Winnipesaukee Forum - View Single Post

Rattlesnake Gal · 11-16-2004, 08:53 AM

Here is an interesting excerpt from Three Centuries On Winnipesaukee in regards to deep holes in the lake. I recall some other deep holes referenced in another book too. If I can locate it, I’ll post it.

I have mentioned traveling down the east shore of Rattlesnake Island in a small boat. It is possible to come quite close to shore there, as the water runs off, but a few feet from the island, into some of the deepest spots in the lake. I recall coming up around the southeast point of Rattlesnake in Captain Charles E. Tuttle’s good boat “Reliance,” and having Captain Tuttle say, “There’s 154 feet of water under you now.” Inquiry disclosed that he had provided the boat for sounding operations in 1910, during the administration of Henry B. Quinby as Governor of New Hampshire. He stated that the greatest depth found then was 168 feet, at a point a few hundred feet southeast of the lower end of Rattlesnake Island. The deepest “hole” I know of in Winnipesaukee is in the Weirs Bay, a few hundred feet northwest of Eagle Island. This location was the scene of a drowning accident some years ago, in which a diver was employed to locate the body of the victim. The diver went down nearly 300 feet, and described the lake bottom as containing a chasm with sheer ledges on either side. The edge of these ledges was about 70 feet under water, and the chasm was quite narrow with “shelves” of ledge extending out from the sides. My father has told me of soundings made there to a depth of over 320 feet. Do you think I’m trying to pull a “fast one”? Try line measurements yourself some calm day, and when your lead finds bottom at 80 feet, move your boat and line around a few feet and watch the lead drop another 50 or 75 feet when it, apparently, slips from one of the “shelves” that the diver described.
Depths of from 35 to 90 feet are most frequently found. Deep water perch and shad are usually caught in from 50 to 70 feet of water. Two of the boat race course buoys in Weirs Bay are in 68 feet. Some of the 1910 soundings are interesting. Depths of from 105 to 108 feet are found southeast of Steamboat Island towards Governor’s. East of Diamond Island, out into “The Broads” the water averages from 90 to 100 feet. If you have gone past Lakeshore Park in a boat you know that its fine sand beach extends a long way out into the lake. Indeed, the lake bottom is sandy in composition for several hundred feet, and the depth not more than 18 feet. Suddenly, though, the sand ends with an abrupt drop into deep water. At an average depth of 100 feet this “hole” continues for a quarter of a mile. Then the lake become more shallow at “The Broads” are reached with about 70 feet the maximum.
In looking at the water from the surface impressions of great depth are frequently given. This is particularly true of the northeast end of the lake from Melvin Bay on into Greene’s Basin and Lee’s Mills. The water there is very “black.” And I had always supposed it to be very deep until Captain Tuttle informed me that from Chase’s Point to Lee’s Mills, in the main steamboat channel, the water depth did not exceed 24 feet, nor was it less than 21 feet. This statement was substantiated by Charles E. George of Moultonboro, who navigates out of Lee’s Mills and know every inch of the beautiful shoreline in that section of the lake.
These deep spots in the lake fascinate me. I’d like to spend days sounding water depths, and scraping up samples of the lake bottom and deep water vegetation from all parts of Winnipesaukee. Or, better still, I try to picture what marvels photography could show from a bell or bathysphere. I’m almost certain that unimagined wonders and unanswerable riddles are buried forever beneath Winnipesaukee’s blue surface.

11-16-2004, 08:53 AM	#3
Rattlesnake Gal Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Central NH Posts: 5,252 Blog Entries: 1 Thanks: 1,451 Thanked 1,349 Times in 475 Posts	Interesting Excerpt - "Deep Holes" Here is an interesting excerpt from Three Centuries On Winnipesaukee in regards to deep holes in the lake. I recall some other deep holes referenced in another book too. If I can locate it, I’ll post it. I have mentioned traveling down the east shore of Rattlesnake Island in a small boat. It is possible to come quite close to shore there, as the water runs off, but a few feet from the island, into some of the deepest spots in the lake. I recall coming up around the southeast point of Rattlesnake in Captain Charles E. Tuttle’s good boat “Reliance,” and having Captain Tuttle say, “There’s 154 feet of water under you now.” Inquiry disclosed that he had provided the boat for sounding operations in 1910, during the administration of Henry B. Quinby as Governor of New Hampshire. He stated that the greatest depth found then was 168 feet, at a point a few hundred feet southeast of the lower end of Rattlesnake Island. The deepest “hole” I know of in Winnipesaukee is in the Weirs Bay, a few hundred feet northwest of Eagle Island. This location was the scene of a drowning accident some years ago, in which a diver was employed to locate the body of the victim. The diver went down nearly 300 feet, and described the lake bottom as containing a chasm with sheer ledges on either side. The edge of these ledges was about 70 feet under water, and the chasm was quite narrow with “shelves” of ledge extending out from the sides. My father has told me of soundings made there to a depth of over 320 feet. Do you think I’m trying to pull a “fast one”? Try line measurements yourself some calm day, and when your lead finds bottom at 80 feet, move your boat and line around a few feet and watch the lead drop another 50 or 75 feet when it, apparently, slips from one of the “shelves” that the diver described. Depths of from 35 to 90 feet are most frequently found. Deep water perch and shad are usually caught in from 50 to 70 feet of water. Two of the boat race course buoys in Weirs Bay are in 68 feet. Some of the 1910 soundings are interesting. Depths of from 105 to 108 feet are found southeast of Steamboat Island towards Governor’s. East of Diamond Island, out into “The Broads” the water averages from 90 to 100 feet. If you have gone past Lakeshore Park in a boat you know that its fine sand beach extends a long way out into the lake. Indeed, the lake bottom is sandy in composition for several hundred feet, and the depth not more than 18 feet. Suddenly, though, the sand ends with an abrupt drop into deep water. At an average depth of 100 feet this “hole” continues for a quarter of a mile. Then the lake become more shallow at “The Broads” are reached with about 70 feet the maximum. In looking at the water from the surface impressions of great depth are frequently given. This is particularly true of the northeast end of the lake from Melvin Bay on into Greene’s Basin and Lee’s Mills. The water there is very “black.” And I had always supposed it to be very deep until Captain Tuttle informed me that from Chase’s Point to Lee’s Mills, in the main steamboat channel, the water depth did not exceed 24 feet, nor was it less than 21 feet. This statement was substantiated by Charles E. George of Moultonboro, who navigates out of Lee’s Mills and know every inch of the beautiful shoreline in that section of the lake. These deep spots in the lake fascinate me. I’d like to spend days sounding water depths, and scraping up samples of the lake bottom and deep water vegetation from all parts of Winnipesaukee. Or, better still, I try to picture what marvels photography could show from a bell or bathysphere. I’m almost certain that unimagined wonders and unanswerable riddles are buried forever beneath Winnipesaukee’s blue surface.