USA > New Hampshire > The Connecticut River Valley in southern Vermont and New Hampshire; historical sketches > Part 10
USA > Vermont > The Connecticut River Valley in southern Vermont and New Hampshire; historical sketches > Part 10
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were needed to open and close the locks below the grist- mill, and three men those at the 'Stone hole.'
"A large freight business was done for many years between Hartford, Conn., and Bellows Falls by boats that floated down with the current and came back by tug from Hartford to Springfield and from there sailing when the wind was favorable, and poling, or 'snubbing' the boat along when necessary.
"The two boats best known locally engaged in this business were owned here by Col. Asa Wentworth, Jr., of Bellows Falls, and Benjamin Smith of Cambridge- port and were run respectively by Captains Charles and Austin Davenport. The boats were seventy-two feet long, eleven and a half feet wide, and when loaded to their capacity of about thirty tons would draw only two to three feet of water. They were flat-bottomed boats, having a cabin at the stern, a mast in the centre, around which the freight was packed, and with a gunwale ex- tending around the entire boat. The main sail was about twenty feet square and was fastened in its centre, extending some feet each side of the boat. A top sail was about eight feet wide at its bottom, narrowing towards the top. In addition to these a third sail was placed above the top sail in very light winds.
"When the wind was not available as a motive power, the men used long stout poles in pushing the boats along. The man on each side would place one end of the pole firmly on the bottom of the river, and, with the other end against the shoulder, walk from bow to stern, seventy-two feet, thus propelling the boat. When work first began in the spring this caused the shoulders to become very sore, and later there would be callous places upon each shoulder as large as the hand.
"The boats carried down loads of freestone, shingles and other produce, bringing back heavy freight such as iron, sugar, molasses, grindstones, salt, etc., while a specialty was made of new rum during the last of June.
"Boats usually took three days on the downward trip, going as far as Northfield, Mass., the first day, from there
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to Springfield the second, and to Hartford on the third. It took much longer to come up the river, the time vary- ing with the wind. The round trip averaged about two weeks. The return trip from 'Miller's Mills,' as they were then called, at the mouth of Miller's river, was once made in a single night. I was on that boat, owned by Mr. Smith and run by Captain Austin Davenport. That night we got through the locks at Miller's behind the Wentworth boat run by Captain Charles Davenport. When the two boats got up as far as Northfield Farms, where we would tie up for the night under ordinary circumstances, Austin said, 'Boys, let's go on by Charles. Don't make any noise and we'll give him a surprise in the morning; I can steer.' So by the light of a full moon and with the aid of a strong south wind, we came along all night arriving at Bellows Falls about day-break. The next night, after getting our boat all unloaded, about dusk we saw Charles' boat coming round the bend south of the eddy. He certainly was surprised, to say nothing of being mad, at thus having the march stolen on him, as he had supposed all day that we were behind him.
"In leaving the canal at Bellows Falls, going down the river, considerable difficulty was often experienced in getting out of the eddy owing to the currents, which were very different from what they now are. I think the average amount of water in the river now is not over forty per cent of what it was in those days. A strong current came down from the falls in the main river, and striking through the middle of the eddy it divided at the lower end, eddying around, so that on both the Ver- mont and New Hampshire sides of the river the current near the shore actually set strongly up stream. The trouble was to get through this northerly current and into the main stream, especially if a strong south wind was blowing. Boats would often eddy around a number of times, going clear over to the New Hampshire side, often taking many hours before the current could be
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struck which would take them out of the eddy. To overcome this difficulty, a post was set in the river at the south end of the eddy and a rope passed through a pulley fastened to it. Old Seth Hapgood, who lived where Miss Ann Hapgood does now, kept a pair of oxen for the purpose of helping boats out of the trouble. He would ride as far into the river as possible on the 'nigh' ox and with the aid of the rope attached to the boat and passed through the pulley on the post, draw the boat out into the right current. It used to be a common saying among the rivermen that 'Old Seth Hapgood prayed every morning for a south wind so boatmen would have to employ him to get them out of the eddy.'
