History of Coos County, New Hampshire, Part 50

Author: Merrill, Georgia Drew
Publication date: 1888
Publisher: Syracuse [N.Y.] : W. A. Fergusson
Number of Pages: 1194

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It was at the suggestion of Starr King that the original Waumbeck House in Jefferson was erected for the accommodation of summer travel- lers, and, to him more than any other is the public indebted to the knowl- edge of the vast magnificence of the White Mountains and their surround- ings. Of Jefferson Hill he writes: "It may without exaggeration be called the ultima thule of grandeur in an artist's pilgrimage among the New Hampshire mountains, for at no other point can he see the White Hills themselves in such array and force."

Few souls in the world have the gift of portraying the glories of nature in language that will live forever. Starr King was one of this immortal few, and the joy and gladness they leave behind will never die, and the memory of the author of the " White Hills" will last as long as the mountains endure.

THADDEUS S. C. LOWE.

Prof. Thaddeus S. C. Lowe, now of Norristown, Pa., the distinguished inventor, aeronaut and scientist, was born August 20. 1832, at Jefferson, N. H., and is the son of Clovis and Alpha Greene Lowe, of that town. His mother was a daughter of Thomas Greene, of Berlin Falls, N. H., and on both sides the ancestry is of the early pilgrims who came from England in the seventeenth century. Mr. Lowe enjoyed only a common school education in early life, working on a farm between the age of ten and fourteen years. The only opportunity for attending school was about three months in the year in winter, walking two miles and often on snow shoes at that. Dur- ing this period the best opportunity for study was in the evenings by the light of pine knots industriously gathered in early autumn while laying in the winter's supply of wood. Mr. Lowe's favorite studies were chemistry, natural philosophy and kindred subjects. In his fifteenth year he left his mountain home, walking one hundred miles to Portland, Maine, and from thence went by water to Boston, where he apprenticed himself out for three years to learn the trade of boot and shoe cutting. At the close of his apprenticeship he was enabled to earn money sufficient to admit of his

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pursuing his studies, selecting medicine as a specialty, and at the age of twenty-one he commenced the compounding and practice of medicine. Although very successful for his years, he so disliked the practice that in- stead of permanently establishing himself, he went on a lecturing tour of several years duration. Before this, however, he taught a class in chem- istry for a short time. He lectured on scientific matters, mostly confined to interesting chemical experiments in which the various gases played an important part. In this he was eminently successful, pleasing large audiences and constantly gaining for himself valuable information.

In 1855 Mr. Lowe was married to Miss Leontine Augustine Gachon, of New York, who was born and educated in Paris, France. Very soon after, in 1857, he began the study of aeronautics, and made numerous aerial voyages in different parts of the country, his first being one from Ottawa, Canada, in 1858, in celebration of the laying of the first Atlantic cable. In 1859 he constructed the largest aerostat ever built. It was intended for voyages across the ocean, which he estimated could be made in less than three days by taking advantage of the ever-constant eastward current which he had discovered to always prevail in all the numerous voyages he had made previous to that time. This he did to, in some way, compensate for the temporary failure of the Atlantic cable, which was to endeavor to com- municate more rapidly than by steamers, which in that day were quite slow compared with the present. This aerostat was 150 feet perpendicular diameter, by 104 feet transverse diameter, the upper portion being spherical. When fully inflated with hydrogen, its atmospheric displacement amounted to a lifting force of twenty-two and one half tons. It had for its outfit, besides a car with all the necessary scientific instruments, provisions, etc., a complete Francis metallic life-boat, schooner rigged, much larger than several that have successfully crossed the ocean since that time. The gas envelop weighed over two tons, while the network and other cordage weighed over one and one half tons. It was quite late in the autumn before this monarch of ballons was completed. Prof. Lowe procured the site of the New York Crystal Palace, which had been destroyed by fire, and clean- ing away the debris of that once fine edifice, he, on the first of November, 1859, began the inflation of this monster aerostat for the voyage; but ow- ing to a lack in the supply of gas from the street mains, whereby six days would be required to inflate instead of one day, which was necessary for a successful use of the gas, the attempt at that time had to be abandoned. There was not then a newspaper in the civilized world but what noticed, more or less, the extensive preparations he had made for this undertaking, and all sorts of comments went the rounds of the world.

