Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1915-03-04
BILL REYNOLDS SAIL
First Trip on an ieeboat Nearly Wrecks
His Nerve

| 1t has come to be an accepted fact
| by the boys Of Cushnoc hose house that
| Bill Reynolds of the Hose ) contin-
gent of the fire department underwent
last Sunday morning the experience OF a
| lifetime when he took his first sail on an
| iceboat. Bill is a good fireman and
would think nothing of taking line OF
| hose up an extension ladder to tie roof
| Of the Augusta Trust Co. building or Of
! forcing his way into a burning building
where the smoke was SO thick that it
| had to be cut out in junks with a broad
| axe, but since his experience last Sunday
morning Bill says he is willing to admit
! that when it comes to flying over the
frozen surface of Cobbosseecontee at the
| rate of about a mile a minute on the
| forward deck OF an iceboat his nerve is
| hardly equal to the occasion.
! In addition to being a member Of the
| fire department Bill also works at the
trade Of a carpenter and it was because
Of this latter ealing that he broke into
! ceboating circles His friend Ernest
| Wright has q cottage on the shore of the
! lake and last Sunday morning they
started for the cottage to do a little
| work in the way OF finishing up the inte-
rior Of the building. 1t is some distance
| from the head of the lake down to the
Wright cottage, and, as good luck would
| have it. they had just started to walk
down the lake when Capt. Moves came
along with his iceboat and offered them
a ride.
1t was nothing Of a novelty for Mr.
Wright to sail on an iceboat. but to Bill
- = s,,%D fc -tns ind
OF craft. so while Ernest climbed into
the cockpit with the skipper, Bill sought
a comfortable position on the cross-beam
and, getting a firm hold on the stays, he
gave the word to 'let 'er co. and she
went-oh, how she went! The Moves
boat has the reputation of being the fast
est thing on skates at the lake, and with
the wind that was blowing Sunday morn
ing she flew, going so fast that she al!
most ran away from the wind that was
behind her and made by her Roadway
draft of air that rushed up Bills pat
legs and up his coat sleeves in way
that chilled him to the bone He would
have given whole weeks pay to have
exchange his position for one beside the
camp fireplace just then, but he didn't
dare to move. not even enough to turn
his head and tell the boys in the cockpit
10 stop the ship and let him get out and
walk. so he just hung on until the skip
per finally" brought the boat up into the
wind and let her STOP
The speed made by the boat was not
taken, but Bill thinks that it was some
better than a mile a minute. He says
that when they passed the cottage on
their way down the lake he got glimpse
of it, but they were going SO that it
looked as long as rope-waik. When the
trip was finally over and they had made
their way ashore and into the cottage
and built fire, il was some time before
Bill could compose himself sufficiently to
talk connectedly about his experience.
but now that il is all over he can speak
Of it with some degree of composure. He
says he is willing to admit. however.
without any mental reservation whatev-
er, that the trip down the lake on that
iceboat got his goat. and that if he had
had dozen goats he would have lost
them all.