The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1871-11-14

flourish best at places distant from the marts
If distribution. But the policy of the Maine
'aroads has been almost uniformly such as
o render manufacturing in the State less easy
and remunerative than it is abroad. Undue
and unnatural advantages have been given
or manufacturing outside of the State, by
or denying for home operations
those facilities to which they are naturally
and geographically entitled. With the ex-
ception of one or two short lines, like the
Portland & Rochester road, and the old Ban
gor & Odtown road, every road in Maine
has been run in utter disregard OF local claims,
local business and local interests. OF course
without such accommodations as were needed
on the lines of railroads, business languished,
or was transferred to Massachusetts, where
the accommodation Of local traffic and the
cultivation of local industries have always
been most sedulously and most wisely attend
ed to. By this policy Massachusetts obtain
ed in the last decade large increase of pop
ulation and wealth; by its neglect, Maine
has been compelled to look upon her railroads
parture of both from her limits. This may
be paying business while it lasts, but it can
not last always. This policy of the roads
will in the end prove to be as disastrous to
the railroad companies as it is injurious to
the State. A policy which increases the num-
bers of her people and deveopes her re-
sources, will enlarge the traffic of the rail-
roads while one which, by depopulating the
State, checks her development and growth
in wealth, must in the end diminish that
traffic.
To-day, am informed, that very consider
able manufacturing industries in this city
suffer from the fact that their wares cannot
be sent TO the West and will not be purchased
for that purpose, simply because, it is said
transportation is against Portland. The
same articles can be sent from New York,
and even from Boston, cheaper than they
can be from Portland. Result: The goods
are purchased in New York and Portland,
and the Portland enterprise suffers. Now,
this is wrong, and shamefully wrong. Every
one knows that if goods can be transported
by railroad at given rate from Boston to
Chicago, the Grand Trunk Railway can afford
to send them from Portland to Chicago at as
small rate at least. If the Grand Trunk
would but adopt policy in regard to Port
land and Portland business, such as the New
York Central railroad pursues in respect to
the trade of the city of New York, not only
If ,f.o H.
begin to prosper, and new ones to be estab-
lished, but our commerce in twelvemonth
would be quadrupled. The result would be
as favorable to the interests of the railway as
it would be to those of our city. And re-
joice to believe that there is reason to hope
that these views are beginning to receive favor
from the managers of this great Company,
and that its future policy will be one of which
our merchants will have little cause to COM
plain. I would respectfully commend this
matter to the earnest and immediate consid
Grafton of the Board Of Trade Committee on
Railroads and Steamboats,. But, wish l
could see any CLEAN of light or hope from
the action or policy of the lgreat railroad of
our own State-the Maine Central From the
rates of traffic recently given in the PRESS,
and from its policy as declared in its recent
advertisement of trains. Portland is no
more regarded than Falmouth or Herman
Pond. This is literally a FLAG STATION.
That the largest commercial and bust
ness centre in the State-a city with
its immediate environs) Of more than
10000 people = should be denied, by its
principal railroad, connection by ordinary
passenger trains with the country around it,
and upon which its trade must largely de-
pend, until one o'clock in the afternoon, and
then only by the same train that takes with
it passengers of the same day from Boston
and farther west, is what, it is safe to say, no
other city of its size and position in the Uni.
ted States would be required 10 submit to,
and what no other city would submit to-
- There is no toacn upon any railroad line
aoithin $50 miles of Portland, aenaca ner ousg-
ness men should not be able to reach, and
from arhich they could not return on the same
day, leaUing a fen hours for the transaction
of business therein, and there is no such toaun
from which a business man should not be able
to come to Portland, transact business and
return to his home in single day.
Now, Mr. Editor, ii is worse than idle to
talk about building up Portland, or the State,
so long as the policy of our railways shall be
such as must from the very nature of things
prevent this contamination. There is capital
enterprise and energy in Portland which need
only fair play. Portland asks, the State of
Maine desires, and both are entitled to receive
FAIR PLAY, from corporations which have
been built by their capital and exist within
their boundaries. They ask for no
Determinations in their favor and they have
RICH. to insist that none shall be made
against them.
The able and wealthy citizens of Portland
who are in the direction of the Maine Cen
trial road, would doubtless be glad if that road
could be SO managed as to promote the inter
ests of their own city. But they are mi
nority in that Board, and without public
opinion to support and strengthen them, they
cannot be expected 10 be able to effect modi.
fication of the policy to which majority
seems to be SO firmly committed. O.P.C.
Early History of the Kiitery Navy Yard.
KITTERY, Nov. 11,h, 1871.
To the Editor Of the Press:
propose to give you some sketches of the
early history Of the U. S. Nary Yard located
in this town, and OF the war vessels that have
been built here and in Portsmouth, N. III. In
the annals of Portsmouth,, find
that there was built, on what was then known
as Rndge's wharf, now known as Railroad
wharf, frigate called the Raleigh, of 80 guns.
Messrs. Hackett, Hill and Paul, were the mas
ter builders. In sixty days from the time her
keel was laid her hull was completed aud she
was launched. This occurred on May 21st
1776. In November of the same year, Con-
gress ordered the building of three seventy.
fours, and the following year the keel of one
of them was laid on Badgers Island, little
below, and nearly opposite where the Raleigh
was built. This ship was named America, and
was the heaviest ship ever laid down on this
Continent, and the first ever builG by the con-
federated Colonies, after the "little UNPLEASANT
aess' with the mother country. On the 23l of
June, 1879, Congress unanimously selected
'oHu L aui ooHtS u COmmduO 0eT. Jones pro- |
'eeded to Portsmouth and found that the ship |
was not half built, neither was there timber |
ron, or any other material to complete her.
Money would have procured the necessary
articles, but as in later days. the Navy Yard a.
Charlestown had taken the hons share, and |
unds that the Minister of Finance had des- |
ined for the America, had been spent there
In the summer of 1882, the Magnitude. a |