The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1863-05-20
Letter from the Shipbuiiding City.


for their prudent disregard of all dazzling
schemes for the uddenaccumulatior of wealth,
eschew lotteries, ignore everything savoring
of chance, and pride themselves upon the
even tenor of their ways. When, in 1884
and 5, the Eastern Land speculation turned
the heads of SO many, and caused SO many
people to fancy themselves rich without hav-
ing complied with the memorable conditions of
success, the Bathites remained as cool as so
many cucumbers-as Bathers usually do-did
not take on the prevailing epidemic, and thus
saved their credit, their feelings and their
money. This fact, so natural a result of the
ruling spirit and habits of the people, some
were disposed to attribute to the superior in
telligence, shrewdness and foresight of the
business men; and the generations succeeding
those sagacious seers have since, seemingly,
acted upon the idea that every enterprise and
every project not squaring with the crystal
lied habits of the city, should be ignored as
the sure harbinger OF ruin. Their fathers
carried a stone in one end of the bag to bal
lance the grist in the other, aud why shouldn't
the children? This is prudence-a prudent
and cautious disregard of all new-fangled no.
tions which might turn the heads of the peo-
pie, and divert their attention from the great
object of mans creation, to wit-the con-
struction of ships,-for, be 1t known, in some
of the circles of the city the Assemblys Cat
echism has been so amended as to read, in an
swer to the question "What is the chief end
e IT,, b,,;lJ
their remittances foreverw
The people of Bath tell you-those Of them
who have been "to the manner born"-that
when God created the world he was particu-
larry prodigal in his lavors to this locality.
The noble Kennebec river, draining one of the
most fertile valleys on the continent, at this
point widens so as to become an arm of the
sea, and is nayigable from the ocean to the
city-a dozen miles-for the largest ships in
our navy, and for thirty miles farther up-al-
most to the very heart OF the StateA-for
steamers of large class. In front of the city,
for two miles in length, the river is half a
mile broad, and so deep and so free from OF
structions that frigate might swing at her
anchors at almost any point, and this deep
water may be reached by wharyes extended
from thirty to sixty feet riverward, and the
harbor seldom freezes even in the most Siberian
winters. The natural facilities for easy COM
municaton with the line of populous shore
towns for forty miles eastward are unsur-
passed, and then the wild, rolicking Andro-
scoggin, after leaping precipice after precipice,
thus developing water power sufficient to
put in motion the combined machinery Of the
Universe, tumbles its waters, as it might its
manufactured wares into the very lap of the
town. With such natural advantages, to
which the Bathiies point the stranger with
lily disguised though honestpride, what should
hinder the development and growth of city
that might forever cause the people OF the
natural seaport" to hang their diminished
heads, and to envy their more fortunate neigh
bors, located thirty miles nearer the genial
regions of the rising sun! What should
hinder, sure enough?
Only the prudence referred TO, and the mod
esty withal, of the Bath people. When the
Creator has done SO much for their place, now
like presumption it would look in them to at
tempt improvement by their interference!
Why not trust him to complete an arrange.
Why paint the lily or perfume the rose!
Modesty and humility alike suggest that the
servants should keep "hands orr where the
Masterhas done so much!
Then prudence, too-and who win say it is
not virtue ?-comes in with her pleadngs,
and asks what positive assurance there is that
any attempt at improvement upon Gods
works by man will not iail-that it will pdyp
That the place is destined to grow, to become
great city, the mart of commerce for the
wondering eyes of the world to rest upon, and
to overshadow most other cities, no one seems
to doubt; only the ho,v, the tchen and the
means are involved in uncertainty; and so in
expectation of "the good time coming" when
the teeming population will be crowding for
more room, and each shall be crying to his
neighbor, like Jack Downing's growing pota-
toes-'lay over"-the rich old dons, full of
faith and iogyism, having spare lots and old
tumble down buildings on the eligible streets,
which they refuse to sell and neglect to i'm
prove, are waiting for that rise in prices which
an overgrown population is sure to force upon
real estate.
The same prudent avoidance OF waste is
seen largely developed on the river front of
the city. A mile OF wharves, with few bright
exceptions, show the effects of the mildew
and rot of age, and scarcely anything on the
river side of the city looks cheerful and life
like, save the shipyards. Upon these are Law
ished the wealth, the pride and the enterprise
of the town. do not vouch for all that is
said of the male population of the place; that
the native born boy babies are web-footed,
and are Graded in miniature ships, while their
rocking horses have prows instead of heads
and rudders for tails. 1t is doubtless true that
the young man looks forward to the time when
he shall model ship, or give his first order
from the quarterback. with feelings akin to
those with which the Nantucketer anticipates
striking his first whale. Every thing runs
upon keel. Everything smells of salt brine
and smacks Of a stiff breeze. Politicians natu-
rally mix up the country with commerce. The
lawyer posts himself in commercial and mari
time law. Apothecaries are always ready to
sell you medicine chest. On Change the
leading topics are the fluctuations in freight,
the rates of exchange and the price of
hackmatack.
Scandal-mongers and the profane do not
hesitate to say that the broad aisles and pews
in the popular churches show the usual num-
l