Terms, Five Dollars a Year. ) 

 Ten Cents a Copy. ) 



NEW YORK, THURSDAY, AUGUST 2G, 1875. 



( Volume 5, Number 3. 



1 17 Chatham 8t. (City Hall Sqr.) 



For Forest and Stream. 



twinging J^ottnd the fUsirqh; 



OR, 



FRESH FROM THE WOODS. 



I HAVE been a fishing and exploring, having accom- 

 plished a complete circuit of the Northern wilderness, 

 via, Utica and Black Eiver and Ogdensburgh Railroads, 

 Lakes Champlain and George, and Central Railroad, home. 

 In former correspondence I have drawn chiefly on my 

 recollections of past years; and although the "Saranac 

 Route" is, I apprehend, to be continued, I "cheerfully in- 

 terrupt the narrative, to give such of your readers as may 

 favor me with their attention, direct tidings from the 

 woods. 



On the 5th of July I declared myself free and independ- 

 ent, as sometimes becomes necessary, you know, in the 

 course of human events, and struck for my favorite North 

 Woods, to which apply the familiar lines of Dyer in his 

 Grougar Hill, 



"Ever charming, ever new, 



When will the landscape tire the view?" 



The uproar and confusion of the day, filled with the 

 letter and spirit of the Fourth of July, crowded cars and 

 noisy celebrations, prepared me all the better to appreciate 

 the quiet and seclusion which followed. The evening of 

 the 5th found me at Moira station, Franklin Co., en route 

 for Spring Cove Cottage, which is introduced to the sport- 

 ing fraternity in the Syracuse book, p. 297. On reading 

 the account there given, which addressed itself very agree- 

 ably to my fancy, I determined to visit it, and having done 

 so, I have not been disappointed . It is the home of deep, 

 perfect isolation from the world. Never have I lived so 

 completely in the embrace of the forest, yet surrounded 

 with every reasonable comfort. It is about 20 miles south 

 of Moira, approached by good roads, but for miles densely 

 through the woods. D. S. Smith and wife, of valetudi- 

 narian history, are not there now, having retired to Dickin- 

 son Centre; and the house is kept in their. place by Mr. and 

 Mrs. Prentice. I wijl add in this connection, for the bene- 

 fit of those whom it may concern, that there is no Aldrick's 

 Hotel at Moira, as when the book was issued, but the only 

 one in loco is kept by a Mr. Murray, conveniently near the 

 depot, standing alone, and half a mile from the village. 



The name of Spring Cove Cottage imports a triple charm. 



Spring? I never drank of a purer, clearer, colder one, nor 



ever desire to. It does not require the addition of a "little 



something" to make it better than it is. The Spring house 



is the ice house of the establishment, where table luxuries 



are well preserved. Cove? I never knew a snugger harbor 



or recess from the waves. And as for Cottage, let Tom 



Moore interpret me: 



"I knew by the smoke that so gracefully corl'd 

 Above the green elms that a cottage was near; 

 And 1 said 'If there's peace to be found in the world, 

 A heart that is humble might hope for it here, 1 ' 1 



Oh, how welcome, on returning at night from my river ex- 

 peditions, was the far shining light of its hospitable win- 

 dows, indicative of the cordial reception, bountiful sup- 

 per, and secure rest which always awaited me. The house 

 is a double one; or rather there are two distinct houses, 

 separate yet conjoined. The front building is for recep- 

 tion. It contains sitting or office rooms, parlor and bed- 

 rooms. The rear tenement contains dining-hall, kitchen 

 and other rooms. These houses are built of logs, but have 

 regular windows, and plenty of them. The front roof pro- 

 jects, though unsupported beneath, sufficiently to secure 

 protection from rain for those who may be seated on a 

 platform under it. Close around is the interminable forest; 

 but from the water of the cove the cottage appears, at the 

 distance of a quarter of a mile, or more. It is claimed 

 that there is as much game in that vicinity, of all varieties, 

 as in any portion of the State. I saw nothing of it, but 

 neither did I go in its pursuit. A party who came there 

 for a night, from a settlement nine miles away, after deer, 

 got one; but another party were not so fortunate. The 

 one came, saw, and conquered; the other came, didn't see, 

 and returned with very light loads, however heavy their 

 hearts were by disappointment. The^extensive things re- 



lated in the book, p. 299, about captive bears, rabbits, pa r . 

 tridges, deer, and a catamount all at once, I suspect per- 

 tained to that time only. However, I cannot see why 

 there should not be plenty of wild game there, if anywhere 

 in the State. The middle branch of the St. Kegis river 

 flows at the distance of about half a mile from the House. 

