USA > New Hampshire > Coos County > Incidents in White Mountain history, third > Part 11
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22
149
INCIDENTS IN WHITE MOUNTAIN HISTORY.
the mountains. For deep tragic interest this holds a place next in order to the great Notch disaster itself.
A little to the east of Rocky Branch river is another, called Ellis river, running about in the same direction from the White Mountains and emptying likewise into the Saco. This, in its general character, is very much like the preceding, rapid in its current, and very much affected in its rising by heavy rains. On the same night in which the incident oc- curred we have just recited, another took place on this river, showing the sudden and high rise of water on all the streams among the mountains at that time. Near its course up in Jackson, through which it flows on its way to Bartlett from its origin in the mountains, a man had a yard, into which he had collected some colts, to keep through the night. During that night, the river, rising near the yard, rose so high, that, flowing over its banks, it swept all the colts out of it, and carried some of them a longer distance down its current, and some a shorter one. They were all destroyed, however ; some of their bodies, mangled by the rocks and roots lying along in the rough bed of the stream, went down as far as Bartlett, a distance of miles.
Bartlett was originally granted to William Stark, Vere Royce, and others, in consideration of services rendered by them during the French and Indian war in Canada. Capt. Stark immediately divided up his grant into lots, offering large tracts to any one who would settle on them. Two brothers Emery, and one Harriman, were among the first who located themselves permanently in the town. Settle- nents had been commenced at this time in most of the towns surrounding the mountains. In 1777, but a few years suc- ceeding the Emerys, Daniel Fox, Paul Jilly and Capt. Samuel Willey, from Lee, made a settlement in Upper Bart-
13*
150
INCIDENTS IN WHITE MOUNTAIN HISTORY.
lett, north of those already located. They commenced their settlement with misfortunes as well as hardships. Their horses, which they had brought with them, dissatisfied with the rich grazing land on the Saco, started for their former home in Lee. As it afterwards appeared, instead of following the Saco in all its turnings and windings, as the settlers did, the horses struck directly across the mountains to the south. On the first mountain they separated, some going further to the east and others to the west. This was all learned long after the loss. Diligent search was made at the time, but to no purpose. In the spring following the disappearance of the horses, some dogs brought into the settlement the legs and other parts of a horse. Suspecting that they might be parts of those they had lost, they followed the track of the dogs, and only about sixty rods from the settlement came upon the carcass of one. The horse had evidently been dead but a few weeks. He had sustained himself, it appeared, during the winter on browse, being protected from the cold by those immense snow-caverns which are frequently formed on the mountains. The snow had formed an entire roof over the tops of the thickly-matted trees, leaving the space beneath completely free and hollow. In one of these snow-houses the horse had lived all the winter. Flocks of sheep have been known to be protected so from the cold, coming out healthy and in good condition in the spring.
Most amusing stories are told of these brothers Emery. Enoch and Humphrey were their names, the mention of which, to this day, will provoke a smile. In their general characteristics they differed almost as much as it is possible for two individuals to differ. Enoch was frank, open, gen- erous and manly in his nature, while Humphrey was sullen, obstinate and contrary. Humphrey had been haying. He
151
INCIDENTS IN WHITE MOUNTAIN HISTORY.
was returning at the close of the day to his house with a large load, which he was drawing with a small yoke of oxen. On his way was a sharp, steep hill, which he was much afraid his oxen would be unable to surmount with the load. He was much worried, and it was with considerable anxiety that he reached the foot of the hill. Here he accidentally was met by one of his neighbors. He had not time to tell him his fears before his neighbor had already said, "Mr. Emery, your cattle will hardly be able to haul that load up this hill, will they ?" This instantly roused Humphrey's opposition. Always differing, he could do no less than differ now. Not raising his head, he replied, in his sullen, dogged tone, " They shall do it; " and, plunging the brad into his poor oxen, made good his word.
Though differing so much from each other in their disposi- tions, these brothers were uniformly kind and attached to each other. They accommodated themselves to their several pecu- liarities, agreeing in all things to agree and disagree. The expedients of Enoch to manage Humphrey were many and ingenious.