In the spring of 1860, by invitation of a number of members of the Franklin institute, Prof. Lowe came to Philadelphia where Prof. John C. Cresson, then president of the Philadelphia gas works, promised the neces-

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sary rapid supply of gas for a trial trip to test the feasibility of inflating and launching into the air this immense aeronautic machine. Older aeronauts from all parts of the world had predicted that an aerostat of this size could not be successfully inflated and launched into the air. Notwithstanding these predictions, a successful trial trip was made from the Point Breeze gas works in June, 1860, where four hundred thousand cubic feet of gas were furnished in four hours. On this trip five passengers were taken, including Mr. Garrick Mallory, of the Philadelphia Inquirer, who wrote an account of the trip which was published in that journal at the time. In this voyage two and a half miles altitude was obtained in passing over the city of Philadelphia, and when near Atlantic City a descent was made to a lower current, which wafted the great aerostat back to within eigh- teen miles of Philadelphia, where a landing was effected. This immense balloon was handled with so much skill that the departure from the earth with the weight of over eight tons, and the return again, were so gentle that the passengers on board would hardly have known when they left or when they landed had they not seen it accomplished.

So well pleased were Prof. Lowe's friends at his succesful managing of an ærostat six times larger than any ever before built that they recom- mended him to visit Prof. Henry, of the Smithsonian Institute, and, if possible, secure his cooperation, and to that end furnished him with the following letter :-

"To Prof. Joseph Henry, Seeretary of the Smithsonian Institute, Washington. D. C.

" The undersigned citizens of Philadelphia have taken a deep interest in the attempt of Mr. T. S. C. Lowe to cross the Atlantic by aeronautic machinery, and have confidence that his extensive preparations to effect that object will greatly add to scientific knowledge. Mr. Lowe has individually spent much time and money in the enterprise, and in addition the citizens of Philadelphia have contributed several thousand dol- lars to further his efforts in demonstrating the feasibility of transatlantic air navigation. With reliance upon Mr. Lowe and his plans we cheerfully recommend him to the favorable consideration of the Smithson- ian Institution, and trust such aid and advice will be furnished him by that distinguished body as may assist in the success of the attempt, in which we take a deep interest.

"John C. Cresson, William Hamilton. W. H. Harrison, Henry Seybert, J. Chiston Morris, M. D., Isaac Lea, Fairman Rogers, John C. Fisher, Thomas Stewardson, M. D., J. B. Lippincott, George W. Childs, John Grigg, S. S. Haldeman, John E. Frazer, George Harding, Morton McMichael."

It is needless to say that Prof. Henry received Prof. Lowe with extreme warmth and congeniality, giving him the freedom of the Institution, and from this meeting sprang a lasting friendship.

During Prof. Lowe's intercourse with Prof. Henry he outlined a plan for taking meteoroligical observations at different parts of the continent and from high altitudes by means of balloons and communicating the same by telegraph to a bureau to be established in Washington, whereby weather predictions could be made useful exactly in the same way as it is to-day done by the U. S. signal service. To Prof. Lowe the government is as much indebted as to any other one man for the successful establish- ment of that service, for it was his plans frequently and freely communi-

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cated to Major Myers, during the war, that led to the establishment of this service after the close of the war. There is now in existence considerable correspondence between Prof. Lowe and the late Prof. Joseph Henry, General Myers and others, upon this subject.

Upon the recommendation of Prof. Henry, preparatory to a trans- atlantic voyage. Prof. Lowe made a trip across the continent in a smaller aerostat, starting from Cincinnati, Ohio, at four o'clock in the morning of April 20, 1861, after taking leave of his friends, among whom were Messrs. Potter and Murat Halstead of the Cincinnati Commercial; he landed on the South Carolina coast at twelve o'clock the same day, making the quickest and longest voyage on record, delivering papers at about a thou- sand miles distant, still damp from the press in eight hours after they were printed. This voyage was fraught with great interest, both scientific and otherwise, long accounts of it being published at the time. Landing in this way in South Carolina two weeks after the firing on Fort Sumter caused considerable excitement in the Rebel armies, and Prof. Lowe was arrested and thrown into prison, but on producing proofs relative to the scientific objects of the voyage, he was released, and after five days and nights of railroading found his way back to Cincinnati, the point from which he had so recently travelled the same distance in eight hours.

