The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1915-05-13
The Wangan Went Adrift,
And Mattawamkeag River Crew Losing
its Grub Boat Swore Vengeance
on the POrcupine.
TBoston Globe.

ARGYLE. ME-, Maya. Murphy's Mat
tawamkeag River drive will be two or
three DAYS later into the Penobscot
booms than it would have been but for
streak of hard luck; in fact, the tough
est kind of luck that can befall crew
of riverdrivers when far up in the Will
derness. The wangan batteau went
adrift.
The wangan batteau is the provision
train of the log drive. Like an army,
the drive moves upon its stomach and
the stomach must be filled about four
times a day with baked beans, bread,
gingerbread, "salt-horse" or some other
ADEQUATE material, washed down with
hot tea or coffee, or there won't be much
progress.
The wangan batteau is big boat
which keeps a short distance ahead of
the firing line. In it is stored besides the
provisions, the spare equipment, shelter
tent and the like.
The drive uses several other smaller
batteaus for reaching the jams and such,
but the wangan boat is the supply ship
of the fleet.
No calamity in the riverman's cata-
logue of trouble approaches the appalling
shock and dismay of the report, line
wangan's adrift" 1t means sometimes
two or three days of little or nothing to
eat or drink, except water, and often no
tobacco, for the drivers do not take much
of that with them at time, with the
danger of frequent wetting.
Being out of tobacco is the last word
in tough luck.
PORCUPINES DID 1T.
Murphy's crew had new Wangan boat
this year and the builder had stenclled
"Tipperary'' on the bows. Mike Dris-
coll, the boss driver, predicted that she
would be hoodoo, for he SAID that ne
never knew batteau with name on 1t
that was any good. She was also painted
green, with a bright orange band around
her, and that was enough to put the XII
bosh on any boat.
Pete Michaud, the head cook, who was
responsible for the wangan when IN port,
was sure to moor her fast to big tree
with the blight of a big rafting line, not
trusting the usual painter. 1t wasn't his
fault that she went adrift when the crew
was working on the rips in Township 3,
20 miles through the woods to the near
est habitation. The porcupines did it,
the worthless camp followers which IN
fest the budding growth along the river
bank and eat everything for the sake OF
eating. No one ever saw porcuplne
dong anything Out eat.
The cook and cookee were breaking
camp for move down stream and all the
supplies had been put on board the wan
gan. The crew had been ashore for lunch
of warmed-up beans and coffee.
Pete Champagne, who was with Eli
Vigue "sheering eff" on a ledge below
the main jam, saw what happened. for
the cook and cookee were out of sight of
the boat. upon the bank. Pete gave his
version to the boss:
me and Eli see him pokypine, morn
tree millions; she slide down hill and she
iomp on boat and she lap 'em up some
thing on boat and she fight and she
squeals and she chew UNI rope and bame-
by dat rope she BUST and way go wangin
dow for Oldtown mebbe, all full poky-
pine. Ma fol! | guesso somebody be
sprised dat tam see dat batteau some
place she full up da bottom, pokypine.
''Me boiler and Eli holler, but the wan
gin she go fast lax cedar log on da rip
and she sure vamoose way off, most
down Bangor, l guesso.'
MYSTERY is SOON SOLVED.
There were some hours of daylight eft
when the crew were told the unwelcome
news, but they knocked off and went
ashore, for it was a predcament that
calleQ IOr solemn COHL6T0IlC0.
An investigation was made to establish
the cause of the calamity, but that didn't
take long. The mystery was soon solved.
In loading the big firkin containing the
sailed corned beef, trail of brine had
been left and as the frkin had momen
tariy been rested on the mooring line
that bad been we'll saturated.
A porcupine will risk his life, anything,
for lick of salt. He will gnaw hole
through an oak pork barrel and if he can
find an empty one nothing will be left of
it, give him time enough. The porcu-
pines had struck the trail of brine, fol-
lowed it into the wangan and gnawed
upon the mooring line for the salt until
it had parted.
1t didn't help the situation any to
know how it had happened-the question
was where the next meal was coming
from. The wangan batteau might be
hung up in jam not half mile away
or she might have drifted 10 miles down
stream. The boats would hold hardly
half of the crew.
There was about only one thing to do,
and that was to send out a searching
party. The lightest boat was manned
with six of the best boatmen, and start
ed down river with instructions to pick
up the boat and bring back grub"
enough to last two or three days if she
could be found; if not, to keep on to the
first place where something anything TO
eat-could be had, and get back and that
quick.
Meanwhile the marooned crew built
ramp, started big fire and went to sleep,
warm, but supperlese.
1t was the same for breakfast, but for
dinner there was trout enough to 60
around, as half dozen of the men went
fishing and had good luck. Late the
next afternoon, when matters began to
look rather gloomy, batteau shot around
the turn. The relief expedition sighted
the runaway, just as she was drifting on
gravel bar, where she had been showed
clear by big log. After lively chase
she was overhauled and steered ashore,
just in the nick of time, for there were
two miles or more of clear river ahead.
She had evidently touched somewhere
else, as the porcupines had disappeared.
A youngster started to sing, cit was
long way to Tipperary," but he was
threatened with ducking.
Murphy's crew has taken solemn
oath of veng eance, gvowing to extermi-
nate every porcupine between Malta
xuor,lla,o T oko and the main river on