USA > New Hampshire > Cheshire County > Walpole > A history of Walpole, New Hampshire, Volume I > Part 51
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"At the beginning of the season part of the men are sent ahead to 'boom' bridges and bad places so as to turn logs into the main channel, and so far as possible prevent jams. With the main body of logs comes a large gang to keep the logs moving, to break up jams and sort out logs for various mills along the river. Following them comes the 'rear'. The 'rolling rear' dislodges from the banks such logs as have been left by jams or the water. They have 40 horses, that, with the aid of snatch blocks, can do the work of many men. There are also blacksmiths and carpenters. Last comes the 'floating rear' which keeps logs moving and sees that no more become lodged. There are 160 men this year, having a hard time of it.
"The drive started 85,000,000 ft., the largest ever run-15,000,000 ft. left at McIndoes, 3,000,000 ft. here, balance to Northampton and Mt. Tom, from there to be run to Holyoke as needed. The Turners Falls 15,- 000,000 ft. is mixed with Van Dyke's logs, distinguished by a different blaze, to be separated there. It will take until September to complete the drive, when the last of the men will be discharged, to wander back to camps up the river to go back to chopping when their money is gone. This is the longest drive in New England, over 300 miles.
"Falls here are worse than usual this year because of low water which has fallen faster than usual. The banks were full of water when the drive reached here, now there is barely enough water to float a log over the falls when the mills are running, consequently the mills have shut down most of the past week since the log drivers are entitled to the natural flow.
"Logmen's hours are long, the work hard-bronzed faces, iron muscles, work night and day. They have four meals: breakfast at 4 A.M .- baked beans the main dish-continues until the food is gone, about 7; at 8 first lunch, another at one (1:00 P.M.)-fresh meat; supper at 7, bread and milk. The men eat from tin plates or pans, every man helps himself, stands or sits as he chooses-no tables. On the 'rear' there is a head cook with seven helpers. The men have good appetites. Besides cooking and
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washing dishes the cooks move and set up tents, usually every day, except at some falls where long stops are made. When the rear reached here Tuesday, the men were tired and ragged. On their first time off most of them bought new suits of clothes, hats and underwear. This is all credit business, at one store, to facilitate settling at the end of the season. They will be paid by check, to be cashed at the store, the bill deducted. A large number are discharged here as soon as the logs are over the falls, pay amounts to about $12,000. Logmen receive $2 to $2.50 a day and board, none until the end of the season. Anything they want is obtained for them and charged to their account.
"In past years the logmen have been considered a pretty tough class, drunkenness and fighting part of the daily diversion. This year they are very orderly and quiet, only four cases of drunkenness and those dis- charged next day.
"In breaking jams this year they are using 'rack-a-rock'-about 75% nitroglycerine, twice as powerful as any used heretofore. There is about 1/2 lb. to a charge. The cartridges are inclosed in water-proof case with water-proof fuse attached. Instead of boring a hole in a log, this is now tied to a stick which is placed between the logs. There have been no accidents from explosives and only one drowning."
The last log drive went down the river in 1919. For interesting ma- terial on log driving see Spiked Boots by Robert E. Pike.
Hayes has a chapter in his History of Rockingham on "Navigation of the Connecticut". We won't take the space here to quote but will include, rather, notes from a news item from the Bellows Falls Times Au- gust 12, 1899. Allen Dunshee lived near the river all his life (85 years) and remembered flatboats in use (discontinued after 1850). "He remem- bered distinctly the little steamer which ran one season 65 or 66 years ago from Hartford to Bellows Falls. It was commanded by Capt. Gris- wold of Bellows Falls who had been a lumberman along the river, and it carried passengers and freight. At that time John Turner, who resided where Mr. Dunshee formerly did and afterwards moved to Alstead, kept a boatmen's tavern and entertained the boatmen over night. (Probably present Barrett place #239.) They were hard drinkers and often kept him busy until midnight mixing toddy. The boatmen cooked their meals on the boats. Mr. Dunshee remembers that Capt. Griswold stopped his steamboat opposite Turner's and took aboard Turner's daughter and a young lady who later became Mrs. Dunshee, and brought them up as far as the village."
The flatboats ran only spring and fall unless there was unusually high
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water during the summer. There was little boat traffic after 1848 (coming of the railroad), but there were some rafts as late as 1852.
