A.H. Newbert, of Appleton, tells how he tramped across the ice from Deer Isle to Belfast in the winter of 1875.

A.H. Newbert Tells How He Tramped From Deer Isle to Belfast In the Winter of 1875.

Editor of the (Rockland) Courier-Gazette:

A correspondent of the Lewiston Journal says:

“The winter of 1861 was noted for being one of the coldest, and, in fact, it was the coldest one, in the century. The coldest day of the winter was Friday, February 25, and it's known as cold Friday. There had been a heavy storm of light fine snow. It cleared off cold, and the wind blew a perfect gale thus making the cold more fearful. The air was filled with snow, so thick one could see only a rod or two in any direction. Men who were obliged to be on the road perished, and were found frozen as hard as marble pillars. A mere few travelers survived the ordeal. But few had thermometers in those days to tell how cold it really was, but what few there were registered 40 to 60 below zero, inAndroscoggin, and in Aroostook county, it was even lower. Penobscot Bay was frozen over so solid that Sam Randall of Vinalhaven took a horse and sleigh and, together with the Honorable Martin Kiff, who was the representative to the legislature from Vinalhaven cruised from Vinalhaven to North Haven, then to Saddle Island, then to Camden, and thence across country to Augusta, where he left Kiff, and returned to Vinalhaven again safely. Portland harbor and Boston harbor were frozen over solid.

“Thousands of the Boston people availed themselves of the fact, and the ice on the harbor was covered with skaters.”

The above may be true, as regards the severity of the winter of 1861, but that part referring to the trip of Mr. Kiff from Vinalhaven to Augusta, is way off both in the date and the

manner of travelling. During the winter of 1874–5 I was teaching at Northwest Harbor, Deer Isle, the only winter I can recall when Penobscot Bay was entirely frozen over, the present winter being the nearest approach to it I have ever seen.

On Monday the 22nd day of February, just 29 years ago today, Capt. Hezekiah Carman, with whom I was boarding at that time, took me with his team across Eggemoggin reach to Sargentville, where I was to take the stage for Blue Hill and Bucksport, thence to Belfast, enroute to my home in Appleton. When we reached Sargentville, we found that the stage had gone, so leaving my trunk to be forwarded to Belfast by stage, I returned to the island and decided to walk to Belfast on the ice.

No one had made the attempt at that time, though no water was visible from the island in any direction, and everyone assured me there was no danger. I left the village about 9 a.m. and shaped my course due northwest as well as a landlubber could for Turtle Head, the northern extremity of Islesboro.

When I left the island, the walking was very good, the ice being covered with snow, which had become wet and frozen, forming a crust, but after getting away from the land a few miles, I found much smooth ice which made the walking very tiresome.

At first, when I came to some dark places in the ice I made a detour around them thinking that the ice there might not be safe, and I thought when I came to Cape Rozier, having heard that the water off that point was deep and not liable to be frozen so hard, that I would go ashore and walk across the cape taking the ice upon the other side.

Just before arriving there, however, I came to a crack in the ice, and it being high water the ice had parted, leaving an opening of nearly a foot and I decided to test it, and find out how thick the ice really was; removing my coats and rolling up my shirt sleeves, I thrust my hand down into the cold ice water to the bottom of the ice, and to my astonishment, I found it to be about 18 inches in thickness, and I was satisfied that it would hold me up anywhere in the bay, and I made a bee line for Turtle Head.

I remember just before reaching there I came to a small fishing schooner hard and fast in the ice and apparently abandoned. I boarded her, took possession in the name of the US government and rested for a while before continuing my trip, concluded to abandon the vessel to her fate as it would be hard work, towing her into port.

Up to this time I had not seen a living thing since leaving Deer Isle. Looking across the bay toward Castine from Turtle Head I could see teams on the ice apparently on their way from Belfast to Castine so I shaped my course up the bay so as to touch this road thinking I might hit a chance for a ride.

I finally came to the road and as it seemed to me without actual counting, I met 500 teams more or less bound toward Castine but not a blessed one going in my direction. These teams had been to Belfast from Castine, Brooksville, and adjoining towns for supplies, as that was the only place from which they could get stores at that time, and having gone over to Belfast in the morning were now returning in the afternoon.

As I neared Belfast, I saw a large side wheel steamer frozen solidly in the ice, which proved to be the Katahdin of the Boston and Bangor, now the Eastern Steamship Co.'s line. Just after I passed the steamer, I met a man with a horse and sleigh, who, probably noticing that I was walking as if I had been engaged in a six days go–as–you–please, pulled up his horse and inquired if I had walked all the way across from Castine. I said: “Worse than that, I came up from Northwest Harbor, Deer Isle.” “How much further do you intend to walk tonight?" He asked. I informed him that if I reached the American House, (in Belfast) that was about all I should undertake.

“Well," said he, "I think you have walked about far enough for one day. Jump in, and I will carry you up," which he did. And I am obliged to him for the kindness even now.

I arrived at the American House about 4 PM, having been about seven hours on the ice.

I recall that Wm. H. Simpson, editor of the Republican Journal, among others, called in to the hotel in the evening, it having been noised about town that a man had walked from Deer Isle to Belfast on the ice.

Mr. Simpson said that he thought I was quite a walker. I told him there is a good reason for it, my mother was a Walker.

At the same time, Martin Kiff, who was a member of the Maine House of Representatives, and who had been home at Vinalhaven for a few days, and the harbor closing up so there was no communication with Rockland, crossed the island to North Haven, thence to Pulpit Harbor by team and walked from there either to Northport or Lincolnville, then on to Belfast, stopping overnight at the American House, and then by rail to Augusta. He was taken sick from the effect of the walk and I think took no further part in the proceedings of the legislature. Unless he served in two legislatures and had two experiences with the ice which I very much doubt, the writer in the Journal is off about 14 years in his dates.

The next morning, feeling that I needed more exercise, I walked from Belfast out to Appleton.

There has not been so much ice in Penobscot Bay since that time until this winter and now I doubt if anyone can be found who will attempt to walk either from North Haven or Deer Isle to Belfast.

A.H. Newbert

Rockland, Feb. 22, 1904

Transcribed from a poor quality photocopy of a 1904 newspaper clipping by Phelps Brown, 7-29-23.

The transcriber has sought to keep the punctuation and spelling of the author.