James E. Benson - The Brockton Tragedy at Moosehead Lake

Published by The History Press

Charleston, SC

www.historypress.com

Copyright 2018 by James E. Benson and Nicole B. Casper

All rights reserved

First published 2018

e-book edition 2018

ISBN 978.1.43966.422.3

Library of Congress Control Number: 2017963914

print edition ISBN 978.1.46713.932.8

Notice: The information in this book is true and complete to the best of our knowledge. It is offered without guarantee on the part of the authors or The History Press. The authors and The History Press disclaim all liability in connection with the use of this book.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form whatsoever without prior written permission from the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

FOREWORD

This book captures and provides you with a factual account of a tragedy that affected the families and communities of two regions of New England distinctly different but connected by the bond of the human spirit and a love for such a special place in Maine. Having lived, worked and patrolled the very waters this tragedy occurred on, I am reminded of the spiritual connection to all who visit, live, work or recreate within the Moosehead Lake region. Its size and ability to change in a moments notice have resulted in many recoveries and search-and-rescue missions for the Maine Warden Service throughout the agencys nearly 138 years of formal existence. To my knowledge, none reached the size of this effort. Although a tragic event, it demonstrates the strength of community and the value and care placed by locals, responders, businessmen and politicians in the importance of bringing all those who perished home to their families and communities. It returns you to an era where true kindness, good will and respect for fellow man played out through the actions of all. As you read this, you will be in awe of the sheer size and mass of such a beautiful location but will also be reminded of the forces of nature, as mankind does its best to balance the enjoyment of this unique place against the dangers it can and will continue to present for all those who venture to it.

COLONEL JOEL T. WILKINSON,
Maine Warden Service

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The success of projects like this is the result of support and assistance from a variety of people and institutions. The Brockton Historical Society and Fire Museum, Brockton Public Library, Moosehead Historical Society, Moosehead Marine Museum, Bowdoin College Archives, Portland Public Library (Maine), Brockton City Clerks and Greenville Town Clerks Offices, as well as First Evangelical Lutheran Church in Brockton, all provided a wealth of resources in the research of this book, and for that we are appreciative. In particular, we would like to thank Jane Swiszcz, reference librarian at the Stonehill College Library, and Anne Fleming, reference librarian at the Brockton Public Library, for their assistance in tracking down government records.

We would also like to thank the following individuals who assisted us in obtaining images or providing accounts of the victims and tragedy: Elizabeth Lays, Roger Lays, Nancy Lays McPherson, Virginia Lays, Todd von Hoffman, Paige von Hoffman, Eric Sandberg, Lynne Sandberg Boudoucies, Chief Kenneth Galligan (Brockton Fire Department retired), Deputy Chief Kevin Galligan (Brockton Fire Department), Rocky Lizzotte (town clerk of Greenville, Maine), Joseph MacDonald (Plymouth County sheriff), John Birtwell (director of public information and office technology, Plymouth County Sheriffs Office), John Murphy, Lloyd F. Thompson, Colonel Joel T. Wilkinson and Denise M. Brann of the Maine Warden Service.

A special expression of gratitude is given to Stonehill College students Angela Farias (18), Jennifer DiPersio (18) and Julia Turgeon (18) for their assistance with scanning and editing photos for possible inclusion in this book. A huge debt of gratitude is also owed to Jonathan Green, assistant director and digital assets manager of the Stonehill College Archives, for his support and countless hours of proofing and editing this manuscript. A word of thanks is also due to Cheryl McGrath, director of the Stonehill College Libraries, for her support of this project.

A special thank-you goes to Michael Kinsella, Ryan Finn and the staff of The History Press for making this book possible. Their professionalism is above reproach and greatly appreciated.

Lastly, no book such as this would have been possible without the support of our families and friends. Nicole would like to thank her husband, Michael J. Casper; parents, Dean and Diane Tourangeau; and in-laws, James and Marianne Casper, for their excitement, patience and support during the writing of this book. She would also like to thank her family and friends for their ongoing support and encouragement. James would like to thank his father, S. Erick Benson, and all of his family and friends for their continued support during the time that this book was in the process of being researched and written.

INTRODUCTION

An integral part of the word history is story. While stories are often fiction, history is a story of facts about certain events that should be remembered. The drowning of these nine Brocktonians and their Maine guide was not the first nor the last at Moosehead Lake. It is, however, believed to be the largest loss of life on the lake at one time. Why, then, have so few heard about it? Is it because the tragedy occurred two hundred miles from the home of most of these men? Does the lack of a visible reminder, like a burned building or memorial, detract from the widespread knowledge of the event? Or is it because tragedies such as these happen every day, and once the initial shock passes, the media moves on to the next story and those not directly affected return to their daily lives? Did the Great Depression, Brocktons Strand Theatre Fire and World War II overshadow the event, causing it to fade from historical memory?

This book does not attempt to answer those questions. Rather, this volume tells the story of the drowningthe first account of the tragedy gathered in a single work. Who were David Bridgwood, Knute Salander, William Daley, John Sandberg, Earl Blake, Arthur S. Peterson, Frank Moberg, Harry Howard, G. Fred Dahlborg, James Lays and Samuel Budden? What caused the boat to sink, and why did only one of eleven survive? It is a story of remembrance, preserving the memory of those taken too soon from a city and town they loved.

CHAPTER 1

PROLOGUE

Newspaper headlines during the first months of 1928 were rather mundane, as the world was, at least from all appearances, at peace. Nevertheless, the pot boiled beneath the surface in many areas. In the Soviet Union, Leon Trotsky was exiled as Joseph Stalin came to power, while Norway elected Christopher Hornsrud as prime minister at the age of 101. In April, a plot to assassinate Italian monarch Victor Emmanuel and Italian Premier Benito Mussolini was uncovered in Italy. In the United States, President Calvin Coolidge announced that he would not be a candidate for reelection in November. Technology also made headlines when the first air-conditioned office building in the United States opened in San Antonio, Texas, on January 1, 1928. At the end of January, the 3-M Company introduced Scotch tape to the world, while the first transatlantic television image was received in Hartsdale, New York. Aviation was also all the rage after Charles Lindberghs solo transatlantic flight, a year earlier in May 1927, made flight and the conquest of the skies the object of many men and women worldwide. In March, World War I ace Captain Walter G.R. Hinchliffe of England piloted a flight on which British actress Elsie Mackay, also known as Poppy Wyndham, was the passenger on a quest to fulfill her desire of being the first woman to cross the Atlantic by plane. Shrouded in secrecylest Mackays father, James Mackay, who was chairman of the great shipping company Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company (P&O) find out her intentionsthe duo left Lincolnshire, England, at 8:35 a.m. on March 13 bound for New York. The plane was sighted twice that day and never heard from again. Mackays goal of being the first woman to cross the Atlantic was achieved a few months later when Amelia Earhart flew as a passenger in an aircraft piloted by Wilmer Stultz. In Massachusetts, the Barnstable Chamber of Commerce, in an effort to deal with growing traffic congestion, recommended that new bridges or tunnels be constructed across the Cape Cod Canal. With a busy, bustling world around them and at home, ten men, good friends with a longing to spend time away from their professional duties, eagerly awaited their long-planned trip to fish the waters of Maines famed Moosehead Lake.