"Mr. Hapgood was also employed by the boatmen coming up the river, using his oxen attached to a long rope to draw the loaded boats over the swift water on the bar at the mouth of Saxtons river. Men now living tell of the competition between the boys of the village in their race to tell Mr. Hapgood of the appearance of boats headed up stream that he might be ready, and the old man never failed of rewarding the first informant with a few pennies.
"At Enfield just over the Connecticut line was a canal to avoid some rocky rapids in the river, and as they were not entirely impassable to boats some of the time, it was a practice to run south bound boats over the rapids, while north bound boats had to use the canal. This was done to save time as well as the canal tolls one way. Special pilots were used who knew the channel among the rocks, and the danger attending the passage led at one time to the formation of a company which, for a premium, would insure the safety of boats there, but I never heard of an accident. At several points, rapids and shoal places required an additional force of men. One of these places was the rapids opposite the village of Walpole and extra men were usually taken down from here to assist, who came back on foot. At some of these places men known as 'swift-water-men'
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were taken on to pilot the boats through those particular rapids. Below the locks and 'Severance Hotel' at Turners Falls was a sharp turn in the river, known as 'Honey Pot Eddy' where much trouble was often ex- perienced. Just this side of the ferry at Westmoreland was a peculiarly shaped rock known as 'Whales-back,' while just below Brattleboro were rocks known among the river-men as the 'Geese and Goslings.'
"At practically all points along the river where boats were supposed to stop, the country stores carried a stock of rum in addition to their other merchandise. There was a store building about where Granger block on Westminster Street now stands, the front door opening on Westminster Street and a flight of stairs leading down the back side to the canal. They sold rum in addition to dry goods and often disposed of a barrelful in one morning to the boatmen and raftsmen. This rum was made from distilled molasses and seldom caused drunk- eness or fighting. It was sold at twenty-five cents a gallon or three cents a tumbler (1%, pint). Brandy, gin and West India rum sold at five cents a glass, while whiskey was unknown. In spite of the large amounts of liquor consumed, there was not as much drunkenness as at the present time."
Mr. Howard remembered that among the several attempts to establish steamboat navigation there was a little steamer named the "William Hall" which came here from Hartford. It was too big to go through the locks and it was drawn around through the village by oxen and went up to Windsor. It was drawn back around the falls by oxen on its return trip, and was run for a short time between here and Hartford once a week, but it did not pay and in later years it was used as a tug on the lower part of the river. The records of the Connecticut Valley Steamboat Company show this boat as having
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been built at Hartford, Conn., in 1831, and as having been used as a tug below Springfield for many years. It was the boat upon which James Mulligan, late president of the Connecticut River Railroad, was engineer as a young man.
When shown a picture of a boat said to have been one used in that era, Mr. Howard said it was an exact representation of the boat on which he was employed, except that "my boat had a top mast and a top-s'l above the large square one shown in the picture."
The following article tells more about James Mulli- gan, and the disappointing trial trip of the "William Hall."
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JAMES MULLIGAN'S STEAMER ONCE TRAV. ELED THE STREETS OF BELLOWS FALLS
During the navigation of the Connecticut river by steam, a steamboat of large size was drawn through the streets of Bellows Falls, because the size of the locks was not large enough to allow it to pass in the water. An interesting fact connected with the episode was that it was the same steamer on which James Mulligan, whom every railroad official of 40 years ago knew as the president of the Connecticut River Railroad, began his transportation experiences as its engineer.
The steamer "William Hall," familiarly spoken of in those days as the "Bill Hall," was built in 1831, and early in its history it came to Bellows Falls as a trial trip, it being supposed it could pass the locks here and go farther north. It was intended to take its place regularly towing the flat boats of the river as far north as Barnet. It came up the river without trouble as far as here, but it was found that these locks were too small and it was decided to have it drawn around the falls from the lower landing to the upper landing at the head of the canal. This was accomplished by eight yoke of oxen and the event was often spoken of in later years. The route was up through Mill Street to the Square, and then through the entire length of Canal Street. It was set afloat again in the broad river above the north end of the canal.
