The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1869-11-23
DAILY PRESS.
Tuesday Morning, November 23, 1869.
[From our regular correspondent.l
The old COanonwenI.
BOSTON, Nov. 1G, 1859
PORTLAND

The Old Co amOnweaI
Boston, Nov. 1G. 1859
10 the Editor of The Press:
THE OLD COLONY RAILROAD.
We took ,he early train yesterday mornin5
for the city OF 'brick and berrin." We b d
our choice of two routes and took The "OId
colony and Newport" because the most di
rect and agreeable. This road has expended
money very lavishly, but wisely we think, the
past few years for the erection of new aud
more commodious freight aud passenger dc
pots and the improve ment of its rolling stock
Their new passenger depot in Boston, 90 ee-
land street is one of the erandesJ aud mOt
edifces of the kind in the county
An immense amount of business, both in tue
Lransp .rtation OF passengers and freight, ia
carried on by this road and it is likely to be
one of the best paying lines in the Udi "a
States. Twenty-one regular passenger t.aias
leave Boston on this road daily. besides u Iuy
freight trains consisting, sonnet. mes of fny
cars. BY this route to New York, passengers
have but 46 miles 10 ride in the cars from Bps-
Gon, and they embark on the SteamO Jat ~ Fall
River at seven o'c ock in the evening Tne
road is under the management OF the very able
aud accomplished superintendent, w III.
one. the Continuous rail- used on this road
making our seat about as com Portable and
steady as an easy chair in our own pArior
SUBURBAN TOWNS.
We are wbrled along through South Bos-
ton, Dorchester or the new Ward Sweet six
teen, then the ancient town of .Quiucy ceie-
grated for its granite quarrles aud tor beiug
the birth place of the Adamses, the Quincys, OF
John Hancock and many less emlneut persoo-
ages; next come Braintree, Stonghton aud
Randolph, the latter a thriving, popu IoGs vii
Iage, great "shoe place" and cOu5tquenty
stronghold of the Crispins; then Norm E tston
the home of Congressman Ames, the railroad
aIng and agricultural implement manu- actur-
IT, and, last, aud probably least, the sw,mDy,
sandy, insignificant patch, incorporated undsr
the name of Rayuham We hI leadeu ky
above aud just snow enough beneath to whiten
the landscape and give it a wintry asp CT
TOPOGRAPHY OF THE COUNTRY
The country Tor the most part is nearly level,
though occasionally slight elevation enables
one to look around. The scenes from the car
windows were very picturesque and beautiful,
as We looked out upon hue farms aud quainS,
though comfortable loosing farm houses, sur
rounded by lordly elms, huge and spec raj in
the gray light of morning; now we are whlrled
through groves OF straight young oaks dressed
n their robes OF ermlne. with here and there a
cluster of pines, whose dark forms, be priDkled
with snow, seemed fitting emblems OF the
stern old Pilgrims, msjestically wrapped in
their sombre mantles, deIyng the assdul of
famine and the Winters storm. Another re.
hinder that we are in the land OF the Pui-
lans, is the school house, on the hill
side yonder, not red, tut yellow. What
IN inevitable Institution that isl How
much better they make them now than
m days of yore! But new school hou e. must
nave new styles of teaching. or they will not
mount to much. However, we must not stop
% moralze or attempt description of the
route, for the brakeman opens the door and
roars in thunder tones:
TAUNTON.
He did not add. "good Lord" though IL
would have sounded very natural, and w.u'd
nave been pardonabe this year, as the catch of
nerrin,' so we are informed, has been very slim
But here we are among the artisans. 50 mites
rom Boston, II from Fall River, 20 from New
Bedford, and IS from Providence. With all of
which places it is connected by rail.
Taunton is sometimes facetiously called the
city of brick and herrin," but that has ceisad
to be an appropriate sobrquet. These two
products We're once of paramount importa q
70 the people, but they have become so over
>hadowed by the growth and value Of other
branches of industry, that they now only
serve for q joke.
Taunton was settled in 1859 aud was inc1r.
porated as city in 1864. IL is situated on
Taunton river which is navig tbe for veSses
If 500 tons bnrthen to Dighton, miles below
The city, from which place merchandise is
brought up in lighters, or on the railroad. Tue
city consists OF one very large village and sew
sral smaller ones, scattered over an immense
erritory, so that no one, on entering the place.
would suspect the vast amount aud almost
endless variety of its manufactures. 1t is real
V a very remarkable Illustration of th4 i'm
Dortance of manufactures u our New EnglapS
owns. We can never vie with the Wra,siog
;otton, molAsses and sugar; bp5, "u tu9 o.uel
land that section can neye>Tr,n IN va d US lu u inu-
'acturng the raw mate'th 1g 'terbora' Me- Vent
bat;. !. n,"ra anssssible from the -aa-shore.