 It is very narrow, circuitous in its course, and bordered on 

 both sides with alder bushes. It has good gravel or sandy 

 bottom, and is easily affected by the rains, in the rise and 

 fall of its waters. The boats are small, as better adapted 

 to the windings of the river, and its narrow current. In 

 July, the trout are caught only, or chiefly, where inlets 

 and rivulets enter. I caught while there, as appeared in 

 summing up, an hundred, minus two, all with the fly, and 

 on one occasion, three at a time. I had been casting in 

 vain for a while, when, by a lucky throw there was a triple 

 rush, each fly had its trout, and each trout a fly, and I 

 brought them all in together. The only flies I have used 

 on this excursion were, red ibis for stretcher, and orange 

 and blue professor for the drops. They were all good, 

 and I found no occasion for changing them. Returning to 

 Moira, I took the cars to Chateaugay, where I lost no time, 

 but proceeding as directly as possible to the lakes, I ar- 

 rived, after a pleasant drive of an hour or two with span- 

 ned horses and over excellent roads, at evening, at the 

 Lower Chateaugay. There I took the little steamer, Nelly 

 Tupper, and under the auspices of a bright sunset, fol- 

 lowed by the light of a full round moon before me all 

 the way, navigated to my quarters on the upper lake, a dis- 

 tance of eleven miles. These two lakes, of which the 

 upper is by far the larger, and more favored every way, 

 are connected by four miles of water called the "Narrows." 

 There are many houses here open to visitors. My lot was 

 cast at the Adirondack House, kept by Capt. W . R. Tup- 

 per, the largest certainly, and I suspect the most comfort- 

 able, on the grounds. At any rate, if I were to return it 

 would be to the same place. The rooms are roomy, win- 

 dows well netted to keep out the flies, the table neat and 

 plenteously provided, the situation delightful, the charges 

 moderate. The day after my arrival proved a stormy one. 

 There was a rapid succession of heavy showers, attended 

 with frequent discharges of lightning and thunder. These 

 rains "lifted the lake right up," though, as we shall see 

 presently, it stood in no need of such rising, so far as the 

 interests of fishing were involved. But as my introduc- 

 tion to it was by the fair light of the full orbed moon, to- 

 day, in contrast I beheld the magnificent spectacle of its 

 thunder showers which were of the order sublime. The 

 flashes were vivid and incessant; the reverberations sharp 

 and rattling. As they echoed among the mountains they 

 recalled those telling sentences of Irving in his sketch 

 book, where, describing a storm on the Hudson, he wrote: 

 "The thunder burst in tremendous explosions; the peals 

 echoed from mountain to mountain. They crashed upon 

 Dunderberg, and rolled along the deep defile of the high- 

 lands, each headland making a new echo, until old Bull 

 Hill seemed to bellow back the storm." I have said that 

 this lake does not need to be raised . It is already well up, 

 and high, and kept so by unnatural means. Iron ore is 

 abundant in its neighborhood, the transportation of which 

 requires higher water than is naturally supplied. I under- 

 stand that the company interested, feeling that they had 

 grounds sufficient for the application, have applied to, ana 

 obtained consent of the Legislature to raise the waters for 

 three years, by artificial means, for the purpose named. 

 Alas for the trials and tribulations of the angler ! Tan- 

 neries destroy his peace; saw mills, gill nets and set lines; 

