The Portland daily press., 1868-05-18

ANNAiCH rum SAOWhtSuus
SKowHEGAN, May 16, 1868.
To heEditor Of the Press:
This village, embracing what was once
Skowhegan and Bloomfield, now ranks
among the most onterprising, wide-awake
thriving villages in the State. 1t seems to
have become fully aware of the fact that it
possesses facilities for business that are unsur-
passed and it is bound to improve them. 1t
is now, as it ought not to be, the terminus of
the Portland and Kennebec railroad, where
an immense quantaty of freight is received
and sent away every day, a large amount of
it coming from and going to the towns north
fit
large and elegant Town Hall is nearly
completed which will seat about 1900 persons.
1t has gallery on three sides and rooms for
town officers and for retiring rooms. Under
the Hall are eight large stores, and Masonic
Hall over it. The water power at this village
is sufficient to run all the machinery at Low
ell or Lawrence besides what is now propelled
by it, There are four churches, an academy,
about sixty stores and three hotels, promi-
nent among which stands the
BREWSTER HOTEL.
The hotel accommodations in this village
may have been in years past as good as in
most places of its size, but the impression was
quite general that a first class hotel would be
well patronized by gentlemen from Portland
Boston and New York, who usually seek
summer home for themselves and families
where the scenery is attractive, the water
pure and the air invigorating. Mr. Brewster.
formerly OF the international Hotel in Port
land, entertaining the same belief, commence
ed early in the spring of 67 to erect house
that should be in respect inferior to the
best in the State, which was completed in
November last and is now in full tide of suc
cessful operation. II is 100 feet on Madison
street. and 10 feet on Elm street, four stories
high, with ore hundred and five rooms, all fin
lshed and furnished in an elegant manner
There are in the basement, on Madison street,
seven large and commodious stores.
The house being entirely new and the fur
nature and carpets of recent purchase, and is
exempt from the annoyances that so freauent-
ly trouble the nervous and suspicious visitors
OF hotels. 1t IS situated on the east bank of
the hennebec, affording a fine view of that
beautiful river for miles each way with the
magnificent fall of water nearly opposte
which has been the admiration of VISITORS
Persons seeking summer resort combining
beauty oflocation, quietness, good accommoda-
tions, large and airy rooms, and tables loaded
with all the iuxuries of country and city, with
hshlng ponds without number i'm the vicinity
and other amusements in abundance will find
the Brewster Hotel just til place for them.
There is no hotel in the city or country, with
IN my knowledge, better managed for the COM
fort and convenience of those who are travel
ling for health, pleasure or business than
this
PAPER MANUFACTORY.
Messrs. X. e. Lyon & Co. commenced man
ufacturing printing paper in this village, then
Bloomfield, about fourteen years ago The
senior member of the firm has served a
regular apprenticeship at the business, hav-
ing been connected with paper mills from the
time he was twelve years of age, and was of
the well known firm of Day & Lyon, Cumber-
land Mills. This firm is now employing from
twenty to twenty-five hands, and turns out
nearly ton of paper a day The Portland
Transcript. lions Hersld, Boston, Wing and
Courier, Bangor, Banner and Farmer, Angus
ia, and several other papers in Maine are sup
piled from this establishment. They also man.
ufacture book paper for Boston and Portland
markets. They require about 400 cords of wood
a year for generating steam and heating the
buildings. The paper manufactured at this
establishment under the immediate SUPER
vision OF MIR. r. e. Lyon and his son. who
are thoroughly informed in every department
OF the business, is always found TO be fully up
to contract. The firm has long since estab-
lished reputation for promptness and fair
dealing, which secures for it first class busi-
ness at remunerative prices
OIL CLOTH AND CARPET MANUFAcroRY.
On the west side of the river, a short dis
tance from its banks, is the oil cloth carpet
mandatory of Mr.. G. M. Bailey, whose fame
as q manufacturer of this kind of goods is
world wide. Persons whose knowledge of this
kind of carpeting is conf ned to putting down
and taking up carpet once year would be
very much interested in passing through this
establishment as 1 had the pleasure of doing
to-day.
The foundation of oil cloth carpeting is
what is called "burlap." 1t is imported from
Scotland, of the required width, from three
quarters of yard to eight yards. 1t is a mix
ture Of hemp and iute and as the material is
very cheap and the labor for females twelve
and a half cents and males twenty five cents
per day, it is manufactured. much cheaper
than it could be done in this country This
cloth is run through rollers and smoothed,
then run through again and starched, this es-
tablishment using Is barrels of -four and nine
barrels OF glue week for that purpose. 1t is
then sarched on rollers after being dried, cut
into twenty-five yard pieces and run through
rollers second time to receive the different
coats of paint. 1t is then dried when it goes
through the hands of the printer to receive
the different figures and colors Each piece of
carpeting passes through some seventy-five
different processes before it goes into market.
About 400 pieces of % yards each are made
| per week, giving employment to between for
| ty and fifty hands. There are two buildings
| 12O feet by fifty, each with floors and sever
al smaller buildings, for packing, storing &C.
Mr. Bailey is the most extensive oil cloth
carpet manufacturer in the world, and has
| been successful where others have lost
money. He understands every department of
the business and buys and sells on the best
terms. Mr.. j. w. Bailey has charge of the
| mandatory in this village who has also bean
brought up to the business and has practical
knowledge of it, which is Indispensable whan
| success is expected.
shall give more particular account of the
business OF the village in another letter. G.
NEW MUsIc.-Oliyer Ditson & Co., Boston,
nave published new and pleasing ballad,
Inc Eye that brightens when come, the
WoruS Oelng adapted to the favorite Belgra-