BRIDGES BETWEEN NORTH WALPOLE AND BELLOWS FALLS
In December 1783 the New Hampshire Legislature granted Col. Enoch Hale of Rindge a charter to build a toll bridge "at the great falls . . . and to have exclusive right ... from the upper end of said falls to a rock opposite to a line between land of said Hale and John Hubbard Esq." In 1797 the privilege was extended to include two miles north and two miles south from the bridge. In 1804 the legislature set the rate of tolls-each passenger on foot 3¢, horse and rider 6¢, horse and chaise or sulky 121/2¢. . .
The bridge, built of squared timbers, stood at the site of the present Vilas bridge. It was not a covered bridge, but was a roadway 360 ft. long, 60 ft. above high water mark, with supports at each end and in the mid- dle. The sides rose 6 or 8 ft. from the floor. This bridge was some 12 or 15 ft. lower than its successor (the Tucker Bridge), with a steep down- ward pitch in the approach at each end. This was the first bridge built across the Connecticut, and in its day was a great engineering feat. It was a hazardous undertaking, but was accomplished with only one fatal mishap, when a young man fell from the bridge onto the rocks below.
The river at this point rushes through a narrow gorge. The falls were described to prospective stage passengers in terms very like those used in later years to describe the marvels of Niagara to railroad passengers. In 1781 an Englishman described them thus in History of Connecticut:
"Two hundred miles from the Sound is a narrow of five yards, only, formed by two shelving mountains of solid rock; through this chasm are compelled to pass all the waters which in time of floods, bury the north- ern country. ... The passage is about 400 yards in length, of a zigzag form with obtuse corners. At high water there are carried through this strait masts and other timber, with incredible swiftness, and sometimes with safety; but when the water is too low, the masts, timber, and trees strike on one side or the other, and are rent in one moment into shivers, and splintered like a broom, to the amazement of the spectator.
"No living creature was ever known to pass through this narrow except an Indian woman, who was in a canoe, attempting to cross the river above it, but carelessly let herself fall within the power of the current. Perceiving her danger, she took a bottle of rum she had with her, and drank the whole of it, then lay down in her canoe to meet her destiny.
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She miraculously went through safe and was taken out of the canoe in- toxicated. Being asked how she could be so daringly imprudent as to drink such a quantity of rum with the prospect of instant death before her, the squaw, as well as her condition would allow of, replied: 'Yes, it was too much rum to drink at once, to be sure; but I was unwilling to leave a drop of it, so I drank it, and, you see, have saved it all.'"
On October 30, 1879, while 2000 people watched, Capt. Paul Boyton passed through the falls in his rubber floating suit. The water was rather high, but not in flood. He went into the water just below the dam. Pad- dling as best he could, he was carried swiftly along, caught several times in eddies from which he had a hard pull to regain the current. Just above the railroad bridge, where the water rushes with the greatest force, he disappeared. The onlookers watched breathlessly for what seemed end- less minutes, until he finally appeared at the eddy below the falls. He afterward admitted that it was the worst experience he had ever had and nothing would tempt him to repeat it.
Although a man of some wealth, Col. Hale became financially involved after building the bridge and the mansion, and mortgaged the bridge to Frederick W. Geyer, a wealthy Englishman of Boston. When the pay- ment fell due, Hale sent the money to Boston by his son. On the way he met his wife from whom he had been estranged for several years. Making up took so much of his time and attention that he was late to Boston, and lost the bridge for his father. Mr. Geyer retained the bridge until his death in 1826 when it passed to his daughter Anna, wife of Nathaniel Tucker.
The rates of toll allowed by law were at first the same as had been allowed for ferriage. Because of the expense of toll the early stages did not cross the river, but proceeded past the east end of the bridge, the driver blowing his horn to warn prospective passengers who then walked across the bridge accompanied by their baggage in a wheelbarrow.
When the ice was firm, people drove their teams across both above and below the bridge. One very severe winter Mr. Geyer built a wall to pre- vent this practice, but Herbert Bellows with the help of other men and teams from Walpole tore it away. Failing otherwise to stop the travel on the ice, he spread salt on the road to spoil the sledding, but the teamsters covered it with water. The tolls were finally set at a more reasonable figure.
In 1840 the frame of the bridge was found to be somewhat decayed and a new bridge was built above the old one without interfering with traffic. A large crowd gathered to watch the workmen cut away the old
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bridge after the completion of the new one in July 1840. It was allowed to drop into the river and was carried away.