After leaving Bellows Falls on her way north she was able to go as far north as Ottaquechee Falls near Hartland and the trip proved a failure. She came back a few days later and was again drawn through the
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Square to the lower landing, and never came as far north again. She was a stern wheel boat similar to those in use on the Mississippi river and was used many years below here for towing and passenger business.
In 1839 James Mulligan, as a boy of 20 years, became engineer on the steamer and used to talk interestingly in his later years of his experiences "on the Bill Hall." It was then used as a tow boat between Hartford and Williamansett. His boat would hitch on to five or six river scows, take them up to the rapids at Holyoke and then drop back to Hartford. It was a seven- or eight- hour trip up the river, but they could go back in half that time. They made two or three trips each week and Saturday nights they usually calculated to get up to Holyoke to stop over Sunday as the captain and fireman lived there in "Ireland Parish." They had a cook and lived on the boat. When the south wind blew, the river scows set their sails and made their own way up the river, the "Bill Hall" being used only when there were head winds or a calm.
Later Mr. Mulligan secured a place on the passenger boat "Phoenix" which ran between Hartford and Springfield. They left Hartford every morning at 8 o'clock and it was a four hours trip going against the current while the trip south starting at 2 o'clock took a little less than three hours. He ran on this boat until November, 1842, when he began work in the newly estab- lished Boston & Albany shops in Springfield. In the succeeding January he began his railroad experience as a freight engineer on that road, being promoted in 1848 to a passenger train between Springfield and Worcester. He became master mechanic of the Connecticut River
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Railroad in 1852, and his advances on that road were frequent until he served it many years as its president and general manager. All railroad men of his day between White River Junction and Springfield, Mass., knew him intimately.
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BELLOWS FALLS A NOTED FISHING GROUND- FISHING RIGHTS
The first business of any kind with which Bellows Falls is credited was that of fishing, for which it was widely known during the occupancy of the red man, and for many years by his successor, the white man. When the first settlers came the Indians were making a yearly pilgrimage to the falls of the Connecticut river here at the season when the salmon and shad were running up the stream. The traditions of their race indicated this had been done. The white men followed the same busi- ness at first, as an important part of the work of a few weeks in the spring of the year.
Because of the rush of the water through the rocky gorge here, the shad were never known to go above the falls, but both the shad and the salmon gathered in the eddy below the falls in great numbers, the water being literally alive with them. The salmon were able with great effort to get through into stiller water above. The building of the dam across the river in 1792 created a barrier for fish, and no fish-way was provided. Since then these varieties of fish have been practically un- known north of here.
In recent years pike have been the largest and best fish in this vicinity. There were no pike in the Con- necticut until about 1840, when they are supposed to have come here from "Plymouth Ponds" as then known, now known as Lakes Echo, Amherst and Rescue, they being a part of the Black river emptying into the Con- necticut in the town of Springfield. Some years earlier these ponds had been liberally stocked with them and
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protected by the state. A flood broke down the barriers and washed many of them down into the Connecticut.
Some of the best records of pike caught here are as follows: Dennis Mackesy of North Walpole caught one January 19, 1921, weighing just 20 lbs., about half way between the dam and the mouth of Williams river, near what is known as rock number three near the New Hamp- shire shore. He caught it through the ice, using a sucker about 5 inches long as bait. It was of the variety known as a "gray pike" and measured 47 inches in length. In September, 1841, one was caught at the foot of the locks just below the present unoccupied five-story coating mill, which weighed 183/4 pounds. The lucky fisherman was Henry Hills, then a local writing teacher here. Several years ago an elderly man gave the writer a graphic account of the capture which he witnessed. It could not be landed with the line and was shot with a pistol. A banquet of 20 business men of the village was held at the old Stage House, the hotel then standing where Hotel Windham now does, and the fish was served up in great style. About 1844 Hon. William Henry, then cashier of the Bellows Falls Bank, later a member of Congress from this district, caught one in the eddy below the mills weighing 17 pounds. He was one of the most noted fishermen of his day. Business at the bank was not then quite as extensive as now, and, although he was the sole employee of the bank, he would often of a summer day close the bank for an hour or two, posting on the door the information, "Down at the eddy, fishing."
