Mr. Bichards 30 The Islander Magazine GREEN MOUNTAIN RAILWAY by Frank Matter In 1883 it took 30 minutes to reach the top of Green Mountain on the new cog railway. The date of June 23, 1883 was step was to ease a railway charter necessary capital, the survey was viewed by many as a great day in the through the state legislature. complete. The commissioners were history of Mt. Desert Island. The He knew who to talk to. He knew about to grant the charter. The "T" railroad commissioners had arrived how to get measures like the one he rails had been ordered from New to make their formal inspection. wanted through the legislature. York and the cog rails from the The first passengers were beginning Quietly, but legally, the official Atlantic Works, East Boston, Mass. to follow the route set up, by horse notices for opening a railway were for a 6,300 foot track length. The drawn "barge" from Bar Harbor to published. Before anyone knew it, only thing he had to do now was Eagle Lake, by the steamer Wau- the time for objections had come wait for the weather to improve winnet from Eagle Lake to the foot and gone. The mandatory "public enough for construction to begin. of the mountain, and then they hearing" was held by the railroad The plan called for passengers to would be ready for the first public commissioners on February 2, 1883. be brought from Bar Harbor to the ascent up Green Mountain (now It can only be assumed that the shore of Eagle Lake. From there they Cadillac Mountain) on the cog meeting was a quick one since no would cross the lake to the foot of railroad. One can only imagine the one but the commissioners bothered the mountain. The cog railway sigh of relief and then the smile of to attend. would then carry them to the sum- satisfaction which radiated from the Clergue had been SO confident mit for a spectacular view of the face of Francis Ciergue. about the outcome of his request for island. Once at the summit, Clergue For Mr. Clergue this moment a charter that he had hired A.F. hoped to entice the passengers to was the culmination of more han Hilton to do a survey of the land in stay to see the marvelous sunsets. To two years of plann ng and building. December and January. Hilton, an accommodate them he planned to At every turn there were obstacles experienced engineer, had to put up build a new hotel and dining room. to be overcome. But it had all with snow and sub-zero The hotel, to be called Summit seemed SO simple in 1881 when he temperatures to survey several sug- House, was to be as modern and up had written to Walter H. Dunton, gested routes. After a careful tc date as possible. The main house the owner of the Eagle Lake side of analysis, the route chosen first was to be 41 X 51 ft. with an eight Green Mountain, asking permission proved best, and was duly reported foot piazza on all sides. The dining to use his land. This communication as such to Clergue and the other hall on the west side of the main had resulted in the lease of 240 acres nine stockholders. building was to accommodate from of land for twenty years with a So far, SO good! On February 3, 100 to 135 people. The kitchen and perpetual 160 foot right of way from 1883 everything seemed to be mov- serving rooms were to be housed in Eagle Lake at the base, to the sum- ing along right on schedule. The an ell measuring 30 X 26 ft. There mit. With the lease secured the next stockholders had provided the would be spacious parlors for ladies 9 The Islander Magazine were substituted for runners and it reached the edge of Eagle Lake in just three days, after being "winched" along the road. Once at the lake, the melting snow pre- vented its being taken directly to the foot of the mountain. It would just have to sit there and wait for the ice to clear enough for a SCOW to take it across. While the locomotive waited, the work proceeded. On May 9 the first rail was laid. Summit House was on schedule and the work was going well. Finally the ice cleared and Richard Hamor's long SCOW was used to ferry the locomotive across the lake. On June 22, just one day before the inaugural run, the final rail was laid in place. Summit House as it appeared in the mid 1880's Francis Clergue must have smiled proudly as he greeted the dignitaries mit House hotel, at an altitude of $2.50 per person. During its first on that beautiful morning in June. 1800 feet, flew at a greater elevation season, which ended in mid- The steamer Wauwinnet was bring- than any flag on the coast of the September, the Green Mountain ing another group of 150 passengers United States. Railway carried a total of 2,967 across Eagle Lake. As he shook ex- It was indeed a day that Mt. people. Vice-President Hannibal Hamlin's Desert Island will