The early toll gate was at the New Hampshire end. During much of his ownership Tucker collected the tolls. Cady Parks was also an early toll man. Powers Crossett assumed care of the bridge in 1837, after the death of Parks, and was in charge when the new bridge was built, remain- ing until 1849. For a short time he took toll at the Village Bridge. He returned here three or four years before he died in the toll house in 1865. Later gatherers were Nathaniel Monroe, Stillman Buss, Charles H. Saw- yer, Frank L. Ranville and his son Charles who was in charge when the bridge was freed.
After Mr. and Mrs. Tucker died their grandson Edward H. Green owned the bridge, having bought the rights from the other heirs. In 1880 William A. Russell bought the bridge and owned it until March 17, 1902, when the Bellows Falls Canal Company bought it. November 1, 1904, the towns of Walpole and Rockingham bought it and made it a free bridge.
For town meeting in 1904 a special train from North Walpole stopped at every cross street and picked up every voter, some 287. W. H. Kiniry offered a resolution to free Tucker Bridge and build a new iron bridge above the dam, by borrowing $45,000. T. B. Peck offered a substitute motion, not including the freeing of the Tucker Bridge. Feeling ran high. O'Neil from North Walpole held forth for an hour on this panacea for North Walpole-population would double, business would boom. Rock- ingham had already voted $25,000 toward the project. The final vote was 314-214 for the Kiniry motion.
On Saturday November 5, 1904, ceremonies were held in memory of the toll bridge which was draped with bunting and placards. The parade, nearly a mile long, started at the square in Bellows Falls led by Wheeler's Band, and with D. M. Thayer as Marshal. There were floats, among them one by George B. Albee representing the two towns clasping hands across the chasm. The parade crossed the bridge, continuing up Church Street, through Russell to Main, and back to the Bellows Falls Opera House, where an historical sketch of the bridge was presented. In the evening there was a celebration at Russell Hall in North Walpole.
FITCHBURG RAILROAD BRIDGE
When the Cheshire Railroad was built in 1849 the depot for Bellows Falls was at the east end of the toll bridge. A few months later the rail- road company built a wooden bridge north of the toll bridge. It was a
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marvel in its day, with two spans each measuring 140 feet. It was a heavy pine frame, covered, with two tracks. The stone for the abutments came from a quarry close to the Rockingham-Springfield line. It was drawn down to the river by teams and loaded on scows which carried it to the canal where it was transferred to small cars on which it was run down to the site of the bridge by hand.
This bridge was judged unsafe in 1899 and was replaced by the present stone bridge, the construction taking place between September 13 and December 10 without interfering with train traffic.
SULLIVAN RAILROAD BRIDGE
At about the time of the completion of the railroad up from Brattle- boro, the Sullivan Railroad built a similar bridge across the river at the dam, in 1851. This was replaced in 1882 with an iron lattice bridge which in turn was replaced by the present bridge in 1912.
The stone for the abutments was brought from Gould's Ledge (source of the stone for the Cheshire Railroad Bridge). It was brought to the river 10 rods south of the mouth of the Black River, dressed and num- bered by a gang of Scotsmen. It was loaded onto flatboats and rowed down to the dam, close to the site of the abutments.
ARCH BRIDGE
The arch bridge built north of the dam between Bellows Falls and North Walpole was ceremoniously opened to traffic at 4 P.M., Monday, March 20, 1905, construction having been begun the previous summer. For removing the last obstruction W. H. Kiniry bought a new axe which he decorated with a yard of green ribbon. During the evening there were red fire, fire crackers, skyrockets, and fireworks, and the Citizens' Band played on the bridge and at Russell Hall. The bridge swarmed with peo- ple and the hall was not more than half large enough to accommodate the crowd. Coffee and 700 doughnuts melted like dew before the sun. F. A. Lebourveau, G. E. Sherman and C. H. Slade were seated on the platform but did not take part in the speaking program. This was North Walpole's great day, the end of having to cross to Bellows Falls by the old toll bridge or the Sullivan Railroad Bridge.
No money was spent to ornament this bridge, whatever it had of beauty being due to the structural lines. The location is natural for the construction of an arch, with firm, immovable abutments to resist the horizontal thrust at the spring of the arch. The roadway of the bridge
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is suspended from the arch, the only bridge thus constructed in the United States up to 1905. The bridge at Niagara is a similar arch, but in that case the roadway is on top of the arch.
