The Vermont transcript. [volume] (St. Albans, Vt.) 1864-1870, 1868-03-13
Correspondence ofhe Vermont Transcript
LETTER from Near HAMPSHIRE.



The Portsmouth navy yard has oflate
heen a fertile subject of comment. In
the reduction which the navy is under
going, there have been five hundred
men dismissed from this yard within
the last three months, and each week
still adds to the number thus thrown
out of employ The Republicans say
that it is those Of their party who are
the sufferers, while the Democrats are
retained.
As the officers Of the navy are obliged
to serve under "the powers that be- it
IS their endeavor to be entirely indiffer-
emf TO party politics, and as a rule they
DO not vote. Commodore Landman.
the commanding officer at the navy
yard, has never voted, and it is the same
with most ofthe officers under him, and
they positively declare, that as it is obi
gatory TO diminish the number Of hands
the most skillful workmen are retained.
while the Indifferent ones are discharg-
ed without political distinction.
There is very little doing at the yard
just now, and it looks as dull and in a.
somnolcnt condition as before the war.
There is one ship III the house upon the
stocks; another launched and having
the machinery put in; and third is fit
ted waiting for her officers and crew.
The introduction of Knowlton's patent
bevel saw-for saving ship timbers-has
entirely revolutionized the mode of shin
building With this saw, the knees.
ribs, and all the timbers Of a ship are
sawn out at once, and hewing is IA thing
Of the past 1t accomplishes more work
in an hodr than a dozen men could do in
day.
The saw now in use at the yard,
is stationary and the table which
holds the timber is moved to any angle
required to follow lines ehalked upon
the wood: But the patentee has just OBJ
tanned a patent upon another saw, with
which the table will be stationary and
the saw itself will turn to suit any curve
or bevel desired for all the timbers and
planks Of the ship.
Arrangements have been made for in
Producing this new patent into the navy
yard here, and il will soon be in opera
ton. Mr.. Knowlton-am illwright and
machinist Of Philadelphia set up
tWenty-eight of these saws Of his, in the
United States; two in England, and
there is'one in Paris that has not yet re-
turned from the Exhibition, where it
was mentioned as being very ingeni-
ous' An American inventor con-
sidcrs Old Fogydom over the water,
slow in recognizing the importance Of
Western discoveries 4 very small
steamer makes number of trips daley
between Portsmouth and the navy yard,
so that many of the officers and men live
in the city and work upon the yard.
There arc quarters for some Of them
there and some OF the men live at Kit
terry, small town adjoining There
are now about a thousand hands en-
ployed
Among the great variety Of structures
in and about this city which have been
noted for connection with it, past his
tory, is one Of which wish TO write you
more particularly, as il is deserving Of
special prominence. 1t Is the oldest
brick house in the city, which at the
time Of its building, was scarcely sur
passed by any private residence in New
England.Itis situated on cornerof Daniel
and Chapel streets, and l. apparently as
sound, fresh and i'm as good repair a
Though it had been erected within TWEEN
'ty years. The work was commenced in
us, and finished in 1723, at an expense
of e6oo0 The massive walls, eighteen
inches thick are of brick which with
some of the other building materials,
were brought from Holland Hewn
stone at that time was not in use. The
brick work commences on the rough cell
lar walls. 1t il three stories in height
the third story having a gambrel roof
and Lutheran windows. The stories are
very high for the style of the time in
which it was built, the whole height Of
the building being about fifty feet The
protector and builder Of this mansion,
Capt. Archibald Macpheadris, was a
native of Scotland, member of the
Kings Council, and an opulent merchant.
At the head Of the stairs, on the space
each side Of the hall windows, there are
pictures Of two Indians, life size, highly
decorated and executed by a skillful ar
fist These pictures have always been
in view there, and are supposed to repre-
sent some with whom the original own
er traded in furs. In the lower hall of
the house are still displayed the enor-
nous antlers ofan elk, presentedto Capt.
NJ by the Indians.
Not long since the spacious front entry
underwent repairs. There had accumu-
lated four coatings of paper. In one
place on removing the under coating,
the picture of the hoof Of a horse was dis
covered.
This led TO further investigation-th
horse of life size was developed, and
little further work exhumed Governor
Phipps on his charger. The progress
of clearing the walls was now entered
upon in earnest, with as much interest
as if delving in the ruins of Pompeii.
The next discovery was that of lady
at a spinning wheel, ladies spun some
thing besides street yarn in those tines
who seems interrupted in her work by
hawk lighting among the chickens.
Then came a scripture scene, Abraham
offering up Isaac There is a distan
city scene and other sketches upon the
walls, covering perhaps four or five hum
dred square feet. The walls have been
very carefully cleared, and the whole
paintings, which are evidently the work
of some clever artist, are now presented
III THEIR original beauty.
No person living had any knowledge
Of the hidden paintings-they were as
novel to an old lady of eighty, who had
been familiar with the house from her
childhood, as to her grand daughter who
discovered the horses foot.
The rooms in the house are finished