The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1874-11-26
ANNALS OP BELFAST FOR HALF A CENTURY,
By An OLD : SETTLER.
CHAPTEK WYNN. lS1Il

degrees below zero On the principle
that "misery loves company" We found
great comfort in the fact that the incle-
ment weather extended over all the north
ern States Tie harhpr of New \ ork
City was frozen over tor Il distance Of
twelve or fifteen miles from the city Bos-
ton harbor was frozen up as far down as
the Light, and Il canal was cut through
the ice seven miles in length to enable
steamers to go to sea. Our own harbor
was so frozen that sleighs passed between
lslesborough and the main. The ice eN-
tended rs far as Owls Head. There was
good skating from East Thomaston to the
roX Islands; an event which had not
occurred for fifty years at which time, it
was said. foxes, which We're very nnmer
Gus on the islands, came off to the main.
We We're brought in contact with open
water on the 9th Of March by cutting a
canal through the ice rs far out a the
Monument
For the first time in this locality the
amusement Of riding on "ice-boats', up
and down our river, was introduced The
ice-embargo on this Port was so etf'ectual
and of such duration that, according to an
estimate made on the 9Th Of April there
OF wood and bark piled on the wharves at
the village and at the Point, then called
RUSS, now City Point, awaiting ship
ment. The river above the upper Bridge
was, even on that day. blockaded by ice.
1t was predicted at the time that 1.-THE
young men of our village would have gray
hair ON their heads before this harbor
would be SO thoroughly closed bv ice
again. The prediction has been fulfilled ;
Tor the heads OF many OF those Young men
have been tor many years whitehead with
the blossoms of the grave" ana a similar
state of facts has never since occurred.
The Fire Engine, lor the purchase of
which an appropriation was made as stated
in previous chapter, arrived here early
in January. 1t was built by w. e. Hum
neman and Co., of Boston, and coSt, in
GLIDING hose, hosecarliage and append
ages, Sl0l1.5O. 1t was named the IIy-
drant. A new fire company was forthwith
organized under the name OF Ilvdrant
Engine Company, No. ,, and the follow
ing officers We're chosen: Stephen b.
Day, Foreman, Curtis b. Merrill, assistant,
John W. White. Joseph Bean, "a, Benja-
min Griffin, Directors, Matthew {. Hazel
tine, Clerk, Nathaniel Merrill, Foreman
of Leading hose, Joseph bennett Assist
ant, Joseph Amcs. .Jr, Foreman Suction
Hose, Charles Giles, Assistant. ,Josilh
Hall, ,Jr., and John ). CALDWELL Hosemen,
William Beckett and Daniel Murch, Pole
men, Alden ID. Chase Torchman. The
old engine, Vigilance, was thoroughly re-
paired and James 2. Furber was chosen
Foreman and Amos Il. Boynton, Assistant.
There was u strong feeling OF hostility
to the purchase OF the new engine pre-
vailing in the eastern part of the town,
and at 4 public, OF 'Anti-engiue" meeting
held by the residents in that section Il
resolution was adopted to resist the pay
ment OF any tax assessed for the payment
OF its cost. Wiser counselS prevailed
however, and the feeling of hostility
gradually died out
On the first day of March the first NUM-
Der OF newspaper called the Peoples
Advocate and Independent Democrat made
its appearance As its title indicated. ii
was Of democratic procliyities; it was
printed and published by Lewis Richard
son. 1t professed to be the organ Of the
true democracy, supported the regularly
nominated democratic candidates. State
and national, but opposed the local nomi-
i
it was suspended before ii reached the
close of its second year
Mr. Richardson was 4 practical printer
but had been engaged in trade for some
years in this place He was of nervous
temperament, honest in his cony lotions, by
nature antagonistic to all chicanery and
demagogism, and not the man for the
the place which by the force OF circum-
stances he was called for while to fill
After he left this place he was Joint pub
Usher, 1S46-7, with Mr.. John Porter, OF
the LIMERICK Gazette, now the Rocllland
Gazette. at East ThomastOn. now Rock
land. He afterwards went to California.
but returned to Reckland where he died
in 1867
On the morning of Sunday, the 10th OF
lch, the first fire at the season occurred.
1t broke out in the second story of a brick
block on Main street, owned by the late
Rufus B. Anyne, Esq, which covered the
site of the stores now occupied by Albert
G. Burgess, A. B. Matthews aud John b.
Wadlin On the ground floor were three
stores one occupied by the late Benjamin
HaZeltine, another by our fellow citizen
A. n. Moves the other was unoccupeli.
One of the rooms on the second floor was
occupied by Mr.. Allync rs a law-otlce :;
the others as workshops and storerooms.
The roof OF nearly the whole building was
burned, but the fire was eNtlnguished he
fore it reached the ground floor. Suspicion
pointed out a young man. john Greene,
as the incendlary; he was arrested and
subsequently convicted and sentenced to
the States Prison for live years. lie ad-
mtted his guilt and stated that his object
in entering the building was 10 rob Mr.
Allyne.s safe; that failing to obtain an
entrance to it he took from his Office such
articles as he thought might be of value
to him and then set the building on fire
He had formerly been employed by Mr.
A. as man-of-all-work about his house and
premises. He asserted that he had an &C
complete who came with him from Boston
but who decamped Immediately after the
failure OF their attempt to break into the
safe. The value OF taxable property saved
through the instrumentalitv OF our new
engine furnished a very convincing argu-
ment in answer to the reasons assigned by
our people in the eastern section of the
town why they should not contribute their
portion Of the money paid for it,
About midnight Of the eighth OF July an
old tenement, then recently occupied by
Asa Day, was burned the handiwork of
some sportive incendiary; il stood on the
street leading to the bridge. An unoccu-
pied house and barn at Mason's Mills We're
destroyed by fire in the night of the nine
teenth, and on the night OF the twenty
sixth an old barn. the property of widow
Alden, was burned it was an ancient local
landmark, beingthe same temporarily oc
cupied by the British troops when they
were here in 1911; this fire, doubtless,
was the work of some of the ''gay and
festive cusks" Of our village, quite :. num-
Der of whom We're running at large be
tween July and December Of this year.
At the annual spring meeting, March
18th, Thomas Marshall, Benjamin 1. Black
stone, and Samuel Haynes Were chosen
Selectmen, David w. Lothrop, Clerk, and
Timothy Chase, Treasurer. The only re-
preventative of the Wing party on the
Board was the Chairman OF the Select
men. The largest number Of votes thrown
was $50 The-monies raised We're as fol
e ,nlC L, lSnn 4,