The independent-reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1909-1955, 1924-12-18

A Five Mile Race on Dead River
(By R..T. Patten)


Something like twenty years ago,
David Vigue and Frank +. Parsons,
now both citizens of Skowhegan. were
working on Dead River. One day
they were a part of batteau crew
coming down from Long Falls to Dead
River dam. Harvie E. Harlow was
In charge and In the batteau with
them was man by the name of
George Daggett of Dead River. The
fifth man was a Norwegian by the
name of Nils Ekebo. The distance
was six miles. They had proceeded
perhaps one mile when Sherm Bean
and Walter Taylor caught up with
them In canoe Something was
said about who would get to the dam
first and Immediately d race was on.
1t was neck to neck proposition al
most the entire way Dave, who tells
this story, says he was a little the
weakest at the oars. When he was
pretty near tuckered out, Harlow, who
was steering, called to him to change
places This put a little fresh mus
Gle into the motive power for the
batteau and they beat the lighter
craft at the dam by about twenty-five
feet
Dave is not sure how quick they
made that distance but he knows that
the people In both the batteau and
the canoe were good and tired at the
end of it. He Is of the opinion that
the ordinary speed for a batteau is
four miles an hour. He thinks they
must have gone, under the excite
ment of the race, about twice as fast.
| think it is ordinarily believed that
canoe with two good men can beat
batteau with four oar equipment.
Perhaps they would have in this case
except that Dave was relieved by Har-
low at the oars. This was not ex-
actly fair comparison for, of course,
the men in the canoe had to go the
whole distance. perhaps five miles,
pretty rugged job
The part of Dead River referred to
Is very crooked In those days there
was not break in the woods along
the shore. 1t was then, as it still Is,
very beautiful There is practically
no current The water is Swallowed
and very dark. Under the right kind
of light, the reflections are just about
perfect
Both the canoe men have since died.
Walter Taylor WAS "a resident OF
Bingham and Sherm Bean made his
home at Caratunk Harvie Harlow
above mentioned, was then one of the
owners OF the Ledge House. He is
now thought to be living in Gardiner
Mr.. Parsons does not know what be-
come of George Daggett nor did he
know much about the Norwegian
! This batteau crew were at work for
the Dead River Log Driving Company
of which the late Payson Niles was
then president and active manager
Ekebo was a man he had picked VI
somewhere. Frank thinks this Nor
wegian and work were on friendly
/ terms. As he remembers it work
would never be insuted or injured by
Ekebo and the man was quite care
full that work should do him no harm
4 He could sit down beside whole LOT
of it and smile contentedly for an in
definite period. In the excitement o.
the race just mentioned he managed
/ to get some fairly good effort out OF
him. Mr.. Parsons recalls one time
when he succeeded in getting him out
OF the boat onto big pine for the
purpose of rolling it over some bushes
into the deeper channel. This was
/ RANK y opportunity dnu5 nt Spccueu
M the rolling process until he got
the man with the foreign name of
from it into the water, much to the
Joy OF everyone else concerned Per
haps this was poor policy, how
ever as they could never again get
him out of the boat.
/ From the very fact that the Dead
River is almost without current came
the circumstances that the men who
worked there were good boatmen
! Frank says that the crew under
( Harvie Harlow, with whom he work
/ ed most of the time. could always
beat any other batteau outfit. Some
times three or four boats would ge'
to racing and now and then the!
would put two men on each oar. Wher
/ thus propelled by eight pair Of sturdy
arms, the boat would tear through thu
river at an amazing pace. He does
not know how fast. perhaps ten OF
twelve miles an hour