The Union and journal. [volume] (Biddeford, Me.) 1858-1882, 1863-11-06
NORM BERWICK, Oct. 3lst.

NoRrn BERWICK, Oct. 3lst.
Placing sufficient guard over the Jour
nal Office in the person OF our "sub," in or
der to prevent any sudden raid or surprise,
We yesterday afternoon pushed reconnois-
sanco to this place, moro for the purpose OF
discovering friends than enemies; and so
last evening found us tho guest of John Il.
Hobbs, Esq, and his amiablc lady.
Stopping from the cars where ut the time
the railroad was bdilt were only few
houses. one now finds himself in pretty
thriving village with many pleasant resi-
dences, four stores, Bank, iron-foundry,
shoe shops, four mills for grain and lumber,
two plow manufactures, a tannery, WOODEN
mill, steam mill, &c. Tho villagers may
well take pride in their nice school house,
situated as it il in desirable locality, two
stories high, painted and blinded, warmed
by u furnace and provided with modern i'm
proved furniture throughout. 1t was re-
Gently built at a cost of $4,000, and we
thought that other things being equal, teach
ing in that school house was comparatively
easy. Our feet always ache with the cold
when we think Of ourSclf rs u pcdagogus,
in woo bcsone old ark n few miles below
Bath, trying to teach siSty.ivc young IDEAS,
sayo when tho teeth of master and pupi!
chartered with tho cold. But we had one
satishction-our nfrnary was well ycntila-
ted. Since then, il any OF those aforemcn-
toned IDEAS have shot wide Of the mark. tho
tenizens of that locality may think it a hap
py circumstance that they were able to shoot
at all, npped rs they were by the lrOst, and
drowned by the flood
The Newichawonock river, also called
Great Works, taking its rise near Benny
Big, flows through the place ailording am
plc water power for several small mills and
the larger one owned by the North Berwick
Company, which mill was built last year
upon the site Of tho one destroyed by fro
two wears ago. Ii is of brick, Ill l20 feet,
four stories high, and cost $4,000. Ii is
devoted to the manufacture of WOODEN goods,
blankets and flanncls, though now tho Com
pany make only indigo blue mixed twills,
and plain white cotton warps, and on these
employ thirty broad looms. They formerly
manufactured Blankets, used for printing
delaincs. calicoes and lawns, but since tho
small amount Of prints. used, owing to the
high price of cotton, they have turned their
entire attention to flannels. The blankets
mentioned were woven 10 yds long and
ycls wide, and then lulled to 80 yds long and
"a inches wide, weighing two pounds to the
yard, by which data some idea OF its COM
pactncss may be known. The machinery is
new and consists OF four sets.
In company with the gen'lcmanly Agent,
William Hobbs, we visited the mill, and
found every thing in perfect order, and ad-
mirably arranged. The Picker is in per-
fcctly frc-prOof room in tho basement, with
a well arranged mode of keeping the picker
Us free from dust US it can be; from thence
wo pass into the securing, pulling and nap
ping room, thence to the finishing and baling
roou-all in the basement. The drying
room Tor the goods is in the attic, and the
room Tor drying the wool is in tho attic
above tho aitic--ii anybody knows where
that is. However the cloth dryer is also
used for wool drying. In this attic under
tho roof there Is q largo water tank from
which is taken the water used in tho mill
and which serves us reservoir for the vii.
lago. Seventy hands are employed. The Ox.
else tax Of last month was Sl40o. ThOy
manufacture 1900 yards Of cloth per day.
We visited tho steam box mill Of VIM.
Z. Taber and Co.. where ars manufactured