Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1873-04-30

thoroughfare much frequented by travel, and
60 the sight of ships and steamers becomes as
familiar to our eyes as is the sight of wagons
and trnckteams to the denizens Of Water
street.
| I suppose the grandest sight one sees in
life time is a sunset on the ocean. Sunset as
seen from this island of a summers eve is in
deed magnificent sight. 1t is so placed,
however, that by the points of the compass
the main land skirts the western horizon and
so cold Sol instead of having the appear
ance, as it sometimes does, of sinking be.
meath the oceans waves, gradually disap-
pears beyond this narrow neck of land leav
ing the sky tinged with that rich golden hue
that enwraps the soul in serene wonderment
and amazement at the works of nature.
| AT times the ocean looks like a vast sheet
Of glare, semi-transparent ice; not ripple
is to be seen; not breath of air is string
the sky above is cloudless and the water be-
meath reflects its azure blue; the vessels just
drift along lazily with the tide, their white
wings spread ready to catch the merest breath
OF air. little fishing smacks are seen here and
there, anchored, perhaps fishing for cod, but
more likely for Holsters; the atmosphere it
self partakes of the stiffness of things and
seems to have a sort of magnifying power
and islands and points of land loom up that
before were invisible here and there on
some promontory, adding beauty and pictur-
sequences to the scene, is seen the ever well
come light house its white sides being the
sailors guide by day and its red, flashing, re-
: volving or stationary light. his guide by night.
Q But this picture may be changed, ay, and
+ that too in few short hours to that of the
grandest imaginable. This placid looking
o sheet of water may be dashed to fury; huge
. maddening waves roll up and with noisy splash
;, burst their white crests high up on the rock
- bound coast; the wind blow perfect hurri-
cane and scream and yell like demons in dis
% tress; the water look dark and forbidding and
n vessels caught out pitched and tossed along
~ over this and that wave at speed equaling
y, that of race horse. 1t is then that old Nep.
tune shows his power, it is then that old
-. ocean appalls in gazing at it in its mighty
. wrath
-' Our island, although scarcely more than q
- barren rock, is now, and has been for years, q
- busy beehive, there having been here al
III times as many two THOUSAND persons all
H. directly or indirectly working for the govern
u ment. Here was quarried and cut all the
It's stone for that immense granite structure, the
I'D Treasury Building at Washington, and here
I'd now is being quarried, cut and fni shed ready
OF 70 be hosted into place upon reaching its
es destination, the stone for the elegant and cos
5, ly New York Post Office and Court House
IN Building, which when completed will rival in
o. point of beauty and msgnifcence the Nation
al Capitol at Washington.
Do not imagine to yourselves anything like
a village here, with streets, stores and church,
in es. 1t is nothing of the kind. 1t is merely
e. fifty acres of granite principally owned by
e. one man, and he New Yorker. 1t isn't in
i'm Itself one, nor does it come under the head OF
RS any incorporated town or village, consequent
es ly its population is governed by no municipal
as laws, they simply obeying the rules and reg
n ulations as United States employees. But il
we are not village under an incorporated
:. charter we are in population but not other
wise. We are unlike village although hav-
ing quite number of houses from the fact
that everything seems to have been put up
~ for temporary use only; unlike other villages
> from the fact, come to day, gone tomorrow,
II a contract makes work and brings workmen;
o everything is driven pell-mell; contract fin
l. ished and all or nearly all are gone F.; it sub
s sides then into the stiffness and quietness Of
l. the Sabbath. Our streets are irregular and
= wind over the quarry and around that; a
e street may be twenty feet wide and it may be
+ eight rods, house here and house there
is are scattered about promiscnously. The
70 floating population of which our island is
z made up, and large proportion of whom by
the way are foreigners are mostly lodged and
= fed in three large boarding houses, the largegt
of these having a capacity for four hundred
i, men. The houses are respectively named
the Shamrock, Aberdeen and Dix Island
Houses. There are number of smaller
: houses some of them quite old and weather
beaten, two or three very pretty private resi-
dences, two stores belonging to the company,
) a convenient hall suitable for lectures, con-
i. certs and theatres, Of which we have our
share. This hall we also use for church
1 having preaching nearly every Sunday
: throughout the year A church fund is raised
= by subscription and an invitation extended to
= clergymen of all denominations in and out of
: the State to preach one or more Sundays to
: us at a stated amount per Sunday.
n Much more could be written about Dix
!. Island but l think have written enough to
$ enable the reader to form rough idea ofw what
we are like down here. In communication
9 forthcoming ! intend to enlarge somewhat
upon the beauties of the Penobscot waters.
DINE"
2 A Partisan gunmaker has the following no.
tice outside lis window 'To those disap-
l. pointed in love. great choice OF patent re-