The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1873-08-21
Notes of a Trip to Halifax.

To the Editor of the Portland Press
On my way to the boat on the 18th, 1 passed
fire in progress with in few feet of the spot
where the great fire of 1866 broke out on CON-
mercial street.-The Eastern railroad station
was gaily dressed with the U. S. Ensign in hon
or of the visit to Maine of the Soldiers Presi-
dent who has done so much to make it 'fast
color
always look into the engine room to see with
what satisfaction the engineer tries his engine
at the wharf, letting in just steam enough to run
up the FURNISHED piston rod cleaning in the
light and then with another motion of his bar
down it goes, seemingly, far enough to punch
hole through the misunderstanding his animal
like jockey before the final "start."
The train is in, and the engineer gets the
word "go' and the Falmouth moves proudly
down in front of the town whose ancient name
she bears. We soon come to the blackened
ruins of the boat wharves with the great mound
of 1900 bushels of corn still in place-the men
preparing to move it look like workers on an
ant hill.
The swift little Express whose brave cap
tain came promptly to the rescue of the drown
ing people from the ''Dirigo," is just running
ihlo LCl uoch, lull VI pdooCuScIo. ne CdStlc
like Fort Gorges and old Fort Preble stand
like grim sentinels at the gateway. At the fort
wharf lies the black hulk of the little Carlotta
which did not lose trip while on the Halifax
route last winter. She was worthy of better
fate if she was in mischief during the war. On
the Cushing Island shore lies the Montreal,
showing the bow and stern above water, the
iron side wheels and the rusty boiler still in
place. The work commenced on the new bat
terry near the light house begins to show. The
beacon light on Ram island ledge is new to me.
Halfway rock light house seems to have no sup
port but the water. Now the gong calls to tea
On coming out again Seguin is in sight and
three porgie steamers with their noses pointed
inshore, each towing boats containing seines,
They are propellers with one mast. wednes-
day morning the northeast is red with the COM
ing sun and we hurry out to see the rising out
of the water, but we look in vain to see the wa
ter drip from the well defined rim. No land in
sight.
1.-THE sea, the sea, the open sea-"
The pilot says we are seventy miles from
land, off the entrance to the Bay of Fundy,
with the water as calm a harbor. We are
nearing a large ship under royals, with the
wind free. She has all the marks of a Yam
kee. but as we cross her stern the pilot with
glass makes out 'St. John" She is bound to
the Bay of Fundy. While we are in the sa-
loon the officers, who try to make our passage
pleasant, call us to see school of mackerel.
After viewing them the history of the miracu-
lous draught of fishes seems reasonable. Here
Is an other ship, an old-fashioned Englishman.
one looks as if her stern had been sawed off
nodiiS up to the mizzenmast; she is in ballast
any o. ,o"nnaely bound to st. John for deals
~ ,r ooin on, out from dinner (Which nv the
way was eqeai TO that at the hotel of TIE same
nalnel we i.nu the fog has disappeared and
cape SaDle Is 10 sight, with several settlements
east OF 1t we see In the distance tba wroo,.oJ
| steamer City of Washington Sba VIC ~ mlecked
right, vi 1t is left of her; her how IL s.sus up
the masts-the mizzenmaststluh ana;nsSu o' ana
side as it fell. There is boat leaving liver Soer me
captain tells us that the remains Of her c,u une
OF iron and steel is being got out and sent ~
Halifax by contract. Port lie Barre is the
nearest harbor, few miles east. Next comes
Shelbourne Light, and then Little Hope island.
enclosed by high stone wall to prevent the
washing away OF the lighthouse. which is like
cupola on barn. AT sunset a whale shows
his back near the steamer but soon disappe ars
We shall see nothing more until our arrival at
Halifax pear midnight W.
Windham, Aug. Is, 1873.