
deed The land is good, the timber
large and of various kinds, such as
pine, oak, hemlock and rock maple.
Last night our clothes being vet were
frozen a pane of glass thick, which
proved very disagreeable, being oblig-
ed to lie in them. The land is very
fine, and am thinking if worked up
would produce any grain whatsoever
The people are courteous, and breathe
nothing but liberty. Their produce,
tthey sell at an eXorbitant price, con-
sists OF sailed moose and deer, dried
up like fish. They have salmon iii
abundance The cataracts here arc
neither SO high nor So rapid as those
at the Fort, but narrow which Occa-
sions the water below them to run
very swift. The carrying place is
very difficult, occasioned by the height
of the land, and more SO, being ODlie-
ed to carry our provisions and bat
eauX up a steep rocky precipice. Our
men are as yet in Very good spirits,
considering they have 10 wade half
the time. and our boats so villainOus-
ly constructed and leaking SO much
that they are always wet. | would
heartily wish the infamous construct
ors, Who sought to satisfy their ayafi-
cious temper and fill their purses with
the spoils of their country. may be
/, obliged 10 trust to the mercy OF others
more treacherous than themselves
that they might judge the fear and
, undergo the just reward OF theil
, Villainy."
Lieut.. Humphrey says Of Canaan.
Here is as good land as | ever saw.
, and of that cold Saturday night. L
froze so hard as to freeze our wei
, clothes that We did not lie upon
A part of this din ision seem to have
passed Sunday Oct. Isl on the Island
Tor they were found there by ArnolC
when he went over in the afternoon
Col Arnold, after he had seen al
the divisions of his army started, SET
out himself, leaving Fort Western
Sept. % in a birch canoe, accompanied
by his secretary and aide Eleazel
Oswald. and probably by Indian boat
men. he canoe proving leaky he
changed 10 a dHg-Out, which he calls
4 pettiauger. Al noon on Sunday he
: reached the little settlement OF Ca
naan, and dined at Joseph Weston S
whose house was beside the river
Would we not like TO know what kind
of Sunday dinner Eunice Farms
worth Weston cooked and served for
Benedict Arnold in her log cabin be-
side the lIennbec? Was there dried
moose meat, or a fat beavers tail, or
salmon from the stream, or partridges
shot by the boys up along the trail
Did they have hominy made of home
raised and home ground corn, OF
beans baked in the ashes? Whatever
was upon the board it must have tast-
ed good TO the hungry yOyagers whe
We're not many long day to sit again
at a Woman's table.
Not tarrying over long at dinner
Arnold and Oswald reached the Falls
at four O'Clock, finding there two com
panics OF the second division. They