USA > New Hampshire > The Connecticut River Valley in southern Vermont and New Hampshire; historical sketches > Part 3
USA > Vermont > The Connecticut River Valley in southern Vermont and New Hampshire; historical sketches > Part 3
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The Connecticut River Valley
He studied theology at Hartford for a short time and then shipped for Gibraltar, where he enlisted in the British army, was released later, came to America, and next is found traveling on foot in England, both hungry and scant of raiment. He was with Capt. Cook as a corporal of marines on his third voyage around the world, and was with him when he was attacked and killed by the savages. He later published a book giving an account of the voyage.
He was characterized as "the famous Dartmouth traveler," achieving fame all over the world. When about to cross Africa he died in Egypt in the city of Cairo in 1789.
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Southern Vermont and New Hampshire
CANALS OF THE CONNECTICUT RIVER AT HARTLAND AND WILDER
In the improvement of the Connecticut river for navigation purposes, a little over a century and a quarter ago, there were two canals built north of Bellows Falls, but of much less importance than the one here. This was chartered by the Vermont legislature in 1791, the first of any canal in this country to be built for navi- gation purposes. The other two were at Hartland and at Wilder.
The falls near Hartland, which were thus overcome, are located just above that railroad station and behind a hill so that few people have in late years known any- thing of them. For many years past the locality has been known as "Sumner's Falls." The charter was granted by the Vermont legislature October 22, 1794, under the cumbersome name of "Company for Rendering Connecticut River Navigable by Water-Quechee Falls." The New Hampshire charter was dated in December, 1796. The Vermont charter was granted to Perez Gallup, a prominent farmer of Hartland, who owned the farm contiguous to the falls. This canal was very short, the two locks being at the Vermont end of the dam and the fall of the river at that point was but twelve feet. Re- mains of a portion of the dam could be seen until very recently. The New Hampshire charter named Joseph Kimball with Mr. Gallup, but Mr. Gallup was the sole owner and manager, controlling all matters pertaining to the canal until March, 1805, when he sold an eighth inter- est each to David Fuller and Abner Mack of Gilsum, N. H., Leonard Pulsipher of Plainsfield, N. H., and Oliver
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The Connecticut River Valley
Gallup, Elias Gallup and Hugh Campbell of Hartland. These parties completed the canal and operated it some years, when it passed into the hands of David H. Sum- ner, or at least was managed by him.
The charters of the canal were similar in their terms to that of the Bellows Falls canal, except the price named for tolls was upon a basis of "eighteen pence per ton of freight." The charter granted by New Hampshire named the following: "For each boat loaded or not loaded, five cents per ton according to the weight of goods it will carry; for every ton of goods, wares and merchandise not exceeding five tons, ten cents ; for every additional ton above five, six cents; and each thousand of clapboards eight cents; shingles, two cents; boards, twelve cents, and each ton of timber, six cents.
In addition to managing the locks, Mr. Sumner erected an extensive lumber mill and for many years he was the largest dealer in lumber in this section of New England, owning at one time over 6000 acres of wood- land in Vermont and New Hampshire. He also had an extensive lumber yard in one of the Connecticut cities located on the river, to which he sent large amounts of dressed lumber by rafts, employing a large force of river- men to drive it down. He died in 1868 at the age of 90 years.
The mills and the locks were carried away for the second time in 1856, and from that time the place has been entirely deserted except as a resort for picnic parties. In August, 1881, all water rights and lands in its vicinity were purchased by Daniel H., John C. and Moses Newton of Holyoke, Mass. After these men had expended large sums in arranging the foundations of
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Southern Vermont and New Hampshire
an extensive paper industry, the Ottauquechee Woolen Company, located at North Hartland and having water rights near the mouth of the river of that name, enjoined the Newtons from rebuilding the dam. After litigation the injunction was dissolved, but in the interim the Newtons had located their extensive works at Readsboro and Wilmington on the Deerfield river, and the expecta- tions of the Hartland location being utilized by them vanished. July 31, 1886, all power rights on the Con- necticut at that point were sold to the late Hon. William A. Russell of Lawrence, Mass., who had 16 years earlier purchased the water rights at Bellows Falls and was busily engaged in building up his extensive mills here. It is understood that as a part of his estate the title at Hartland went to the International Paper Company, and, like the Bellows Falls plant, may sometime be utilized as a part of the New England Power system now being developed at various points on the Connecticut and Deerfield rivers.