 and now even iron ore is arrayed against him, the iron en- 

 tering into his soul. But, after all, this suspended fishing 

 may be for the best. For several years the trout here will 

 have opportunity to grow, increase and multiply, till the 

 Chateaugay fishing becomes splendid. Might it not be 

 well in the end, if something similar could happen to many 

 other of our lakes? An amusing incident will illustrate 

 the fact of high water here. I had followed up with my 

 guide a main inlet to the place where a new bridge crossed 

 it, built in the interest of the iron works, and was purpos- 

 ing to go up higher. The guide said it could not be done, 



as the water would crowd the boat against the bridge. We 

 disembarked, however, and while on the bridge, from which 

 I had just caught a trout, I observed three men in a boat 

 coming down. They surely intended to pass under, and 

 so it was. As they neared the bridge, the man at the prow 

 began to pack himself away as best he could, lying down 

 at full length. The middle man followed his wise example, 

 so that four legs were parallel; then the stern man bundled 

 himself under the protecting sides and ribs of the boat, till 

 at last, from only a foot or two above, on the sideless 

 bridge, I saw the good natured individual's face disappear- 

 ing in the sharp angle of the boat, grinning ludicrously 

 skyward, and I suspect he saw another just over him laugh- 

 ing in a similar manner. 



The Upper Chateaugay is admirably framed with moun< 

 tains. It contains one small island, and there is anothei 

 far down near the Narrows. Rocky island is just large 

 enough to hold the one small house that is built on it. I 

 visited it one morning and preambulated, taking a survey 

 of its limited dimensions, and enjoying the finevie*v which 

 it commands. A deer was caught in the water, and killed, 

 of course, on the evening before my departure, six boats 

 joining in the pursuit. It was during the shades of even- 

 ing, and miles away, so that little could be seen or heard; 

 but at the hotel we were aware of the strife, and in the 

 morning heard all about it.- I retain in vivid recollection, 

 the sight of gorgeous rainbows here, described over against 

 fresh watered mountains, radiant with all primary colors 

 complete in their arcs of promise, and even doubled in the 

 rich luxurance of their grandeur and beauty. 



Off for Chazy— about to realize what I have imagined 

 for 21 years, and longed to see, ever since I read Ham- 

 mond's "Hills, Lakes and Forest Streams." I approached 

 this lake by a new route, one which, I was surprised to 

 learn, had not been traveled by a sportsman before— the 

 plank road, to whose bridge I have just alluded, traversed 

 only by ore and coal teams. Crossing a section of the 

 Chateaugay, to a point where man, horse and wagon 

 awaited me, I was soon on the bridge again, and over it. 

 The way was an exceedingly wild one, and "Homo" pointed 

 out the place in a deep wooded ravine, where his dog had 

 started a deer a few days before, adding that deer were 

 plenty there. By the way, this dog, en route, was seized in 

 unmannerly style by a far larger one, and bitten; and in 

 the melee both wheels passed over his neck; yet I was 

 pleased to see that as soon as released he trotted out again 

 as if nothing had happened. We passed coal kilns, and 

 the little settlement where iron ore is separated by a com- 

 plicated process from dross and clay, being baked, ham- 

 mered, broken and cleaned by water. One man's load drawn 

 by four horses, weighed, he said, over three tons, but far 

 heavier leads than this are borne away. We passed the 

 trail leading to Bradley's pond, difficult of access, but 

 where trout abound, and after a pleasant drive of several 

 hours, brought up at the Meader House, beautifully situ- 

 ated on Chazy Lake. This is another charmer, four miles 

 long, by one and a half wide, presided over by Lion Moun- 

 tain, being the seventy-fourth link in the pearly chain of 

 New York lakes which I have visited. Here too I caught 

 more trout, but they were neither numerous or large. 

 July is not a good month for the purpose, particularly here"; 

 and I have seldom if ever occupied it in this way. It is as 

 available, and.not as favorite that I have so used it now. 

 Besides, Rencountered violent winds, and furious showers. 

 The scenes of Chateaugay were re-produced, and I sat 

 patiently in my boat at times to be rained on. Behold me, 

 reader, in the skiff, my rod laid down, my head bowed sub- 

 missively to the pitiless storm, silent, thoughtful, drip- 

 ping; yet anon making for the shore to relieve the boat of 

 water, and then going a-fishing again, fresher than before, 

 under 1 he smiles of genial rainbows. O, it is fun! I have 

 lifted from the waters this year, first and last, nearly 200 

 trout, and have every reason to be satsified. There is a 

 tent spread on this lake made of canvas which was used 

 in the last presidential campaign. On it is an equestrian 

 painting of Gen. Grant, and I read the words, which seemed 

 strange in the solitude. 



Union Nominations: Grant and Wilson 