Reliable rceord is available, with dates, of the catching here at various times of pike weighing all the
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way from 10 to the 20-pounder mentioned above, and it is probable "that there are as good ones now here as have ever been caught."
Before the dam was built across the river here, the operations of the Indians were confined mostly to a space of about two miles up the river. At that distance north the water began to be swift and had great velocity down as far as opposite the stone house now occupied by the family of James Hennessey on the Walpole side, where there is now a small eddy. These rapids were difficult of navigation before the dam was built, but two Indians would carry their light bark canoe to the head of these rapids, and launch it. One with his light paddle would sit in the stern and guide it through the devious channel in the current, while the other stood in the prow and drove his spear firmly into the backs of the great salmon, which, having worked hard in coming up thus far through the swift water below, were naturally somewhat spent, and thus not as wary as they would have been below the falls. The fishermen in this way went down the current as far as the Hennessey house, then pulled the canoe out and toted it back up stream to repeat the action hour after hour. In this way salmon weighing from 20 to 30 lbs. are said to have been secured.
An early picture of the toll bridge here shows a rope ladder let down from the bridge with an Indian in a rude chair spearing passing salmon.
The first settlers held what was termed "fishing rights" in different advantageous places in the river as far north as here, and suits at law have been in some instances successful within a few years at different points in Massachusetts, based upon the old fishing rights held
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by families since the very earliest residence of the white man. In the eddy below Bellows Falls a number of old residents remember the remains of the old "cheval de frieze" as it was termed, erected by those who claimed the first rights here, to assist in the drawing of the large shad nets. The structure was located about two-thirds of the distance from the mouth of Saxtons river to the lower end of the falls, a little east of the center of the river almost directly opposite the north end of the Liberty Paper Company's manufactory. It was built up of logs about thirty feet square and at ordinary water arose about four feet above the surface. It was filled with heavy stones and in general appearance looked like the log cribs above the dam, except that it had a large post set strongly in the center rising about six or eight feet into the air. This was used for a wind- lass upon which to wind the ropes of the large shad nets. The stones of this structure have been seen within a few years when the water was extremely low, but it is said the logs were drawn away one year upon the ice after the disappearance of the shad in this vicinity rendered the contrivance of no further value.
The most abundant fish here in early times were the salmon and the shad. The former could pass the rapid waters of the falls, while it is said the shad were never seen above them. Annually in the months of April and May these two species set out from their ocean winter home for the head waters of the Connecti- cut and its tributaries. They came as far as these falls in great numbers, and as even the salmon could not ascend higher except with the water at a medium height, they gathered in great numbers below the falls, extend-
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ing some distance below the eddy so plentifully that it was said: "It seemed as though a person could almost walk across upon their backs, at least the water was perfectly black with them."
The shad nets were often nearly half a mile long, and from 8 to 20 feet deep. To each end of the net was attached a long rope, as long or longer than the net itself. The net would be taken up the river upon one side, the length of the rope, then striking out into the stream the fishermen would row across paying out the net, then return to the cheval-de-frieze with the other end of the rope and wind up the long ropes by means of the windlass, as rapidly as possible, drawing the net over a large space of the "Great Eddy," which in those days was much larger than in recent years. Shad in great numbers were caught in this way. Drawing nets in this manner was continued later farther south than this point, and one record in the river shows over 2,000 shad taken at a single drawing of the net.
On the top of the large rock in the river at the lower end of the falls, known as "The Nine Holes." was a drill hole put there by an owner of fishing rights to draw the nets from, and an early deed refers to "the rock with a drill hole used by the shad fishermen." This is the large rock out in the river which now divides the main channel of the river from the race-way of the power plant.