Secretary Chase, then a member of President Lincoln's cabinet, tele- graphed at the request of the President to Prof. Lowe to come to Wash- ington and consult with him as to the use of balloons for war purposes. He went and was received by the President with marked attention, spend- ing a night at the Executive Mansion. These interviews resulted in ob- taining authority for the organization of the corps of observation or aeronautic corps, with Prof. Lowe at its head as chief aeronaut of the United States army, which position he held for three years, during which time he rendered valuable service to the government. At the end of this time his health became so much impaired that he turned his department over to one of his assistants, and retired on a farm in Chester county, Pa., with the hope of regaining his health. The services rendered the government during his stay in the army were of immense value, as testified to by the commander in chief, and numerous corps commanders, who had received valuable information to better govern their movements. During this time he made, personally, over three thousand cable ascensions and was the first and only person to establish telegraphic communication from a balloon to various portions of the army and to Washington at the same time. Conspicuous among these occasions were those at the battle of Fair Oaks. These balloons, with assistant æronauts instructed by Prof. Lowe, were sent to different armies, including the forces on the southern coast and in the west. To make these war balloons efficient on land and water, it be- came necessary to make many new inventions, conspicuous among which

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were Prof. Lowe's hydrogen gas generators, for field and ship service. At any time within three hours after halting beside a pool of water he would extract sufficient hydrogen therefrom to inflate one of these balloons, whereby himself and often several officers would mount a thousand or two feet in the air and overlook the country. His renown spread over Europe and South America, and his field system of aeronautics was introduced into the British, French and Brazilian armies. The Emperor of Brazil, through his ministers, made numerons overtures and offered large induce- ments to Prof. Lowe to take a Major-General's commission in the Bra- zilian army during the Paraguayan war, to conduct the same line of ser- vice as that rendered to the U. S. government, but owing to other engage- ments he was compelled to decline. He, however, furnished the necessary field apparatus and balloons, with competent assistants, who rendered valuable aid and greatly shortened the duration of that war, especially by observations on the river in Paraguay at Asuncion.

In 1867 Prof. Lowe invented and brought out the ice machine for refrigeration and the manufacture of ice, which is now in general use in warm climates in all parts of the world. In 1572 75 he invented and brought out his famous water-gas process for illumination and heating purposes, which is already lighting over two hundred cities, and is pre- dicted to, ere long, with his later invention in the production of fuel water- gas, and his indestructible metal compounds for incandescent lighting, entirely supersede all other methods of light, heat and power.

At the last exhibition of the Franklin Institute of Philadelphia, Prof. Lowe received three medals and a diploma, the highest award ever given to any one man by that Institution. The first was a diploma and silver medal for his general exhibit of gas works and appliances: second, the Elliot Cresson gold medal. for "water-gas and incandescent lighting," third, "grand medal of honor for the invention held to be the most useful to mankind.'

This sketch may be properly closed by quoting the following from a previous publication: " He has little more than reached middle life and it is warrantable to suppose that his speculative and fertile mind will grasp and produce other valuable inventions." He has already made a number of ingenious lighting, cooking and heating appliances for using his heat- ing gas, the numerous patent rights of which he holds for the protection of his business.

Prof. Lowe is eminently a domestic man. having a large family of children, whose names are as follows: Lonisa F., Ida Alpha. Leon Perci- val, Ava Eugenie, Augustine Margaret, Blanche, Thaddeus, Edna, Zoe, and Sobieski. The three eldest were born-in New York.

KILKENNY.

CHAPTER XXXVIII.

A. N. Brackett's Description-Settled Portions Attached to Jefferson.

N. BRACKETT, in 1820, gave this description of Kilkenny, which will do for to-day as well: "Kilkenny is bounded westerly by Lancaster ' and Jefferson and Piercy, northerly by Stratford, easterly by Pauls- burgh, Maynesborough and Durand, and southerly by ungranted land and that which will never be granted, as nature has said that the White Mount- ains shall be the common property of mankind, unless indeed they contain treasures within their bowels which have never been discovered. This town now contains very few inhabitants, and they are very poor, and for aught that appears to the contrary they must remain so, as they are actual tres- passers on that part of God's heritage which he designed for the residence of bears, wolves, moose and other animals. It is possible, however, that an exception favorable to the south part of the town may be made."