In the depth of winter, once, both these brothers, living near each other, went into the woods to get out some timber. The cold was very intense, and, before they could get fairly to work, so as to warm themselves, Humphrey became very much chilled. Enoch felt the cold, but not so severely. He realized, however, that he needed a fire, and perceived that Humphrey needed it more than himself. The first thing for them, therefore, was a fire. Having fire-works with him, and being most active at the time, Enoch set himself to kindle one. But his fire-works did not work well. He failed to get from them, as soon as he expected, what he sought ; and see- ing Humphrey sinking under the cold, and fearing to con-
152
INCIDENTS IN WHITE MOUNTAIN HISTORY.
sume any more time in trials upon them, lest Humphrey should perish before he succeeded, he resolved on some other expedient to warm him. He made appliance to his temper, which he knew to be generally quick and irritable. But this failed for some time, owing to Humphrey's being so benumbed with the cold. At length, however, he succeeded. He was roused. Then all that concerned Enoch was to keep out of his way. They ran over bushes and stumps and logs till they both dripped with perspiration.
Hon. John Pendexter came into this town, from Ports- mouth, at an early period of its history, and planted himself down on the southern part of it bordering Conway. Here he spent the rest of his life, living to the advanced age of eighty- three years.
He, together with his wife, made their way to this spot through many hardships, and endured many after they ar- rived at it. They came a distance of eighty miles in winter, she riding on an old, feeble horse, with a feather-bed under her, a child in her arms, and he by her side, hauling his household furniture on a hand-sled. Nor was it a well-pre- pared home to which they came in this way, - a warm, neat house and cultivated lands,- but a forest mainly, and a rude cabin. These were all they had to cheer them on the way, besides some warm hearts already living near the place of their destination ; such as they knew would greet their coming. And these were enough. Cheered on by them, at length they attained the end of their course, husband and father, wife and child. And here it may be remarked, that this child was cradled in a sap-trough, and ultimately became the mother to a class of sons and a daughter, all of whom dc honor to their parentage ; but one, especially, is a man very distinguished for talent and enterprise.
153
INCIDENTS IN WHITE MOUNTAIN HISTORY.
Under the labor of these hardy pioneers, the wilderness around them soon gave place to fruitful fields ; and the rude cabin was exchanged for a nice, well-proportioned dwelling- house.
Mr. Pendexter was a plain, earnest man, and for years was especially useful, in the region where he lived, as a car- penter. We have often seen him, with crews of men around him, in different places, engaged in preparing frames for the rearing; he, with dividers and rule in hand, marking the work for them, and they executing it with mallet and chisel and auger.
We have seen him often, too, when this preparatory work was done, and the frame was ready for raising, acting as master in the enterprise. There he stood, in his cherished element of life. "Men," said he, at the proper time, "are you ready, all ready ?" "Yes," the response would be, " all ready." "Well, then, take her up, take her up, I say - bravely, bravely ! There she goes, there she goes ! Now man those spy-shoves well ! Stand to your pick-poles firm ! There she goes ! there she goes ! It's well done ! well done ! Look out for the feet of those posts there - see that they are entered in their places. There she goes again ! Steady, now, steady, boys - steady ! She is most up. Don't throw her over! Steady, boys, steady ! steady ! steady ! there she is. All done. Now fasten her there, and make her sure."
Mrs. Pendexter, as we have seen, was the worthy help- meet of such a man as he, braving the hardships of an emi- grating life, and doing all in her power to make the home of his selection a retreat of quietude and plenty. She lived to a very advanced age - ninety-two years. Having known her well in our youth, but not having seen her for some twenty years or more, we made a friendly call upon her at a certain
154
INCIDENTS IN WHITE MOUNTAIN HISTORY.
time. She was then near her end, as it proved, confined to her bed. As we approached her, in company with her youngest son, who stood at my side, he, perceiving that she did not know me, as he suspected from the beginning she would not, said : " This is Mr. Willey, mother, who has come
to see you."
" Mr. Willey !" she replied, " I don't know
who that is."' " It is Mr. Willey," said he again, " the minister. Don't you know him ?" "Why, no," she re- plied once more, leisurely, "I don't know him," keeping her eye on me all the while. "You know his father well," said he again, " Esq. Samuel Willey. This is his son, that is a
minister." Still she didn't know me, she said. Then, tak- ing the right conception, he said : "Mother, this is Ben Willey, come to see you. You knew him once, when he and his sister Hannah used to come and play with Patty and me. This broke the spell. Inclining her head to me, and pressing my hand still in hers, where it had been from the beginning of the interview, she said, with an expression of face we shall never forget : " O, yes, now I know him ! How glad I am to see you once more !" Her age, for a moment, seemed to be renewed. That appellation, "Ben Willey," by which we were often spoken of familiarly in our youth, was a ray of light, playing with thrilling effect across her mind, and carrying it along back, over the scenes of her long, eventful existence, to earlier times.
