The Portland daily press., 1871-12-16
PRESS S.
SATURDAY MORNING, DEC. 1e, 1871.
written for the Daily Press.l
A Cruise in Maine.
BY JULIUS A. PALMER

lnere are some persons VINO must breathe
moistened air. Never did my own lungs in
hale diviner balsam than the SAVIOR of tn,
New Jersey Flats, after short sojourn be
tween the Sierras and the Rocky Mountains
So here's for few weeks vacation in til,
Dirigo State.
The old steamer "Menemon Sanford" ha:
lain her bones off Cape Ann.
Because she cannot rest in peace
Oh! let her rest in pieces"
For years before she finally foundered, il
used to be an interesting conjecture with me
as to whether should be sin at the death -
but alas! las Mark Twain would say), ]
bought tickets great many times, yet never
drew single prize. But now the Sanford
line has vastly improved. The name of one
OF the boats recalls the classic halls of Har-
ward; the other, the iron mountain where a
Salem merchant of the last generation, and a
Boston banker of the present time, each sunk
a generous fortune. Who speaks next for
the fee of the Katahdin Iron Works?
But here we are, in the cold gray of morn
ing on the Rockland pier. AS with half a
dozen more stages bound to interior towns
we start for our hotel, the lurid glare of some
half-open lime kiln reflects upon the coach,
or lights up the face of the burner; recalling
to our memory Hawthorne's weird tale of
Ethan Brand and the objectionable Sin.-
But more cheerful industry now makes
Rockland a thriving little city. Maine is en-
igrating to other States. Mind, not the peo-
pie of Maine, but the very State itself. Two
thousand men are cutting up the islands, and
numberless vessels are transporting those is
lands, in sections, to New York, Washing
ton, and other great cities. That is the fact,
although it might be generally called, ''quar-
rying granite" Be the name of the system
what it will, the fact remains, and the ex-
tent to which the work is prosecuted is a
great benefit to Rockland. The money of
the government, of contractors and builders,
finds its way into the pockets of the city
merchants, and the place has more wealthy
business appearance than any we saw in the
State. Oh! if each great center could be sur
rounded by liberal corps of producers =
then would questions of political economy,
of supply and demand, settle themselves,
trade and commerce find its Utopia.
All through the Sunday of our stay, the
sacriligious snort of the steam-whistle echoes
at intervals along the shores of the Bay.
The Knox and Lincoln Railroad is ap-
preaching completion, connecting the mouths
of the Penobscot and Kennebec Tuesday
we mount the Stage-coach box, and take a
look at Thomaston.
'It seems rather hard" says the weather.
beaten driver, "rather hard to give up the
reins. For eighteen years I've driven along this
coast-line, and Wednesday make my last
trip"
'The stage gives place to the rail car" 1
suggested.
"You see that nigh horse" said Jehu,
pointing with his whip, entirely regardless of
my remark, 'for twelve years he has not
missed trip or lost meal. Twenty miles a
day has been his regular work. He'll be taken
care of now, and put on somewhere else, for
he's mighty good horse yet, but men"
Here the driver paused, and gave a smart
crack to his long whip lash.
Thus has it ever been; the wheels of pro-
gress have carried many onward to fame and
fortune, but con. crvatism and its devotees
have been martyred beneath the roll of the
triumphal car. Yet the elastic genius of man.
kind is equal to every emergency. The lime
business stacks in Rockland, but the granite
quarries are opened. The fine ships of the
olden time no longer slide from the ways at
ThOmaston, but the shoe manufactures are
creeping in.
Yes! once as the morning haze lifted, as
now, over Belfast Bay, into which we are
are steaming this morning, on the banks yon-
der, might have been seen the skeleton OF
more than one vessel, often of the largest
size; but now the yards are silent and here
and there, along the rivers of Maine, stray
schooner alone bears witness to the existence
of this neglected branch of our national in
dustry. Yet the city has grown. Although
the building of a railroad between Belfast
and Burnham severely taxes the resources OF
smaller traders, yet many new blocks of stores
bear witness to its prosperity.
''Why was the thirty or forty miles of rail-
road such strain to you?" we asked.
"Well, you see," exclaimed our informant,
as he weighed out "a quarter of tea," "every-
body went back on u.s.
"How so?''
Why the towns along the line subscribed
to the stock so much each. We commenced
the road. Then they refused to pay up, re-
pealed their votes, and the rich folks of this
city wouldn't help us through"
$50 the road was built by men of limited
means.''
Exactly, and its made Us hard up"
Now,I pitied my friend s pocket, but ther
the railroad is great improvement over the
old way of foundering in the mud half day
between Belfast and Bangor. 1t is now leas-
ed to the Maine Central, paying scarce simple
interest to the stockholders. But from the
regions made glad by the late Presidential
tour to the 'B. & NJ extension Maine is lit
tie wild on railroads of late
Found the city of Bangor fearfully exer-
cised over one of the peculiarities of Ameri-
can advertising. In anticipation of the crowd
who should welcome the President on his re.
cent visit, the fences, telegraph-poles, curb
stones, and every available spot had beer
plastered over with the posters of vender O
quack medicine. The municipality were
justly indignant over the defilement of the
beauty of their city on such an occasion, but
it may be questioned whether this very hue
and cry, with threat of prosecution, was moi
the best advertisement the quack-doctol
could have designed.
The face of the country between Bangor
and Waterville is about as uninviting trac
of land as the eye of the farmer could rest up
on. Barren, rocky, and uneven; rendered
perhaps, more forbidding in appearance thai
it deserves by those fantastic stump fences, i
shows what the Anglo-Saxon race will con
tend with, to establish for themselves foot
hold, and thus to form, even in nature
wilds,-a home.
But Waterville is a charming little village
1t has that air of quiet refinement which be
longs to places selected for the seat of institu
tions for culture and education, and l fee
sure that better acquaintance with some o
the inmates Of these neat residences, woult
establish the truth of my impressions. Indeed
l may speak from past experience in this re
spect.
On that triangle yonder, was once situate
"The Elmwood," as cozy little country inl
as ever served hot supper for the wear.
traveller. (Should you wish an admirable
description of such tavern, read in the at