During the years of the navigation of the river by flat boats and steamers, the Hartland landing for freight and passengers was always known as "Short's Landing," and was located below the locks only a few rods east of the present Central Vermont railroad station, but not in sight from it.
The most northerly of the chain of canals along the Connecticut river, making possible for over 50 years the passage of freight boats as far north as McIndoes Falls in Barnet, was the one at Wilder. It was chartered by the Vermont legislature October 21, 1796, under the name of "The Proprietors of White River Falls Bridge," giving rights to build both the canal and the bridge.
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The Connecticut River Valley
The canal was to be built two miles north of the mouth of White river, and the bridge across the Connecticut at what is now White River Junction. The bridge was to be completed in four years and the canal in seven, which was done. The incorporators were Ebenezer Brewster and Rufus Graves of Hanover and Aaron Hutchinson of Lebanon, N. H.
There were two separate canals, with locks in each, and with but a few rods between them. They were used but little after the Passumpsic railroad was built in 1852, and a few years later the dam was carried away by a freshet. From that time until about 1880 the locks and power were in disuse and falling to decay, visited only by picnic parties. Since then the power has been utilized by the paper and pulp mills of the International Paper Company, and a village of about 2,000 inhabitants has grown up about them. These mills were in 1928 closed down, probably permanently, the same as the previous year had been done at Bellows Falls, with the prospect that the fall in the river will be turned later to generat- ing electrical power for distribution throughout New England.
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Southern Vermont and New Hampshire
EXPERIENCES OF A CONNECTICUT RIVER RAFTING GANG WITH 18 RAFTS IN 1854
The present changes being made in the Bellows Falls canal, redeveloping it for electrical transmission, makes any early experiences of its use of particular importance and interest.
More than 25 years ago the following story of actual experiences with a rafting gang passing here were told to the writer by C. W. Bliss, then a well-known mer- chant of West Fairlee, Vt. In May of 1854, when a boy of 18, he made a trip down the Connecticut river in the capacity of cook for the raftsmen. He said :-
"The lumber was round logs cut sixty feet long. They were fastened together by two-inch planks at each end and in the middle of each log. Through these planks a wooden pin was driven into each log, making a solid mass about twelve feet wide and sixty long, which was called, in the river parlance, a 'box.' From the end of the planks, at each corner of the box, a stout hard wood pin stuck up fifteen inches or more, against which were braced oars for propelling and guiding the box, and over which could be placed short planks with holes in them, thus yoking the boxes securely together. Two boxes, side by side, and three in length, six in all, con- stituted a 'raft' or 'division,' and it was in this form that the trip down the river was made, except when it was necessary to 'break up the rafts' into boxes in order to pass through the different canals.
"There were eighteen rafts in our lot and we had eighteen men. It took two men to navigate each raft with rough oars at opposite corners and so the practice was for the men to take nine rafts as far down the river as possible and make connections with a north bound passenger train; then go back and bring the other nine
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The Connecticut River Valley
down. A rough board shanty nearly covered one box. One end was used as dining room and kitchen, the other for sleeping purposes. An old elevated-oven stove was used in cooking. In the sleeping end, a liberal quantity of straw was thrown loosely on the logs on which the men slept with their clothes on. They lay in two rows with heads towards the sides of the raft and feet in the middle. I bought at different points white bread and I made brown bread, cooked potatoes, beans, tea and coffee. These constituted the whole bill of fare. The men were always sure to reach the raft on which was the shanty at meal time and at night. The rafts, when left at night, or at other times, were tied to trees on the shore.
"The lumber in the raft on which I shipped, was owned by an old man named Richardson from Orford, N. H., who accompanied us by train, coming aboard frequently. It came from much farther north than Orford and was to go to Holyoke, but not making a sale of it there, it was taken along to Middletown, Conn. I joined the party at the locks at what is now Wilder, just north of White River Junction, and left it at Hol- yoke, having hired out only to go this distance, and hav- ing become tired of it. It took three weeks and four days between those two points. My pay was $1 per day while the regular men had $1.50. One 'pilot' was among the men, who knew the channel of the river at all points, and he received $3 per day. An additional pilot was taken on at two different points, one called the 'Geese' and the other 'The Tunnel,' on account of the swiftness of the water and the dangerous rocks at both places. The pilots or 'swift-water men,' at each place knew the rocks perfectly and they took the head of the first raft, guid- ing that, the rest following in exactly the same course. "When the rafts reached Bellows Falls, it took the men three days to break them up and get the one hundred and eight boxes through the locks and put them together again. One of these days was Sunday, but the river-men always had to work on Sunday the same as on other days.