Dover was the nearest market at this time; and thither the settlers were obliged to go for all provisions and necessaries not raised on their farms. In winter the journey was more casily accomplished than in summer. With snow-shoes and a hand-sled it was not esteemed a very hard task. In sum- mer, however, it was exceedingly difficult and tiresome. Rude boats were usually dug out from trees, large enough to
155
INCIDENTS IN WHITE MOUNTAIN HISTORY.
hold several hundred weight, and then substituted, at this season of the year, for sleds. The many falls and rapids of the Saco made this anything but easy. The heavy boat, heavily ladened, had to be carried around each rapid and fall; and, in the stillest water, managed with much skill, to keep from the many rocks and snags.
Frequently, during their absence, the river would rise to such a height as to be entirely impassable for days. The poor wives and children were once obliged to live on seven pota- toes a day, for many days, until the river fell, and their hus- bands could cross.
Most of the living of the early settlers was the game which they captured. Deers and bears, and other smaller animals, were almost as common in those times as squirrels now. But little powder was used, it being too costly, and difficultly obtained. Traps and snares, of many devices and shapes, were used in its stead. A description of some of the more common may not be uninteresting, as illustrating the ingenuity of our fathers. Large steel traps were used by those who could afford them; but a majority of the settlers were too poor. The most common was a trap constructed of logs, on the prin- ciple of the common box-trap for catching mice and squirrels. A small log-house is first constructed, complete, with the exception of one end. A log door is then fashioned exactly to this end, and made to play up and down in grooves cut in the logs. Through the opposite end to the door is placed a long pole, having the bait on its inner end, and holding by its outer end the long pole which runs over the house, and raises the door. All baited, it is left for its prey. The hun- gry bear, suspecting evil, advances and retreats many times ere he ventures to enter. At length, after due amount of smelling and growling, his appetite overcomes his prudence,
156
INCIDENTS IN WHITE MOUNTAIN HISTORY.
and cautiously, at first very cautiously, he puts his head inside the door. He is not perfectly certain, yet, that there is no danger, and would like to get the bait without exposing more of his body ; but he cannot do it; and, after reaching and stretching till out of patience, he determines to substitute speed for caution, and dashes at the bait with all his might. The fierceness with which he seizes the meat shakes the two poles from their fastenings ; and down comes the door, leav- ing old bruin to lament his folly.
Another contrivance is to build a house in the same man- ner as the preceding, with like walls and covering. But, instead of such a door as there used, take timbers so small that they will bend, especially at one end; or, if large timbers are deemed best, hew them down so that they will yield to pressure at one end ; place these in the ends of the house, in such a way that the elastic ends will approach each other somewhat, giving them, when all put up, a tunnel shape; the end of those outside farthest apart, and those within the house nearer together. Thus constructed, with bait put far into the house, the bear will press into the tun- nel, the elastic ends of it yielding to the pressure of his body, and obtain the bait and the inside of the house. But now he has gone too far to retreat ; the elastic ends of the timbers coming to their natural position, after the pressure of his body is taken from them, he is forbidden to return.
Another mode still for catching him was by means of a trap called the figure four. Put together large timbers, by passing over them other smaller transverse timbers, and fasten them together so as to make a large door, heavy enough to crush a bear. Put under the door, one side of it, a piece of timber answering to the diagonal in the Arabic figure four. Then add another, adjusted to this diagonal by a groove, and
157
INCIDENTS IN WHITE MOUNTAIN HISTORY.
an edge on one of them, that answers to the horizontal part of such figure ; then another, adjusted to both the diagonal and horizontal timbers, by a groove, an edge, and what are called gains, answering to the perpendicular line in such fig- ure. Now put all these together, and you have a prop for the door we have named. When the door is placed on such a prop for use, put on the end of the horizontal timber that goes under the door the bait for the bear. Thus arranged, when the bear shall take hold of the bait to eat it, he must stand under the door, and, in devouring the bait, he must necessarily disarrange the figure, and bring the covering over him down upon his back.