The bridge weighs 450 tons. The span over the river is 540 ft., the short span over the railroad on the Vermont side 104 ft. The highest point of the arch is 70 ft. above the roadway. The cost of this bridge and the free- ing of the Tucker Bridge were met two-thirds by Walpole and one-third by Rockingham. The total cost of this bridge was $44,939. There was also a permanent arrangement on the same ratio for the maintenance of the two bridges.
In November 1927 the roadway at the east end was completely washed away, along with houses on the river bank. The bridge abutment stood firm and the road was replaced.
WESTMINSTER-WALPOLE BRIDGE OR VILLAGE BRIDGE
June 17, 1807, a charter was granted for the erection of a bridge any- where between the south line of Hale's grant or Geyer's Bridge at Bellows Falls and the Walpole-Westmoreland line. The first meeting of the cor- poration was held at Asher Southard's Inn in Walpole July 20, 1807. Josiah Bellows was elected moderator, Samuel Grant clerk, and Isaac Redington, Samuel Grant and Thomas C. Drew a committee to examine the river, procure a plan for a bridge and map the best route from the bridge to the village.
The bridge was built 540 ft. long, 28 ft. wide, on wooden piers, at a cost of $5,852.00 (1823 Gazetteer)
A toll house, 30 x 20 feet or less, was built on the east side of the river and it was voted "to hire Peter Casper as toll gatherer if he can be obtained reasonable." He must have worked "reasonable", since he served for many years. In 1825 he was paid the munificent sum of one dollar a week, later increased to 1 shilling per day.
It was the practice to let individuals pass "by the year", settling their accounts quarterly. Proprietors had free passes. The Walpole-Brattleboro stage paid $52 per year, quarterly. Rates were set by the charter. In 1813 it was voted "a toll board be provided for the Bridge showing the rates of toll."
As a rule a board of directors carried on the business of the corpora- tion. Apparently something went wrong, for in 1824 the board was abolished and meetings of the proprietors were to be held monthly. At the same time they voted "If any person shall ride or drive any horse,
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creature, team or carriage faster than a walk upon said Bridge he or she shall forfeit and pay a fine of twenty-five cents."
This zeal for meetings of the proprietors almost died aborning and by 1833 a "committee" was chosen "to give out tickets . .. and to manage the concerns of the corporation. .. . " In 1858 the board of directors was re-established and it was voted to repair the bridge by "replacing the present superstructure by a lattice bridge, relaying and raising the piers and abutments." For this purpose it was voted to raise $4250 by assessing each share $85.
A large portion of the west end of the bridge was carried away by ice March 17, 1868. Plans were made at the annual meeting in April to raise $7000 for rebuilding the bridge. Nothing in the record book indicates success in this plan, although several meetings were held, only to ad- journ, the last May 25, 1868. According to Hayes the west end of the bridge again fell October 20, 1869, caused by the undermining of the west abutment. According to Aldrich the west end was carried away the fall of 1867, re-erected, and October 1868 the east end went off. Hayes is in accord with the records in the first instance. The records are blank after May 1868.
"At a meeting of the proprietors Mr. Horace A. Perry, one of the stock- holders, suggested the idea of relinquishing the entire property to the towns of Walpole and Westminster, provided that $3000 should be raised by subscription, Walpole to raise two-thirds of the required sum; and that each of the towns, in the same proportion, should raise by taxa- tion a sum sufficient to rebuild the bridge and thereafter maintain it as a FREE bridge.
"The matter was discussed at length pro and con, and the conclusion was that the suggestions were not feasible; but Col. A. Herbert Bellows thought differently. He immediately took the matter into his own hands, in a measure, and by unwearied patience, perseverance, hard work and much expense, carried out Mr. Perry's suggestions, and the result is a free bridge today. Some of the heavy taxpayers in the east part of the town and the west part of Westminster were somewhat disturbed at the time but not many could be found ... today who would care to have a toll bridge instead." (AH 126)
The bridge was built, a frame truss structure, and opened for travel in the fall of 1870 with a grand celebration. It was in use until April 1, 1910, when it was destroyed by fire set by one Norrington, a colored man, residing near the depot in Westminster. His motive was to prevent
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his wife from going to her work with the Holland family in Walpole. He was sent to state prison where he later committed suicide.
The next year the present bridge was built, two-thirds of the expense paid by Walpole, one-third by Westminster.