This southern portion, with all the settlers, has been attached to Jef- ferson, which see. The town is covered with immense timber on which the Kilkenny Lumber Co. is preparing for extensive logging operations. The Pilot range (Pilot and Willard mountain) includes a large portion of Kilkenny. They receive their name from a hunter named Willard, who was once lost on this mountain, while out hunting with his dog. His camp was on the east side; he noticed the dog left him each day, as he supposed in pursuit of game, but towards night he would return. At last Willard resolved to follow; he set out with the dog, and after three days of hunger and fatigue, was brought back to his camp by his faithful guide and companion.

CARROLL,

CHAPTER XXXIX.

Carroll, location of - Boundaries - Bretton Woods - Soil - Pioneers, Etc. - Roads - Early Mills.

6 ARROLL lies at the northwestern base of the White Mountains. Its surface presents a rugged and mountainous appearance: the scenery is wild, picturesque and romantic, and is attractive to lovers of nature. It is bounded north by Jefferson, east by the White Mountain territory, south by Grafton county, and west by Bethlehem and White- field, and had an area of 24,640 acres.

Pondicherry mountain, of considerable elevation, is situated in the north part of the town, between it and Jefferson. John's and Israel's rivers have their rise partly in Carroll. and the head waters of the Ammonoosuc from the neighboring mountains unite and pass through the town.

Carroll was originally named "Bretton Woods " and granted to Sir. Thomas Wentworth, Rev. Samuel Langdon and eighty-one others in 1772. It was incorporated under its present name, June 22, 1832. By an act approved June 22, 1848, a portion of Nash and Sawyer's Location was annexed to it. June 27, 1857, several lots of land lying south of the town were annexed. July 2, 1878, another portion of Nash and Sawyer's Loca- tion was added, and by act of legislature this year (1887) Crawford's Grant and all of Nash and Sawyer's Location become part of Carroll.

The soil in some parts is strong, deep and productive, and there are several fine farms here, but the prosperity of the town began with the opening of the summer hotels and the coming of the railroad. It has been through these that property has increased in value, business extended, and intelligence on necessary and popular topics has been more generally dif- fused.

At the time of the settling of Carroll there was an immense quantity of pine and spruce timber, now almost entirely cut off by lumbermen. The greater part of the pioneers were people of limited means, and their

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struggles to obtain homes and a bare living were many times without results; some became disheartened and removed to other towns; others worked on, lived their hard lives, died and are forgotten; a few, who, although dependent on their own exertions, had the benefit of education, labored and accomplished their object, built comfortable houses, and added to the wealth of the town by their industry.

Pioneers .- One of the first to settle in Carroll was an Irishman, Inger- son, who, about the year 1812, located on the east side of Cherry moun- tain. Beaver were numerous, and knowing nothing about this animal, on seeing a hedge hog, Ingerson shouted to his son. "Jamie, run quick, here's a baver "; and ran and caught hold of the bristling quills of the animal with both hands. He then shouted to Jamie. "Hould on, Jamie, don't touch him, he's a coarse-haired baver." Although nearly three-quarters of a century has passed since that time, yet in 1886, a Cherry mountain resi- dent saw a huge black bear not far from his house, which " wobbled " along with a very much-at-home air. but the beaver have long since disap- peared.

Stephen Hartford settled in the same neighborhood later. Thomas Applebee, John Remick, and Henry Rines located there about 1825. John Remick was a farmer, a hard worker, and a most industrious man. He was small, weighing but little over a hundred pounds. He took a job to cut one hundred cords of wood, and cut, corded, and drew it in twenty- five days. Asa French built the first house on what is now the Ebenezer Glines' place. He did not remain many years. Levi and John Muzzy came from Unity and located on the west side of Cherry mountain. They were blacksmiths by trade, and were here a number of years. Joseph Clark and wife were from Moultonborough, and became permanent settlers.

Phineas Rosebrook, Sr., one of the pioneers of Carroll, came here in the spring of 1807. He lived in a small log-house put up some time before by Abel Crawford; this stood about where Frank B. Rosebrook's house now stands. A piece of woodland had been felled the year before. He had a yoke of oxen and a cow. He cut up the trees, but was so disabled by lameness that his wife and Betsey Tuttle, both strong women, did the logging and seeded the land. His son Phineas was born here in June of that year. Mr. Rosebrook put up buildings, raised a large family, was a worker, and added to the prosperity of the town in its early struggle for an existence.