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Southern Vermont and New Hampshire
That day, I think there were at least five hundred people on the banks of the river and the canal watching our work. There was considerable competition between the men on the different rafts on the long stretch of still water above the dam to see which raft would get down to the canal first. As the river was broad and still for some miles, it gave them their best chance for sculling, but the movement was necessarily slow.
"After getting out of the lower locks at Bellows Falls, I remember seeing a number of small dwellings near the locks on the Vermont side. From one of these an old Irishman's cow had wandered down over the broad beach into the water in which she stood up to her body. The irate wife of the old man came down and called the cow loud and long, but she would not come ashore. The woman yelled a command to her 'old man' to come and drive the cow out. 'The divil a bit will I do it,' says he, and after soundly berating him for his neglect, she calmly gathered her skirts about her high enough to keep them from getting wet, and walked in, driving the cow home herself.
"Among the men was a large and powerful half- breed Indian named Sam Flint, who stood six feet four inches, and was very strong. He was a general favorite and in all cases when any of the boys went ashore, and it was thought there might be trouble from drinking or otherwise, they wanted Sam to go to protect them. There were many places along the river where rough crowds gathered at saloons. As the raft was leaving the eddy at Bellows Falls, Sam made a misstep and landed in the river, but was readily pulled aboard again and worked with his wet clothes on until they were dried. No other man got a ducking during the trip."
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The Connecticut River Valley
HOW COLONEL ENOCH HALE LOST THE TOLL BRIDGE BECAUSE OF HIS SON'S "PETTING"
An incident of much interest in the history of the old toll bridge across the Connecticut river at this point was told by the descendants of Col. Enoch Hale, who built the bridge across the Connecticut river, the only one then in its entire length. In its early years it had a great reputation for its scenic surroundings.
Col. Hale, although a man of some wealth during the most of his life, became involved at one time and mortgaged the toll bridge. About the year 1800 the mortgage fell due. It was to Rudolph Geyer, a wealthy Englishman, who had built, and occupied a portion of the year, the large three-story dwelling that is shown in a, painting of the first bridge now hanging in the town library. It was known in all the later years as the "Tucker mansion" and was taken down when the Cheshire railroad was built in 1848. Mr. Geyer had another home at Boston and spent a large part of each year in that city. He had for a long time coveted the ownership of the bridge as a good paying piece of prop- erty, but Col. Hale held to it with an iron grip. The mortgage referred to being a time mortgage of the class that if not paid when due the bridge would pass into the ownership of the mortgagee, made it important that the amount should be paid before a certain day, and Col. Hale hustled around and barely raised the amount in time to send it to Boston to reach there the day before it should pass out of his hands.
He sent the money by a son, who went by stage and in stopping at a hotel on the way he met his wife, from
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Southern Vermont and New Hampshire
whom he had separated some years before. At the hotel the old difficulties were discussed and satisfactorily ad- justed, but in his renewed joys he became forgetful of trust and delayed his trip till it was too late to reach Boston in time to pay the mortgage. He rushed into Mr. Geyer's office the day after it had become due, and was informed the money would not be accepted and that his father had lost the bridge through his delay.
Mr. Geyer, obtaining an ownership in this question- able manner, retained it until his death, which occurred about 1820. In the division of this estate the bridge fell to a daughter who had married Nathaniel Tucker, from whose ownership it has since been known as the "Tucker bridge."
The old bridge was replaced in 1840 by the present lattice truss bridge, which has been a landmark here ever since its erection. The original bridge was what was known as a half deck bridge and the sides came only six or eight feet above the roadway. It was located just where the present bridge is, except that it was lower down in the gorge some 15 feet, there being a sharp incline at each end to reach it.
