While not directly related to the WW&F this thread brought to mind a story related to me a number of years ago concerning the Eagle Lake & West Branch or more accurately the field surrounding the EL&WB.
During the railroads operating season (June through November) Joe Giguere ran the Plymouth switcher at Tramway. During the winter he drove a Lombard tractor out of Churchill. His family had a cabin on the Jaw's road. Anyway, one year Joe and a young friend decided to get some hay off the field at Tramway. They made a raft they could tow behind Joe's boat which had an early outboard.
At Tramway Joe made a crude hay press which would press the hay into bales which could be tied with wire and then loaded onto the raft. With the raft loaded-up they headed back to Churchill. All went well until the outboard caught on fire. Somehow they found themselves abandoning the boat for the raft loaded with hay which may have been akin to jumping out of the frying pan and into the fire. Anyway... desperate to save themselves and their flammable cargo Joe managed to un-screw the motor mounts using a long pole following which the flaming outboard sank with a hiss to the bottom of the lake. They were eventually rescued by some fisherman who happened along.
Interestingly a few years ago I was interviewing an elderly gentleman who along with other members of his family lived and worked in the Allagash in the 1920's and 30's. When I told him that story he jumped out of his chair shouting "That was me! That was me! I was with Joe that day!!"
Needless to say, that moment was one of the high points of my historical research.
Best regards,
Terry Harper