Dearborn Crawford, son of Abel, located on the west side in 1820, near where the town house stands. He was a stalwart man, and possessed good judgment as well as experience in all matters of a pioneer life. He resided there many years and had a large family.

In 1827 John Howe came from Whitefield and settled on the place now occupied by four generations of the family. He was a deacon of the Bap-

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tist church in Whitefield, and was chosen deacon of the church organized in Carroll. He was justice of the peace, selectman and town clerk for many years, and a very valuable man in the settlement. He was the first selectman in town, and the first postmaster. Howe was followed by Levi Morrill, Calvin White, Elijah Curtis, Asahel Wheeler. Four brothers came from Moultonborough, nephews of the John and Israel Glines whose names are perpetuated by John's and Israel's rivers; James H., William E .. Ebenezer and Jesse. All settled near together, cleared farms, and, in 1886, all but James H. were living. Curtis and Wheeler were here for a time, but none of either family are now residents. Among others was Elias Moody. He made his home near the side of Cherry mountain. His

son. Josiah, was a useful citizen, conversant with town affairs, and of service to the little community. Lot Jenness became a permanent resi- dent and, in the inventory of 1833. William Jenness is also mentioned. Harley E. Jenness, grandson of Lot Jenness, has served the town in many official capacities, and is now (1887) chairman of the board of county com- missioners. Nathaniel Bickford acquired property and his descendants reside on the homestead. Edward Melcher came from Bartlett about 1820. Mr. Melcher is the only survivor of the discoverers of the Willey family after the great slide of 1826, and is a wonderfully preserved old man. Many others came, but did not become permanent settlers: they built rude dwellings, made a little clearing and wrung a portion of their meager sus- tenance from among the stumps, but this hard battle for existence soon discouraged them.

After Phineas Rosebrook, Jr., attained man's estate, he built and oper- ated starch mills, and this industry gave employment to some, and a mar- ket for their potatoes to others; in this and various ways the settlement gained, got a strong foot-hold, and Carroll to-day is a prosperous town.

Roads .- Col. Whipple owned most, if not all of the township, and he laid out from the "Ryefield " where the Twin Mountain House is. a bridle path to Jefferson. The first road was the Tenth New Hampshire Turnpike. The road to Bethlehem was very poor. A large amount of teaming (haul- ing pork) from Verniont to Portland was done about 1815 to 1820, and sometimes a hundred teams would pass in a day. John Guild. of Little- ton, Lot Woodbury, of Bethlehem, and Phineas Rosebrook. Sr., all keepers of small teamsters' hotels, took up a subscription in Vermont and Portland, and improved the highway by making a good road from sixteen to eighteen feet wide, taking out the stones and stumps, and turnpiking. This was about 1820.

Mills .- Col. Whipple built a saw and grist-mill on the Ammonoosuc falls very early. It was a cheap affair, with but one run of stones, and lasted only a few years. In 1826 Abel Crawford erected a saw-mill.

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CHAPTER XL.

First Town Record - Bretton Woods -- First Residents Inventory- Non-resident Land Owners - Highway Districts Established -School Money -- Early Births Recorded.

T THE first town record now in existence is a call for a town meeting, issued April 13, 1831, by Thomas Montgomery, justice of the peace of Whitefield, to whom application had been made for that purpose. This notified " the inhabitants of Breton Woods " and others interested, that a town meeting would be held at Asahel Wheeler's house, in said Breton Woods, on Saturday, the thirteenth" day of April, for the follow- ing purposes: First, to choose a moderator to govern said meeting; second, to choose a town clerk for the year ensuing; third, to choose selectmen and other necessary town officers.

Record of this town meeting .- Agreeably to the foregoing warrant the meeting was opened, and proceeded as follows: Chose John How moder- ator to govern said meeting; chose Thomas Smith town clerk, and being present took the oath prescribed by law; chose John How first selectman, chose Thomas Smith second selectman, chose John Perkins third select- man; chose Calvin White hog reeve. Attest Ebenezer Glines. town clerk of Carroll.

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History of Coos County, New Hampshire, Part 50

Author: Merrill, Georgia Drew Publication date: 1888 Publisher: Syracuse [N.Y.] : W. A. Fergusson Number of Pages: 1194

Author: Merrill, Georgia Drew
Publication date: 1888
Publisher: Syracuse [N.Y.] : W. A. Fergusson
Number of Pages: 1194