Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1924-11-26
MAINE CENTRAL STEAMERS.
Something of the Color and Romance
of Frenchman's Bay.

i"o summers ago, mlddle-aged
couple al1ghted from private rail-
road car at Mt. Desert Ferry, passed
capt. Joe Norton with a pleasant
Good morning." and boarded the
Maine Central steamer Rangeley.
1hey were recognized by several at
the ferry as Mr.. and Mrs. Henry
Ford.
Later, as the steamer was leaving
Bar Harbor, Capt. Norton passed
through the saloon. The great manu-
facturer and his wife were sitting
there-and they were almost alone,
for the passenger list on this particu-
lar trip happened to have been light.
Il introduced myself" said Capt.
Norton, in recent conversation with
Maine Central Magazine reporter.
and asked where they were going.
Seal Harbor,' Mr.. Ford replied.
Won't you take a trip through
the boat?' l invited, wishing to be
hospitable.
=" oh, we've done that already
said Mr.. Ford, smiling. We've been
| in the boiler room and all around
and then he paid me-or, rather,
| the Maine Central-one of the most
| graceful compliments | ever heard.
| What good boat this is said he,
| and how well kept! You should be
very proud of it
We'll, Mr. and Mrs. Ford came
| with me to the pilot house and stayed
| there all the way to Seal Harbor. 1t
was the first time we had carried
| them 11y
own yacht. Mr.. Ford talked of many
! things-he is far from being the 81
lent man the newspapers sometimes
picture; and anyone would know he
was earnestly sincere in what he said
about Maine. He thinks it one of
; the finest places in the world-and
Seal Harbor its ideal beauty spot.
My one regret, said he, is that it's
so far from home
This was on a Thursday. The
son, Edsel Ford, and his family
went with us Sunday to the Ferry,
/ where they took their private car.
Henry Ford shook hands with me on
the wharf al Seal Harbor.
Sorry I'm not to sail with you
again, captain, said he, but the wife
and | are to motor home. know
you'll take good care of my sons
wife and kiddies.'
Il thought that ended the matter,
and was little surprised, few min
utes later, to find he had followed
me aboard the boat. Again he shook
hands and wished me goodbye. And
that is picture of the real Henry
| 1pho 10
him out of business hours-one of
the most genial, most companionable
most democratic men | have ever
known. And Mrs. Ford was the same
Way-fine people, both of them You
can tell when great man is really
democratic or just plays the part for
effect
This was but one of the many cpl
sodes that Capt. Norton told-for
these Maine Central steamers, every
summer, literally carry hundreds of
the great and near-great. Artists,
| writer's, actors, social leaders, men
who think in terms of millions-all
seek, summer after summer, this
| Wonder-spot of the Maine coast
Some come in private yachts; others,
| of course, by automobile; but whole
companies of them trudge across the
wharf at Mt. Desert Ferry,
there boarding luxurious Maine
| Central steamers that ply to
the jeweled harbors. Incident
| ally, while many of these
boat, a much lesser number come all
| the way by automobile. Numerous
| cottage owners at Northeast and Seal
Harbors avail themselves of Maine
Central service as far as Ellsworth,
where they are met by their chauf-
feurs. But even more are ticketed
straight through.
One of the most democratic is
John d. Rockefeller, jr. He never
comes by private car. Usually he ar
rives on Thursday, in the Bar Har-
Dor express, wiring ahead to steamer
Rangeley the number in his party
and hence how many places are to
be saved for them at dinner. He,
too, sometimes talks to me in the
pilot house." said Capt. Norton. He
likes to talk about Maine. And, let
me tell you, this old state has no
more enthusiastic booster any
where"
Flo Ziegfeld, Americas premier
judge of feminine charm, and Billie
Burke, who is Mrs. Ziegfeld in
private life, are quite frequent pas
sengers on the Rangeley And, speak
ing of the screen and stage, there
are often little companies of moving
picture people posing against the
lovely backgrounds of the Maine
coast. Now it is Annette Kellerman
and her water nymphs, diving for
the camera men off Schooner Head.
Again it will be little group from
the Eastern studio of Famous Play
ers, finishing romantic drama
whose earlier scenes were "shot" in
Norway and Sweden. And so on
company after company, summer
after summer, all reaching their