From the description at the beginning of the film:
“In 1930 in Washington County, Maine, the president of the Machias Lumber Company, Alfred Ames, made a film which he called “From Stump to Ship.” In this reconstruction, a narrator speaks the words Ames used when he showed the silent film. From Stump to Ship is the most complete film record of long lumbering operations of that era known to exist today.”
This film was recorded starting in the winter of 1930 and mentions the following people and places:
The logging camp on TWP 36, Paul Mealey, haul boys from Kennebec, Charlie O’Donnel, Mr. McCreedy, Burt Stanhope- teamster, William Hudson- teamster, Wilton Foss- teamster, Alfred Mealy- teamster.
Rolling pier at the West Branch, main river camp, a “snowmobile,” Sam Handy and Herbert Hatt cutting trees on TWP 31 “below the Bacon place,”
Lombard Log Hauler built in Waterville, Maine, Edwin Blanch of Whitneyville with a load of logs from Peaked Mountain. Cutting of logs on TWP 37, James Mclain, Mr. Oliver.
Landing logs on Third Lake Old Stream, Machias River, logging sleds, river driving on the West Branch in the spring, log driving, Ed Connors (one of the most efficient lumber men in Maine), river drivers.
Bass shoes of Wilton, Maine made for log drivers, “Brown” from East Machias, who became a bellhop at the Falmouth Hotel in Portland.
Lunchtime (breakfast @4am, first lunch @9am, second lunch @2pm, and supper when they get in at night).
Roll Dam Ledge, young Morrison of Whitneyville.
Tunnel Pitch, a small island middle stream, Burt Tibbetts of Cherryfield who almost lost his life from clearing a log jam.
Main River Camp, cooks Al Smith of Columbia Falls and Billy Hanscom of Machias. Gib Berry of Jacksonville.
Main River Bridge. “Green men” (greenhorns) which are sometimes called “auger handles” work on the shore, Everett Scott of Bearing?
Joe Haycock, a boat called a vateau/bato?, old school whitewater rafting in a vateau “some joyride!” Lower Falls, Patrick Sullivan, Philip Clement of Prentiss & Carlisle, Alfred Ames, Von Moore and Patrick Sullivan.
Fire & wongdon and river driving outfit, a bean hole, Clint Clark, Bill Vane frying donuts.
The canal at Whitneyville, Whitneyville Mills, Whitneyville Dam, Sullivan Mills Burr?, Frank Harmon, Charlie Handy, Howard Mills built by Dr. Howard of Boston, and a member of the Boston Mill and Land Company.
The Pope Brothers purchased these mills in 1858. Harrison Foss, Dr. Kane of Washington, D.C. Views inside the lumber mill, Mac McBride, timber for bridge frame, Will Hanscom, Jim Mealy.
Loading timber, Portsmouth Navy (Naval) Yard, horse drawn wagons, Dr. Kane of Machias who became a practicing physician in Washington, D.C. Three masted Schooner Lucy Evelyn built in Harrington, Maine in 1917 and was used to ship the timber. One order of lumber was going to Bridgeport, Connecticut. Vineyard Haven, using sardine boats for towing because it became too expensive for tow boats. The Lucy Evelyn going to New York.
Arthur Jasper moving the draw bridge that goes between Machiasport to East Machias across the Machias River. Steam from the train that leaves in the morning from Calais for Bangor, leaving the Machiasport station around 9am. “This is quite a unique feature as there are very few places where the sail meets the rail.” The Lucy Evelyn was a “modern” vessel and used a gasoline engine to hoist the anchors and sails, and walk the vessel into dock. Machias Bay, where the first naval battle of the revolution was fought. “The good schooner Bertha V,” a hand liner, built in Milbridge, Maine around 1880, taking a cargo of lumber to Boothbay Harbor.
***If you notice any misspellings of names, places or objects, please message me and let me know! I will be happy to correct them- some names were difficult to understand with Tim Sample’s thick accent (and I’ve lived in Maine all my life!), and I was unfamiliar with some terms used in the film.