The Union and journal. [volume] (Biddeford, Me.) 1858-1882, 1863-04-03
Letter from Kittery.
KIrrrnY, March Goth, 1863.

DEAR UNION AND JouRNAL:-We in this part
Of the county who are subscribers to your pa
per. often read Of "doings" and "things' IN
other portions Of the county. but seldom sec
anything about ourselves, although we are by
no means insignificant" either in population
political importance or business activity. Eve
don't mean the above,as Artemas Ward calls IT,
as "sarkasum' on your paper, but rather rs
"goak') This old town Of Kittcry ranks,
think, third in the county in population-Sacoo
and Biddeford ranking first and second. There
Is large amount Of business done in the U.
s. Navy Yard here where about 1000 hands are
employed in the different departments, to whom
monthly there is disbursed some $4,000. to
800 900. or course this sum is divided
among employees who come from great many
places, aside from those resident in Kittery,
Elliot, York and Portsmouth. If you could
witness the long and minute schedule Of labor
performed within the past twenty-four months,
at the Kittery Navy Yard, you would conclude
that something had been going on. would
give you sketch with pleasure, and doubt
not 1t would be interesting to your readers, but
such information is "contraband" by order Of
Secretary welles, and forbear. Yet 1t is
somewhat source Of pride to know that in
the limits of this county is located an immense
yard of some seventy acres, containing mo-
chine-shops, smitheries, ship-houses, armories
SC, &c., where work is almost necessarily car
ricd on, day and night giving employment to
men from Kittery, York, Elliot, South and
North Berwick, Wells, Kennebunk, Kenne-
bunkport, Biddeford, Saco, Hollis, Lyman,
Buxton, Alfred, and other towns over the State
some from Pixies district, away down to
Calais, and large number from the Penobscot
and the Kenncbec. Then to our New Hamp-
shire neighbors across the water the benifit Is
equal. especially to Portsmouth folks, who by
the way. claim that this yard is located in
Portsmouth, and is the Portsmouth Navy
Yard" although the distance from the nearest
point in Portsmouth on an air line across the
water to the yard is one mile; while the shortest
distance by land from Portsmouth to the yard,
anu ONcT " HiSu-EutC tOi-biiuSO ~ thut, ~
least two miles. The nearest point from the
Kittery side to the yard is about the distance
that the undersigned could throw stone. -
But some few of the good people of p. are
quite sensitive upon the point whether this is
the Portsmouth or Kittcry Navy Yard. A few
facts would seem to settle the matter. The
island on which the yard is located was part
of the Province of Maine, and when that island
was ceded to the United States, New Hampshire
had no more to do with the cession than Texas
or Florida. The island is separated from the
Kittery shore only by a narrow stream not
more than 20 rods in width, while between the
island and Portsmouth runs the main channel
of the Piscataqua and the full width OF the
river, the narrowcst part of which as before
remarked, is not less than 800 rods between the
yard and Portsmouth. The island is connected
with the Maine, or kittery side by bridge
We have heard of vessel chartered with a
government cargo for Portsmouth Navy Yard,
Portsmouth N. H." and on arriving at p. the
Capt. declared that he saw no navy yard in
Portsmouth. and the Government Agent at last
was Obliged to pay him some $500 moro ON
the freight to induce him to take his vessel
across the river and land his cargo at the yard.
But it is argued that the navy yard is within
the collection District of Portsmouth" and
therefore it is called, and rightly too, Ports
mouth Navy Yard. On this theory let US sup
pose that Congress should add Kittery and
York to the Collection District OF Kenncbunk,
(Which is by no means improbable) then of
course this navy yard would DO called ken
nebunk Navy Yard" although Kennebunk Is
twenty-five or thirty miles distant from here
This is queer argument to prove that this is
Portsmouth Navy Yard, and yet 1t is the strong
est of all the arguments which they adduce.
Persons not acquainted with this locality
generally suppose this to be the truth. And
why, There are no newspapers published in
Kittery, while in Portsmouth there are two or
three, and those papers invariably speak Of
this as the Portsmouth Navy Yard" ex-
changes copy the same, not knowing or think
ing or earring about the locality. Therefore
whenever strangers are required here in the
yard, they take tickets and checks for Ports.
mouth, supposing they arc going "close by"
the navy yard, but on arriving at Portsmouth
they may possibly by borrowing spy-glass,
get birds-eye vtew of the navy yard In the
distance. A little information beforehand and
they would have taken passage for Kittery De-
pot, and saved difference in expence Of get
ting their tools to the yard, of some fifty or
seventy-fve cents, and time and convenience in |
the bargain.
More next week pgpvryr