Carrying the Cable to Sackets Harbor

 Watertown Daily Times

February 9, 1880

 A PATRIOTIC JOB OF 1834.

Eighty-Four Men Carry Five Tons of Ship Cable on 

Their Shoulders from Sandy Creek to Sackets Harbor - 

Tho Story of One of the Surviving Participants.

   In Hough’s History of Jefferson County it is related that in the spring of 1814, the frigate  Superior (66  guns) was launched, and Mohawk and Jones were on the stocks. The rigging and armament for these vessels were transported via the Mohawk river and Wood creek and so on to Oswego, at which point they were loaded in boats to proceed to Sackets Harbor. But a British fleet having stationed itself at the Galloo Islands,  the boats were prevented from passing around Six Town Point. 

  Accordingly, an attempt was made to ch the mouth of Stony Creek, from which point to Henderson Harbor a land carriage of only three miles intervened.  But the boats were chased into Sandy Creek, where the guns, rigging, etc., were loaded on to wagons for transportation to Sackets Harbor, a distance of twenty miles.

   There remained, however, one large cable which could not be loaded on any vehicle. It was then suggested to bear it upon the shoulders of men:

   “The proposal was cheerfully adopted by the citizens who had assembled, and they, being accordingly in the order of their stature, shouldered the ponderous cable and took up their line of march for Sackets Harbor, being as pear together as they could walk. This novel procession by the way of Ellis Village and Smithville, and on the second day reached Sackets Harbor. As they approached the town, the sailors came out to meet them, and with loud cheers relieved them of their burden and marched triumphantly into the village.”

   The subjoined letter from Mr. Silas Lyman, who was an actor in the scenes described above, and who assisted in bearing the cable, will be found a valuable contribution to local history, and will be read with interest. The venerable writer of the letter is now in his 86th year, but his hand-writing is distinct and business-like, and, as will be seen, his mind is clear and vigorous, We commend the letter to the attention of our readers: 

Editor, Times and Reformer:

   I have been requested by many to give some account of the cable it was taken up and carried on men’s shoulders from the mouth of Sandy Creek to Sackets Harbor, a distance of about twenty miles. The cable weighed nearly five tons, and eighty-four men took it up and carried it from McKee’s Landing to Ellis Village, where we got a few recruits and went to Belleville, and thence to a place called Four Corners, finding ourselves then pretty well drilled out. 

   The people at the Corners most liberally furnished us with supper and barn lodging and breakfast, all freely given thankfully received. Then the rope was taken up and on through Smithville and to the Harbor. Some of our men tired out, but others volunteered in their places.  One man left his team with his boys, saying we should not do the job alone. He was a stout fellow, and put his shoulder to the work. As we advanced men kept falling in,  and the people along the route cheered us lustily. And as we advanced toward the end of our rope job, there was loud cheering the whole length of he cable, which was about thirty-six rods long and the size of seven-inch stove pipe.

   As we went into the town, there were as many men as could walk under it, and with good music the big cable was landed int he ship yard in care of the sailors. A stout man stood on the cable, and held a flag, and a boy stood on the man’s shoulders and played the drum. The boy may be living to tell for himself, but on looking  around I find no man living that took part in carrying the cable-not one.

  The men who first took up the cable were Ellisburg and Lorraine men principally, about 120 lbs to each man.  This was the last of the property driven into Sandy Creek by the British  fleet, consisting of guns and rigging for the old ship now on the stocks. 

  Of the old ship I will just say, I was at work on a big oak tree about a mile south of the Harbor, when the word came, ‘‘No more ship timber.” Peace was declared.

   I resided in Lorraine sixty years, and had quite an extended acquaintance in the south part of Jefferson county with many choice friends and good neighbors who are gone the way of earth.  To such as remain, I say farewell—meet me in Heaven.  I am in my eighty-sixth year. 

                                                                                                                                    SILAS  LYMAN