STORY PAGE
The Ice Cometh, the Dock
Goeth
In the ‘50s my grandfather and my great uncle were tired of putting in and taking out the dock each year. Both were ex-railroad people who knew the
longevity of railroad ties and bridge timbers, so they decided to build a permanent dock. They cribbed and spiked long bridge timbers and railroad ties
together and built a dock filled with large stones, then gravel, then sand, topped with dirt and finally grass.
The following winter the ice came. By the time we returned to Sandy Pond, the dock had jackknifed. From the side it looked like a teepee. “Just not sturdy
enough.” said my great uncle.
Most of that summer was spent rebuilding. This time they widened it. They offset the ties and bridge timbers so they overlapped each other before spiking.
They drove rebar before adding stone, gravel, and sand. On top they placed concrete.
On our first visit the following spring we found some of the larger stones, a couple chunks of concrete and one lonely railroad tie from the front.
To my knowledge no one has ever found the remainder of the dock.
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