The Disappearance of Douglas Legg

[Wldrns]

From Nessmuk's "Woodcdraft and Camping":

"It was published in Forest and Stream in the summer of 1880, and again in ’83. It has been pretty widely quoted and adopted, and I have never known it to fail: Three ounces pine tar, two ounces castor oil, one ounce pennyroyal oil. Simmer all together over a slow fire, and bottle for use. You will hardly need more than a two ounce vial full in a season. One ounce has lasted me six weeks in the woods. Rub it in thoroughly and liberally at first, and after you have established a good glaze, a little replenishing from day to day will be sufficient. And don’t fool with soap and towels where insects are plenty. A good safe coat of this varnish grows better the longer it is kept on—and it is cleanly and wholesome. If you get your face and hands crocky or smutty about the campfire, wet the corner of your handkerchief and rub it off, not forgetting to apply the varnish at once, wherever you have cleaned it off. Last summer I carried a cake of soap and a towel in my knapsack through the North Woods for a seven weeks’ tour, and never used either a single time. When I had established a good glaze on the skin, it was too valuable to be sacrificed for any weak whim connected with soap and water. When I struck a woodland hotel, I found soap and towels plenty enough. I found the mixture gave one’s face the ruddy tanned look supposed to be indicative of health and hard muscle. A thorough ablution in the public wash basin reduced the color, but left the skin very soft and smooth; in fact, as a lotion for the skin it is excellent. It is a soothing and healing application for poisonous bites already received."

[stripperguy]

In my younger days, my buddies would drop by in the off season (winter, for us) and we would break out the photos and stories from past camping adventures.
We would also open up a bottle of Ole Time Woodsman Fly dope and take a few hits!!
Between the stories, the photos and the aromas, it was the next best thing to being there!!

[l33tHoneyBadger]

Originally Posted by Wldrns

From Nessmuk's "Woodcdraft and Camping":

"It was published in Forest and Stream in the summer of 1880, and again in ’83. It has been pretty widely quoted and adopted, and I have never known it to fail: Three ounces pine tar, two ounces castor oil, one ounce pennyroyal oil. Simmer all together over a slow fire, and bottle for use. You will hardly need more than a two ounce vial full in a season. One ounce has lasted me six weeks in the woods. Rub it in thoroughly and liberally at first, and after you have established a good glaze, a little replenishing from day to day will be sufficient. And don’t fool with soap and towels where insects are plenty. A good safe coat of this varnish grows better the longer it is kept on—and it is cleanly and wholesome. If you get your face and hands crocky or smutty about the campfire, wet the corner of your handkerchief and rub it off, not forgetting to apply the varnish at once, wherever you have cleaned it off. Last summer I carried a cake of soap and a towel in my knapsack through the North Woods for a seven weeks’ tour, and never used either a single time. When I had established a good glaze on the skin, it was too valuable to be sacrificed for any weak whim connected with soap and water. When I struck a woodland hotel, I found soap and towels plenty enough. I found the mixture gave one’s face the ruddy tanned look supposed to be indicative of health and hard muscle. A thorough ablution in the public wash basin reduced the color, but left the skin very soft and smooth; in fact, as a lotion for the skin it is excellent. It is a soothing and healing application for poisonous bites already received."

Thank you for this entertaining read! Has anyone actually made this recently and are there any known health hazards associated with it? Just curious more than anything else but sometimes a little old world concoction is better than the new world science mixtures.

[Woodly]

Pennyroyal oil is highly toxic when ingested, causing damage to the liver. I don't know if it is toxic applied to the skin but I have to wonder.
There are a lot of unanswered questions about pine tar but it is still used for medical purposes. If it is 'pure' and does not contain 'Creosote' [and it may], its probably safe.
Apply all the above to one's clothes and one should be safe.

[Bret]

I'm a writer for the State University of New York in Potsdam. I am working on a 50th anniversary piece on Douglas Legg for Adirondack Life Magazine. I've had some personal experiences with SAR out west, but nothing here. Any chance you'd be willing to talk to me about what you remember?
Thanks,
Bret
yagerbh@potsdam.edu

[Bret]

Originally Posted by pterrie

I was a counselor at a camp on Long Lake when Doug Legg disappeared, and I spent a long, chilly, rainy day on the search, in a group led by a member of the faculty--Rainer Brock, I think--at the Huntington Wildlife Forest. The whole affair was indeed a media event, unlike anything that has happened before or since in Newcomb. Given the roughness of the terrain, I think the search was quite effectively run. Hundreds, maybe thousands, of acres of dense forest were closely examined. I've been back to the Santanoni Preserve several times since then and have always thought the kid probably drowned very close to where he was last seen; there are many small ponds and wetlands on the property, close to the main camp. I also remember the rumors that quickly began circulating--that Doug was murdered by some adult in the family or that the whole thing was a fraud, staged by the family hoping the publicity would increase the value of the property. I find both of these notions ridiculous. The poor child wandered off into the woods, and his family was crushed.

Phil Terrie

Hi Phil,
This thread is so old this is a long shot, but I'm a writer for SUNY Potsdam and I'm working up an article for Adirondack Life Magazine about Douglass Legg. The case turns 50 next year. Any chance you'd be willing to talk to me about your experience?
Thanks,
Bret
yagerbh@potsdam.edu

[Woodly]

I recall Green Beret were part of the Search. They worked in their own team/s. They did some night searches. Also infra-red was used out of helicopters as occasional large rocks giving off heat were mapped and searched.

[Wldrns]

My understanding is that many of the SAR procedures and techniques that we do as normal practice today were developed during the Legg search. Type I, II, and III field formations of searchers and the rules and policies we follow instead of just allowing out untrained crowds of boot pounders with little regard to formalized incident planning without designation and coverage of geographic search blocks, clue finding and handling, and documentation.