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The Connecticut River Valley
THE FIRST TELEGRAPHIC TRAIN ORDER IN THE UNITED STATES
The first railroad train ever moved in this country under instructions received by telegraph is understood to have been on the Rutland road between here and Burling- ton in 1852. Both the railroads and the telegraph had been utilized but a few years in this country when an incident occurred on this railroad which was the initia- 1 tion of the present general system of moving trains by telegraph.
Until that year railroads had no telegraph service of their own. Trains were operated wholly by timecard rules, which provided that one train would wait at a certain station until another train had passed. If one train was late at the meeting point the other was re- quired to wait 12 hours or until the other showed up. Such a condition existed on the winter morning in February, 1852, when the first telegraphic train order flashed over the wires. The northbound train due to meet the southbound train at Middlebury was in a snow- bank in the Green Mountains between here and Rutland. Albert H. Copeland, who worked in the postoffice at Middlebury at that time, was also the local operator.
The conductor of the southbound train was, of course, unaware of the stalled train at the south, and only knew that he and his passengers had before them a wait at Middlebury anywhere from 12 minutes to 12 hours, when at the expiration of the latter time his train regained its right to proceed to Rutland. As the length of delay increased, the restless, irritated passengers grew bold and wandered uptown from the depot. Some
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Southern Vermont and New Hampshire
of them straggled into the postoffice and happened to tell Copeland of the delay. The operator thought a moment, then he said: "You bring the conductor up here and perhaps we can fix it so that you can go on to Rutland without waiting for the northbound train."
The conductor demurred, but finally acceded to the demands of his irate passengers. Upon arrival at the postoffice, Mr. Copeland handed him a message from his superintendent at Rutland. It read something like this : "Northbound train in snowbank south of here. You come on down to Rutland and I will not let any train go north until you arrive."
Mr. Conductor read his order, looked Copeland straight in the eye and said : "I am afraid to do this. I might be taking a chance. How do I know it is gen- uine ?" Copeland quietly replied, "I'll ride on the engine to Rutland." That settled it and the train went on its way, the passengers rejoicing and heartily thank- ing the operator, who kept up a wonderful amount of thinking while quietly sitting in the cab from Middle- bury to Rutland.
Albert H. Copeland a few years later removed to Milwaukee, Wis., where he died about 1900 at the age of 85 years. He often referred to his experience in getting the train through and riding on the locomotive.
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The Connecticut River Valley
FIRST TELEGRAPH OFFICE IN BELLOWS FALLS IN 1851-THE BAIN SYSTEM
When the Cheshire Railroad was completed to Bellows Falls in 1849 there was no telegraph line, and for some months there was no arrangement whereby if trains were late they could be reached by telegraph. Trains going in the opposite direction had to wait until those delayed came, or take the chances of a collision. About the time of the completion of the Vermont Valley railroad, in 1851, telegraph service was established.
Among the first operators here was the young boy, Levi K. Fuller, whose parents lived at the north end of Green street, and who later became governor of Ver- mont; Fid Randall, who later became general train despatcher of the Vermont Central lines; a young man named Mott, who was succeeded in the '60s by William Batchelder, a few years ago an attorney at White River Junction. Mr. Batchelder said: "Mr. Mott's office was in the northeast corner of the railroad waiting room, and in addition to delivering all his own messages he sold paper collars and cuffs, which were then just in- vented and popular."
The telegraph company's records show that the Vermont & Boston Telegraph Company was incorporated November 11, 1848. The line through here from White River Junction to Springfield, Mass., was completed in October, 1851, under Jesse C. Rowe, superintendent. This was a line built and operated under what was known as the "Bain" patents. October 28, 1851, F. O. J. Smith conveyed to C. C. Wyman the "Morse" patents for the operation of a line between Boston and Rutland via
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Southern Vermont and New Hampshire
Bellows Falls, and the "Northern Telegraph Company" contracted with the Cheshire road to place a line upon their right of way between Bellows Falls and South Ashburnham. In 1853 the two ownerships existed, and the Bellows Falls operator had to understand two dis- tinct systems, and use both Bain and Morse alphabets. This was continued at many offices as late as 1868, when the Morse system was universally adopted after the consolidation of the different companies.