The traditions of the red men when first the pale- faced settlers came here, were to the effect that the repu- tation of the "Great Falls" had been known to them generations earlier, and that at certain seasons of the year pilgrimages were made from distant points by
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parties of red men to secure generous supplies of a necessary article of food. The first settlers also depended largely upon the river to supply their food a portion of the year, one of the earliest historians stating that fish- ing was one of the principal industries of the first settlers of Rockingham.
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THE CHRISTENING OF MOUNT KILBURN IN 1857 BY AMHERST, MIDDLEBURY AND DART- MOUTH COLLEGES
The mass of rock which rises abruptly from the east bank of the Connecticut at Bellows Falls was early known as "Falls Mountain," later, "Fall Mountain," and it was not until Tuesday, September 23, 1856, that it received its present name, "Mount Kilburn."
The class of '57 of Amherst College, to the number of twenty-nine, came here on the noon train of that day, and early in the afternoon were joined by fifteen members of the class of '57 of Middlebury College, and five or six seniors from Dartmouth. All were guests of the Amherst class, which had inaugurated the movement and were the principals in the exercises, aided by Dr. Stearn, president of Amherst, and the elder Dr. Hitch- cock, also of Amherst, one of the most noted geologists of that time. An invitation had been extended to the senior class of Dartmouth to be present also as guests of Amherst, but President Lord had declined to accept.
After dinner at the Island house, the Bellows Falls band headed a procession consisting of the students and a number of local invited guests which marched across the river and to the top of the mountain, Professor Hitch- cock calling the attention of those present to certain in- teresting geological formations during the ascent. After reaching the summit and admiring the beautiful view of the valley from that point, a selection was rendered by the band, and Dr. Stearn in a few words stated the object of the gathering and introduced J. H. Boalt, a member of the Amherst class, as the orator chosen to
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perform the christening rites. Mr. Boalt began speak- ing from a granite platform, when he was accosted by a student purporting to be a New Hampshire man, who objected to the naming of the mountain by those from Massachusetts, giving his reasons therefor. He was followed by another student representing the Vermont people, who gave reasons why such an act as the christ- ening of the mountain should not be done without due regard to Vermonters.
Another in the garb of the Irishman, and imitating well his brogue, expressed great indignation that they should think of "takin' way his mountin." He had squatted on it and the "praste" had told him that this was a free country and that whoever squatted on any part of it could claim it as his own. Being told that the "praste" had given his consent, Patrick waives his claim and tells them "to take the mountin and along wid ye." D. H. Rogan of the Amherst class represented Texas' objections to the ceremony, closing his speech with a tribute to the red man.
I. C. Clapp, also of the class, here came forward clothed from head to foot in Indian costume, represent- ing himself to be the only survivor of a numerous tribe that once roved over these hills and valleys. In a simple and interesting manner he recounted the traditions of his tribe, pointed out their various haunts as seen from the mountain, and in tones of sadness pictured the wrongs that they had suffered at the hands of the pale- face. Appealing to the sympathies of his auditors, he asked if it was not his right to affix a name to this moun- tain, once the free hunting ground of his tribe. All cried out, "Yes, yes, yes, it is the red man's right."
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He only asked that they "give no Indian name to this mountain, for it will only serve to keep in remembrance the wronged red man; soon I shall go where my tribe has already gone, to the land of the Great Spirit; then may we be forgotten."
Mr. Boalt was then allowed to continue his christen- ing oration. This was followed by the class uniting in singing a song "The Titan's Workshop." President Stearn introduced E. G. Cobb of the class, who delivered a second oration, after which A. L. Frisbee, also of the class, was introduced as the poet of the day. After his poem was recited, the exercises on the mountain were terminated by the concluding blessing and invocation for the future pronounced by Dr. Hitchcock in a very impressive manner, as told by those present.
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