never forget. Unfortunately, the summer of hand he could see over his shoulder 1890 was the last one for the that the locomotive, Mt. Desert, was Editors note: The barge trip from railway. Economics, the changing coming up to steam pressure for the Bar Harbor to Eagle Lake took about needs of the summer visitors, and journey to the summit. As he 40 minutes, another 15 on the decisions of the stockholders boarded the passenger car he heard Wauwinnet, and then nearly 30 brought an end to the cog railway someone in the crowd boast that the minutes to reach the summit of the that once ran to the summit of flag flying at the top of the Sum- mountain. The round trip cost was Cadillac Mountain. Coming down from the summit, the engine preceded the car to help break the speed of the descent. The Islander Magazine and gentlemen and a lovely staircase tain. The question was how do you rival of the steamer at the edge of to the second floor, which along get a 65 foot, flat-bottomed steamer Eagle Lake, word reached Clergue with the large room in the ell and weighing 11.5 gross tons over-land that the locomotive he had ordered the attic would provide sleeping two and a half miles to the lake? had finally been shipped from rooms for between 32 and 50 peo- The answer was to hire a good Portland. It had trouble leaving ple. A special feature of Summit engineer and then give him all the Portland since its ten ton bulk House was to be a flat, railed-in time he needed. Using sleds, rollers, proved too much for the City of platform and observatory made of and wheels, the steamer made the Richmond so it had to wait for the glass. The observatory would house land crossing in 17 days. arrival of the schooner Stella Lee. a large and powerful telescope. Meanwhile back at the mountain, Upon its delivery in Bar Harbor one By the first week in March work the roadbed was being cleared, the can imagine the engineer and the was progressing on a work car and iron bolts to hold the ties and rails laborers mumbling "here we go a passenger car at the Hinckly and were being set into the ledge, and again". It took fourteen horses to Egery Iron Works in Bangor. The work had begun on Summit House. pull the locomotive up the hill from passenger car was modeled after the Almost simultaneous with the ar- West to Cottage Street. Here wheels open horse cars used in Boston. It would seat 48 people comfortably, while 74 could be crowded into it JORDAN if necessary. Back on the island, snow still covered the ground. POND HOUSE March dragged on and the snow lingered. Finally Clergue could wait ON THE SHORES OF JORDAN POND PARK Loop ROAD, ACADIA NATIONAL PARK no longer. Snow or no snow, the construction had to begin. One hundred men were hired to work 12 hours a day to clear the brush down to the stone ledge. Each worker was to receive $1.50 per day. At one point there was dissatisfaction over the pay. Work was hard to find at On June 21, 1979 the historic Jordan Pond House was destroyed by fire. Through the contributions that time of year and Clergue of many individuals and the help of the National wouldn't give in to higher wages, SO Park Service, the traditions of Jordan Pond are the workers returned to the job. The being revived work was hard since the trail was rut- ted and frozen and the weather was extremely cold and stormy. OPENING Right on schedule in April the JUNE 12TH schooner Watchman arrived loaded with 90 tons of machinery, railroad iron, and other fixtures. The iron had been shipped out of New York to Portland, and then sent on to Bar FAMOUS FOR Harbor. Once in Bar Harbor it was POPOVERS AND HOMEMADE ICE CREAM hauled on wheels for three miles out on the Eagle Lake road. There it was LUNCHEON TEA ON THE LAWN DINNER transferred to sleds to be taken 12:00 2:30 2:30 5:30 6:30 9:30 across the ice to the foot of the mountain. It was at this point that word came that the ice was only three feet thick and beginning to A VERY SPECIAL EVENING soften. It would be necessary to Dinner at the Jordan Pond House features timber out to thicker ice before the candlelight dining, a beautiful view of the pond load could be safely moved across and mountains, crackling fires, and musical per- the lake. It was an unneeded delay formances a memorable dining experience. but there was no alternative; and besides there was another problem CRISP SALADS-HOMEMADE SOUPS to contend with. At just about the same time that STEAK-LOBSTER-SEAFOOD-CHICKEN the Watchman arrived with the FINE WINES-COCKTAILS iron, the stern-wheel steamer Wau- winnet arrived in Frenchman Bay. The stern-wheeler had been pur- FOR INFORMATION AND RESERVATIONS chased to transport passengers across CALL 276-3316 Eagle Lake to the foot of the moun- 10