WATER COURSES- TRIBUTARIES OF THE CONNECTICUT RIVER
GOVERNOR'S (SMITH, DUTCHMAN'S) BROOK
On Fall Mountain there were three ponds-North Pond originally on the north line of Walpole, now line between Langdon and Charlestown; Middle Pond and another small pond east of Table Rock.
North Pond was much the largest, an interesting place to find bog plant life. The North Walpole boys used to go up here and from a raft of their own making pick the water lilies which they sold for 5¢ apiece to the summer boarders on the White Mountain Express.
From North Pond a brook flows down to what is now Cray's Pond, made as a water supply when the packing plant was built 1910. The overflow runs on down to the mill pond on the north side of East Street. Holland Allbee had a sawmill here as early as 1858.
Near the mouth of Governor's Brook A. F. Nims built a sawmill in 1880, sawed annually 2,000,000 ft. of lumber, $2,000 worth of pails. Nims owned all the land here along the river and had a tobacco field, his tobacco barn back of Shaughnessy's house on Spruce Street.
The Fall Mountain Paper Company bought this land 1888. At the mouth of the brook, south side, they had a sawmill which burned Sep- tember 1894. The tall brick chimney stood for years, was finally pulled down and the brick used in the building now standing on the site, used for storage of tools, blacksmith shop, horse stable. The bateaux used in the log drives were kept nearby.
During early operations of the paper company the logs were taken out of the river and piled at the west end of Elm Street. About 1896 Reed & MacFarlane, contractors from Maine, established a new pile west of Spruce Street. The logs were later loaded onto cars and taken to the paper mills. Horses were used to do the switching, Mike Titer was an early teamster, later Edgar Jardine and Ned O'Brien.
For pulling the logs out of the river there was a raft on which were a donkey engine, a tripod 60-65 ft. high, braced with a stiff leg at the back and a mast on the bank. The logs were floated toward shore, then bundled to be taken from the water.
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All lengths of logs came down the river. The longer ones were Van Dyke's, for lumber, taken farther downstream. What stopped here was under 18 ft. The short lengths for pulp began coming down about 1919.
COLD RIVER
Cold River rises in Crescent Lake (formerly Cold Pond) in the towns of Unity and Acworth, and flows through Lempster, Acworth, Langdon and Alstead into Walpole at Drewsville.
Running into Cold River from the south, east of Drewsville, there is a brook on which the Maynards (and others) had a tannery and wool pullery, still operated to some extent in 1891. Ice was still being cut from the pond there 1898 (by R. A. Howard). In 1902 the tannery was taken down, having outlived its usefulness. Foundations still mark the site.
The earliest mill on the river was probably on the bend in the river where Whitcomb's sand and gravel pit is now. Road records of 1781 in- dicate that Maj. Bellows had a mill here at that time and perhaps earlier. By 1783 he had mills at Drewsville. Maj. John Bellows in 1783 offered to frame a bridge over Cold River near his mills at Drewsville if the town would raise and cover the frame.
Apparently at this early date there was only one bridge at Drewsville over Cold River. Perhaps at some later time the river cut a new channel to the north, forming the island so-called and necessitating two addi- tional bridges, one on the road to Langdon, the other on the road to Alstead. July 31, 1841: "To see what steps the town will take in relation to the new county road lately laid through Drewsville (replacing Cheshire Turnpike)-Voted: the town to build two bridges over Cold River in Drewsville this fall, that the south bridge be an open bridge, that on the north branch covered" (still a covered bridge 1892). The committee re- ported that the bridges "should be built on good stone abutments, that the present abutments must be laid over with the addition of long flat binding stones, that about 670 perch of stones would be necessary to construct the four abutments, which we think would cost about $350. That a framed covered bridge of wood could be built across the south branch 58 feet long for about $250, that the north branch of the river would require a bridge 70 feet long of the same construction, the cost $350 ... making in the whole $1450. ... Both bridges are now in a very dangerous situation, and if constructed as recommended with tim- bers instead of planks, all the materials could probably be furnished to complete both bridges this fall. . .”
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SEPE .
1937
Howard S. Andras-
Deep Hole, Cold River
March 17, 1892, the Bellows Falls Times' correspondent wrote: "The time is drawing near when the town will have to rebuild or extensively repair one or more of the three bridges over Cold River at this place. The two covered bridges have been built about 50 years and the question comes up shall they be replaced by wood, iron or stone. It is generally thought that a new iron bridge should replace the old red bridge."
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