In the south-east of this town, lying partly within its bounds and partly in Chatham, rises up one of those huge mountain piles, standing upon the outskirts of the White Mountains, and guarding, as it were, the approach to the central cluster. Pequawket Mountain is a wonder of itself; and, separated from all its companions, is worthy of a jour- ney of many hundred miles. It rises up, in the form of a pyramid, or perhaps more cone-like, over three thousand feet, its southern sides, from base to summit, all visible to the beholder. The many surrounding mountains stand out from it on its lower sides, leaving it an isolated cone, tower- ing up in all its majesty, and revealing its huge bulk in all its gigantic proportions. From the south it is seen nearly as soon as Mount Washington, and the view from its summit is quite as extensive, and much more satisfactory. A large hotel is built upon its highest point, and the cupola, covered with tin, is distinctly seen a distance of thirty or forty miles, glistening in the rays of the sun.
Game was very plenty in former days around the base of this mountain, and even to this day can be found here if
.14
158
INCIDENTS IN WHITE MOUNTAIN HISTORY.
anywhere. If one has the courage to explore the almost im- penetrable swamps around its base, he cannot fail to find fine shooting and fishing. The many little hidden ponds are the favorite resort of multitudes of wild fowl in their season, and every secluded brook is overflowing with trout. Bears are occasionally seen upon its sides, or in its ravines and valleys, but are very timid and shy.
Berries are very plenty, of all kinds, upon its sides, and, in their season, it is the resort of the inhabitants for many miles around. A most exciting scene occurred once, to our own knowledge, during one of these berrying excursions. It was in the season of blueberries, and a large party had gone out, and among them a young lady, a member of my own family. The party had wandered far up on the mountain, where the growth was scantier and smaller. In the crevices amidst the rocks, and in the little, secluded nooks, lying under the vast piles of rocks and earth, the ber- ries were very large and thick. The party had become much scattered, each selecting his own place of picking, and designing to come together again at a spring further down on the mountain. The young lady I have before mentioned had wandered away entirely alone. On one of those big moss plats so common, under the lee of an overhanging cliff, she found the berries uncommonly thick and large, and, sus- pecting no danger, sat down, and, in her eagerness to gather the whole, commenced a most rapid picking. How long she thus remained she does not remember ; but, suddenly feel- ing something move in her apron, she looked, and in her lap was coiled up a monster rattlesnake ! The spiral form was already assumed, and, with head erect, almost at her very throat, he already was vibrating his huge body, and commencing his fatal rattle. Springing, with a piercing shriek
159
INCIDENTS IN WHITE MOUNTAIN HISTORY.
as she perceived her danger, she threw him many feet from her, and fell, unconscious, to the ground. The cry brought others immediately to her assistance, and, more dead than alive, she was led from the spot which had been so near witnessing her death.
In Upper Bartlett, near the old "Hall Stand," so well known to travellers, stands a neat little building, known as the " Chapel of the Hills." Its conception and erection has in it much of interest. A party of Boston people, tired of the dust and heat of the city, sought relief up among the mountains of New Hampshire. While stopping at the "Old Crawford House," daily becoming more and more impressed with the wonderful works of God around them, and feeling their hearts drawn out more, each day, in adoration to so great a Being, suddenly the thought occurred to them, What is the religious condition of these people around whose habi- tations God has so displayed his power and might? On in- quiring, they learned that much might yet be done to advance their religious interests. An article was prepared by one of the party, on the subject, for the Christian Witness, of Boston, which met the eye of Mrs. Snow, a warm friend of the American Sabbath School Union, and, as special attention had been called to the children of the mountains, she offered two hundred dollars to aid in building a Sabbath School Chapel at some cligible point high up the valley of the Saco.
Rev. Mr. Souther, an agent of the Union, and an earnest and efficient laborer in the cause of Sabbath Schools, immediately made known the offer to the people of Upper Bartlett, and urged upon them the importance of its acceptance and their active cooperation. He labored with much zeal to stimulate them to raise the amount necessary to build such a building, and soon saw his labors blessed in the erection of a neat house
160
INCIDENTS IN WHITE MOUNTAIN HISTORY.
of worship, every way adapted to their wants, and which, in its style, finish and appointments, is exceedingly creditable to their public spirit.
