The independent-reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1909-1955, 1924-08-14
FIM1ONS AND INCIDENTS OF THE BIG
! WOODS AND REMOTE LOCATIONS
hen and Horses on Cake of Ice--Bare-handed
|Fieht with Mother Bear--Grim Tragedies

.a;tions of early WOODS lie anu
I, ls' away hamlets have been plen-
~ Art many of them are already
a a The other day the Big
w. Editor spent another interest
.,nr with George Thompson, a
'sagan citizen. who through his
:. Is able to relate many of the
s.e happenings of years gone by.
n them are of a tragic nature
moirdly strange while others are
.'y curious occurrences. 1t Is
s,onning backwards into another
,ary 10 hear Mr.. Thompson narate
.aios of the long ago. The first
saso that he related, as compared
NC some of the others, seemed of
-, recent date, since it was only
IN 1857 This dealt with an
sde of the Moosehead Lake re-
erp HORSES AND STRAW ON
ONE CAKE OF ICE
|p,ek in the spring of 1857" said
Tbompson, my father, James
hmnson with his brother, John and
late N G. Shaw, then of Green
took one hundred sheep, two
of straw. and four horses and
| ,bpm onto cake Of ice, which
| about one-half mile across it and
[ps out onto the main ice. from
mint on the animals being driv-
aovn through to Hardscrabble,
N of Kineo." Mr.. Shaw was then
[,riqtor of farm in the Moose
I Lake regions and the Thompson
Lhprs were employed there. After
animals and the straw were plac-
on this huge cake of ice. they
Ia,bly drifted with the current with
Il assistance from long poles In
hands of the men to the main
| where they were then on an easy
e for travelling. The Thomp-
4 went with Mr.. Shaw to Deer Is
and from there he drove the
n alone to Greenville on the ice.
EssED MISERY STREAM AFTER
DARK ON A LOG
Mother story of back woods life,
Thompson related az follows:
Ne spring OF '62 my father came
b Skowhegan to enlist. He met
Snow. who prevailed upon him
Ire up enlisting and go up on
N Stream to drive the river. He
ka IN the lake and got within
and one-half miles of the mouth
Moose River; but the ice was
hiking up and he couldn't go any
Eter and from there he crawled on
hands and knees to the shore
be After reaching the shore, he
hek out through the woods for Mi
i Stream He got up to Misery
found the camps were on the OPP
bite side. so he got onto a log and
Enped to pole himself across the
ssm. The current was too strong
he went five miles down the riv-
on the log, landing on the same
He then went back up to his
rtng place and picking another log,
fsed the stream safely upon it,
tggl ii was long after dark. 1t
about twelve o'clock when he
>fhed the camp. Dan Webb Of
bEhegan was boss driver and Jas.
|Fa, formerly of this town, was al
there. Father went into camp
Webb woke up the cook, got his
fething to eat and told him to take
E sleep he could. The next
fning my father was on the job.
Drunken CREW PUT TO WORK
fln the spring of the early '40's,"
4 Mr.. Thompson, father went up
pink in the vicinity of Allagash
ram driving. He was then about
feen years old. Mack oliver.
PIX from Orono, was the boss
|'er at that time. There was an
n boy, named Stackpole, about
|tfs age, After a few days of
ping Oliver had occasion to go
tsS Telos Lake on business. He
The men what to do while he
gone. He hadn't been gone but
Fnort time when the gang went to
F'neast Carry to get liquor. They
back drunk and fighting and
FkpoIe and my father didn't dare
. H. so they layed in the woods
lght although my father crawled
no got something to eat. the cook
ns drunk with the rest. AS soon
'snt, the boys went back on to
iOgS but none of the crew came
1 About three o'clock in the aft
HOOn Oliver came back where the
= were He said, Where's the rest
ne crew. Stackpole finally told
Thai was up and oliver said,
y y boys have done enough. I'll go
VIE camp He weighed about two
' !. and fifty pounds, was six
tall and lean as race horse
\ - ne got to the camp, he first (
y .ae cook and knocked the rum
VI MN and then drove the rest
4, VI lne camp, telling them they
4. put the logs into Chesuncook
= ulat night or die. He told the
y u go into the camp and get
- .''ulne to eat The rest of the
/. zane in at twelve o'clock but
he az III Ches unoooN
'OuGHT OFF ENRAGED BEAR
!. SINGLE HANDED
"s night my father was out aft
m , NV which had strayed away I
N " n'e others, just west of Bunker !
4, = Alnens. He saw something
n uuWh and touched it with his
\. immediately a mother bear
N NJ upon him but he managed to
~ a" snraged animal, whose cubs
'0y with his bare hands and /,