IT'S soil ia ert->mely sterile; it is not stu at
ID in ono of the great trade centres like
Worces1r, or Springfield; its advintagss tor
ways. power, the peculiar gift of New Eng-
I.ad, are very limited, its factories running
1artly by steam.
Yet, with all these drawbacks, it is QUE of
he most aourishng, opulent, energetic cities
oflts products it is only surpassed by Bo-tou.
Why? Because it has the right kind OF men
in the right kinds of business,
HER MANUFACTURES.
At a $40 gait We We're driven 10 the Mason
Locomotive Works, established and owned 10y
William Mason, E O., TO see the 'bgeesl 10 ng''
irst, as s. termed II; 'for' said be "we make
verythlug here from tack tC a locomotive"
Two new aud magn fceut iocomotva, stood
~ ths track just ready to leave They were
models OF beauty and grace as well as power,
showing it to be possible TO incorp rae these
they looked very different from the uor,fd
monsters sometimes seen on the rails. We
saw Mr.. Mason, who was once "bobbin boy"
hen blacksmith, and now millionaire, seat
ID in the elegant aud spacious couhtiug
room of his establishment Notwithstanding
lis vast wealth, he is still a genial and kind
hearted gentleman. In person he is above
he middle height, slightly gray aud has
very dastiaQue appearance. FIom his Super
ntendent W. FL. Bent E.q, We obtained the
facts.
Tie establishment turns ont LOGON ltlves,
car-wheels and cotton and " 90 en- mach inery,
Zach of which is carried on as a separate and
distinct business. One locomotive a week,
which sells for $14, 900, is the ordinary produc
ton.
They employ 700 hands, and the annual pro
iuct of the establishment exceeds million OF
Iollars. This one of the iew rea ly remsrka-
ole manufactures in America was established
n 1S45. We must not omit to men ioo that
Mr.. Mason was the inventor of the self-acting
cotton mule
To see the Smallest thing got up there, we
visited the tack manu- actory OF A. Fed &
Sons. The name of the firm rema n. the
.ame, although the founder, Albert Field,
Esq, has been dead nearly year. This estso-
was started in 1927, and Is said TO be
the Oldest and most extensive of its kind 10
the United States They employ 800 h,nds
and do business amounting 70 500 900
annually. Mr.. +. was pioneer in this onsi-
uess, an enterprislng man, genial, kind
hearted companion, and a good friend TO the
poor.
: In this establishment every kind of tack
and brad and nail is made. We we're very
much amused at the operation of the tack ma
chimes. A long rod is placed in the machine,
which cuts it off into bits of the right length,
catches it, squeezes up head and drops it iu-
to a common receptacle. II is very fascinating
% look at, and one stands gazing with wonder
at the skiflful manipulation which the rod re-
ceives from an inauimate machine, But we
must not linger. A drive Of two mics takes
Us to the Whttendon Manufacturing Co.
Their mills are for the manufdcture of cotton
goods. They employ 1000 hands ruu 35 600
Spindles, and consume Annually over 20C0 900
pounds of raw cottoa. The numerous ueas
and comfortable looking CO tages connected
with their mills are highly creditable to the
We must look iuto The establ sh-
ment OF Read s, Barton, manufacturers Of
and Eiectro-Plated Wares.
This is one of the most extensive o. The class
in the country, and their wares are pot sur
passed BY any. Mr.. Barton deceased about
year ago. He and Mr. Read were once sp-
prentlces in another shop in town, and woen
MIR. Barton died his property was estmlIe at
nearly $1,000 The business - now .i eaItieu
on under the same name DV tne sukrN us
partner 1t is quite singular tnas All tue
wealthy men OF Taunton were onoe % o2 po1. 10y
If any poor boy reads '5Isi ire,,;s ire
NV W. a,erv reluctantly turn away from the
rows of castors, vases, cdbe-baskets,
sn'n nts SC regrettiDg to leave so many good
e1r,ps behind, but cousolng ourselves with
tba reflection that they weren't solid
There are many other factories in thN city
wbch we could not visit. Among tht m We
may mention the Taunton Locomotive Manu-
n