Mrs. Snow died two or three months before the chapel was completed. Her last act was to direct the payment of fifty dollars, completing her appropriation ; thereby showing how much her heart was enlisted in the matter. "But, though dead, she yet speaketh." Eloquently she is yet speaking to those who visit these hills not to forget the spiritual wants of the dwellers among these mountains. Elo- quently she is yet pleading with those inhabitants themselves to prize highly the privilege which they already enjoy, and to be ever ready for that glorious voice :
" Sink down, ye mountains ; and ye valleys, rise! With heads declined, ye cedars, homage pay! Be smooth, ye rocks ; ye rapid floods, give way! The Saviour comes ! "
And to the one who may minister within the walls of this little chapel she appeals most earnestly :
" To the young, in season vernal, Jesus in his grace disclose ; As the tree of life eternal, 'Neath whose shade they may repose, Shielded from the noontide ray, And from evening's tribes of prey ; And refreshed with fruit of love, And with music from above."
The account of the dedication of this chapel we give in Mr. Souther's own words :
" The dedication took place Jan. 21, 1854. Some ten
161
INCIDENTS IN WHITE MOUNTAIN HISTORY.
days previous, a missive reached me, so remarkable for its brevity and explicitness, that I transcribe it:
' BARTLETT, Jun. 7, 1854.
' To the REV. SAM. SOUTHER :
' Our house is done, and we are going to dedicate it two weeks from this day, and we want you to attend, without fail.
' Yours, truly, ''SPENSER KENISON.'
"The twentieth was stormy. Leaving home in the midst of the whirling snow, it seemed exceedingly doubtful whether I should be able, the next day, to make my way up our snowy valley in season for the dedication services. The ministers expected to lead in the exercises failed ; and when I reached the house, at about eleven, a crowded congregation was anxiously awaiting what turn affairs would take. Though taken thus unawares, I could not hesitate, when pressed into the novel service of preaching the dedication sermon. Ps. 122 : 1-'I was glad when they said unto me, let us go into the house of the Lord' -furnished an appropriate expres- sion of my feelings, in being called to aid in setting apart this humble edifice to the worship of God, and it was a joyful occasion.
"There, at the foot of the dark gorge from which the Indian recoiled in terror as the abode of the Great Spirit, we had met to seek the presence of the God we worshipped, and to ask him to make His dwelling-place with us in the house we had built.
" Among these frowning heights around and above us, He had often manifested himself in the tempest and the fire. We asked that in the house we now consecrated to the min- istrations of the word, He would come often by the still,
14*
162
INCIDENTS IN WHITE MOUNTAIN HISTORY.
small voice, that convinces of sin, and leadeth to repentance and faith in Jesus.
"The fact was not forgotten that the chapel owed its exist- ence to the affectionate interest of a pious heart, in the religious instruction of children, and we left it in charge of the dwell- ers among the mountains, as the gathering point, on God's holy day, not only for themselves, but their children and their children's children through successive generations."
CHAPTER XII.
JACKSON.
THE VALLEYS OF THE MOUNTAINS. - THE DIRECTIONS IN WHICH THEY RUN. - MOOSE POND. - MOOSE BATHING. - MOOSE. - THE CONWAY HUNTER. - THE LEAP OF A MOOSE OVER A HORSE AND SLEIGH. - EAGLE LEDGE. - MINERAL RESOURCES. - GENERAL FEATURES OF JACKSON. - BENJAMIN COPP. - HIS ENDURANCE. - MR. PINKHAM'S ACCOUNT OF HIS FIRST EN- TRANCE INTO JACKSON. - THE HOG. - THE HOUSE. - SCARCITY OF SALT. -INCIDENT OF CAPTAIN VERE ROYCE. - TORNADO. - EXPEDIENT TO SAVE CHILDREN. - BEAR STORY. - FREEWILL BAPTIST SOCIETY. - ELDER DANIEL ELKINS.
" Princes and lords may flourish, or may fade ; * * * *
But a bold peasantry, their country's pride, When once destroyed, can never be supplied."
LIKE streets in some vast city, the high walls on either hand so completely overshadowing them that the sun but peeps into them in his course, and is gone ; so the valleys run round among the many spurs and ranges of these mountains, into the vast depths of many of which he penetrates not deep enough to melt away the winter's snow. Most of the snow in the lowest ravines, it is said, is carried away by the little streams which run through them. These thaw out in
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.