Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1918-03-30
THE OLD kAIAHDIh !
ON COAST OF MAINE
Bangor Commercially

to the Commercial, Penobscot bay
was frozen over just as 1t was now.
! Mr.. Wassatt says:
There may be few Of your read
ers Of so years ago who can recall tho
severe winter of 1868, when Penobscot
| bay was frozen over for quite a period
and sleighing parties and even loads
| Of freight were hauled from Belfast
to 1slesboro and Castine and even 10
points on Deer Isle"
! MIR. Wasgatt. who was clerk OF the
| steamer Katahdin in 1868, and for
many years past with a steamship
line, New York, to New London. has
furnished the Commercial with the
following excerpt from his book
"Steamboating in the Gulf Of Maine.
Greatest Ice Breaker
The steamer Katahdin came en-
route from Boston to Bangor on May
10, 1868. She was built especially for
this route. her keel being laid few
| days after an accident to the Meme
mon Sanford. Aug. /. 1862. The
katahdin ran in 1868 and won great
many friends among the travelling
public. On Dec. 5, 1864. the steamer
left Bangor for the last time that sea
son, not on account of an early win
| ter. or because the river was nearly
| free from ice at. that time. but be-
cause she was chartered by the Fall
| River line to take the place of ono snf
their large passenger steamers all
winter Early in January winter set
in with a vengeance. and on her SAT-
! inn H., M
! would leave her berth until the
katahdin had gone down the East
river to break way through He'll
Gate. 1t proved a very hard winter,
and many persons and teams had ito
cross the ice on the East rivers from
New York to Brooklyn, there being no
bridge at that time. The Katahdin
won a reputation which lasted her
throughout her entire life. 1t was
three years later that she won her
laurels as the champion Ice Break
er" Of the eastern coast.
Cold on Feb. 7, 1868
On Feb. :, 1868, very cold day,
the katahdin left Boston for Winter
port at $50 p NJ. 1t was rapidly
growing colder at Rockland, whefe
she encountered hard new ice. but she
made her way to the wharf. and thea
on to Camden. In Camden harbbr
she encountered heavier ice, but made
her landing and headed for Belfast.
The ice grew heavier as she made her
way up the bay, and the captain n
| nally decided that we would not go TO
Belfast and so we landed all passes,-
gers and light freight on the ice NJ
Saturday Cove r climbed up the
Banks at Saturday Cove to the teie-
graph Office. and wired our agent 81
Belfast to send coaches apd teams.
The katahdin got under way ana
beaded down the bay. round Maats
F, Island and up the Eastern Bay. qM-
plain sight of Searsport and Belfaets
In the Eastern Bay we encounteped
| more or less ice. but the noble 0tn
steamer r 'need right along until 80
reached Fort Poihtr.Cove on BucHss
port Narrows. Here we-~fQunah
heavier ice. but finally made 49,
port landing.
Soon after leaving Buckspoft
found the ice nearly all on the ea9fl
shore and ran into open water
Marsh Point. 1t continued groWt
colder All that day and night AIN
Sunday. At II A. NJ. Monday ~ lef<
for Boston. Meanwhile as the wealth.
er continued extremely cold, the fc1
had continued making very rapldiys
! Winterport was clear OF ice. h0weVkTa
and the run to Bucksport was With
out incident After we had poundo&a
our way into Bucksport and made]
landing we swung out towards TIE
Earrows and here our trials beGall.s}
The ice had been jaming up and DOVE
the Narrnws on every tide. For near
" four hours we encountered a grS1kS
many heavy patches of ice after We
passed Fort Point Lighthouse. we
HEADED down towards the western side
of Isleshoro. but did not attempt o.
make Searsport landing. Keeping ifsS
what appeared to be The thinnest ice9
in the western bay we ran for BelfastX
AS we neared the western shore tha
ice grew heavier, but seemed OF unis
form thickness throughout the W.
expense. A number of persons
gathered near my Office door andS
riOus opinions and expressions
passed in regard to the thickne1
the ice. ! sent for draw buo1xek
g pickpole and the mate or
opened gangway.
Ice Ten Inches Thick
We fished up a piece Of 1ifk
was found TO be ten inch
hard. clear and blue. Thf,(
sidered about the average
what we had plowed TIL
Rucksport, a distance OF
we neared Belfast we s1N
propeller William Tibbe
wharf. The TibbettS "
ahead and sideways so fha
make landing. Everybod
fast vas on the wharf 10 se
We backed cut the same a
had made on entering, sgrea
! ing taken by our pilots go
steering gear should not be
We finally got down 10 Car
Rockland.
There was very little ice
Head We arrived in Boston
morning we'll covered with la
Engineer Hathorn investiga
damage done and reported
wheels would have to be DR.
rebuilt. He went to East n
select the necessary oak til
the work, and Asst Eng. CO
the help of the entire ene
crew dismantled. the wheels
out the entire iron work and
| ing the hrokon naddlea