Tuesday morning, August 17, 1858, when the first telegraphic information was received at Bellows Falls of the successful working the evening before of the first sub-marine cable under the Atlantic ocean, connecting the two continents, the eighth annual meeting of the Vermont Teachers' Association was in session at the Congregational church. A boy entered the meeting about ten o'clock in the morning and distributed a few copies of a Bellows Falls Times extra giving information of the event. Immediately J. S. Adams, Esq., of Burl- ington, arose and moved that business be suspended, that a portion of the Scripture be read, that prayer should be offered by the president of the convention, Rev. Calvin Pease, D.D., and that Old Hundred be sung in the words, "Be Thou, O God, Exalted High." These exercises, as was afterward described by Gov. Ryland Fletcher, who was present, "were performed in a very appropriate and impressive manner." Church bells were rung and many evidences of joy manifested here and in surrounding towns.
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The Connecticut River Valley
From the time that the telegraph office was first started in Bellows Falls until February 18th, 1928, it was always located in the railroad station. It was then moved into the present quarters in the Hotel Windham block, a much more satisfactory location for its com- mercial patrons.
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Southern Vermont and New Hampshire
DAMS BUILT BY BEAVERS IN THIS VICINITY
Among the most interesting animals, with almost human intelligence, which the first settlers of this town found here, were the beavers. They were gathered in villages of their own, in at least two, and possibly more, localities in the town. One was just beyond Saxtons River village on the road to Westminster West. The first hill one descends in passing out of that village, near the farmhouse recently occupied by Walter W. Barry, has always been known since the town was first inhabited as "Beaver Dam Hill."
Older residents of the town as late as 40 years ago still remembered and gave interesting details of the remains of the large dam built by these industrious workmen. Many indications of the well-constructed houses of these most interesting animals are still to be seen. The dam was on the south side of the road near the foot of the hill, and by its construction the beavers had overflowed the meadow covering about 25 acres. The land is now owned by William J. Wright. The school- house formerly there, which is now a part of the Barry dwelling, was always denominated on the town records and elsewhere as the "Beaver Dam Schoolhouse," and the school district always went by that name.
Another place where the remains of a beaver dam and their houses were visible within the memory of local people living only a few years ago, was upon the Hubbard Davis farm, now owned and occupied by A. Waldo Cool- idge, located on high ground about two miles northeast of Saxtons River village. This pond made by these first hydraulic architects was not as large as the one
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The Connecticut River Valley
mentioned, being of only about an acre in size. It was located about 200 rods north of the farm buildings now owned by Mr. Coolidge. The signs of their work have remained longer, and more clearly visible here, than at Beaver Dam hill.
A much larger pond than either of these, made wholly by the work of beavers, was upon the New Hamp- shire side of the Connecticut, ten miles north of here and about three miles north of Charlestown railroad sta- tion. The railroad passes through the great meadow, which was once flooded, and the place has always been known to railroad men and others as "Beaver Meadow." The dam was on the brook that flows through the meadow, and located within a few rods of the bank of the Con- necticut river. The entire meadow of many acres was overflowed, making a sizeable lake, around which the cunning workers had built their curious two-story houses, formerly observed by the river-men in passing up and down the river by boats or rafts.
The nature of these animals was shy and retiring. As soon as the vicinity became inhabited by man, they retreated, like the Indian, from the haunts of civilization. The south part of the two states being settled first, the animals were found much later in the northern sections.
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Southern Vermont and New Hampshire
INDIAN FACES ON THE ROCKS
This section of the Connecticut Valley has few, if any, evidences of the permanent residence here of Indians before the arrival of the first settlers. Fre- quently stone arrow heads and mortars found show that the Indians were here temporarily, as it is known that the good fishing in this locality at certain seasons of the year called them here.
Probably the most pronounced and interesting me. mento of the savages, and one looked upon by thousands of curiosity seekers, has been the Indian faces cut by some unknown hands and tools on the surface of two or three large rocks just south of the west end of the toll bridge here. At the present time they are almost entirely obliterated and the curious ones are obliged to use sharp eyes, and some imagination, but within the memory of the older citizens of the present day they stood out with great distinctness. The building of the branch railroad to the paper mills from the railroad yard, about forty years ago, covered a portion of them; others have been covered by the dumping of the cinders from the boilers of the mills, and still others destroyed by the frequent blasting by river-men in improving the channel for logs. The present redevelopment of the water power does not reach quite as far north as these mementoes of early days.
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