The Republican journal., 1874-07-30
ANNALS OP BELFAST FOR HALF A CENTURY.
b Y An OLD SET'TL L |
CHAPTER XIII. 0S2S.)

on tnc lotn OF october announced to the
public that he had commenced the practice
of his profession at No. IS Main street in
q room over the store occupied by +. A.
Lewis; the fate of that building has here
tOtore been told.
There was q custom in those days called
''wetting the sign" Perhaps no explana-
ton OF the term is necessary now; in u
few words it was this; any person COM
mencing business, without regard to pro-
fcssion or occupation, was expected to
invite the community, especially his ac-
qualntances. to partake of some refresh
ments when his sign was raised the
omission SO to do was regarded rs evidence
OF extreme RIGHTEOUSNESS. On the alter
noon when the compilers sign was raised
and while the painter was making it fast
to the building, his friends. not few in
number gathered in a shop in the vicinity
OF his office and partook Of the refresh
mcnts usually provided on such occasions
On going out to look at the sign it was
discovered that the painter inadvertent
perhaps intentionally-had omitted q
very important letter; as a consequence
the sign was taken down, the missing let
ter supplied, ard upon being put in place
the next day it was ''wet" again in the
| I'ItNtllNt vi II Stlll HI Sti 'tSStHlDEtSt.
On the Sth of January, Thomas pickard
to the public that he was in occupation Of
the premises as landlord, Mr.. Appleton
having left in December previous, and
that he should keep his lardcr we'll SUPP
piled with the best provisions the market
afforded and his bar with all kinds of
choice liquors. As an antidote for the
! n, 10 ;,,t lot 90 81
foregoing announcement Doctor Cham
hcr's remedy for drunkenness, which was
seized on with avidity by many who lacked
the moral strength to resist the temptcr
was rapidly growing in public favor. 1t
was a powerful medicine but failed to
prove a remedy for the disease for which
it was prescribed The dealer in medicine
made his profit from the sale of it but it
did not materially diminish the profits of
the rumseler. Mr.. Pickard continued TO
keep the hotel until April 1929.
On the 18th of March the last number
Of the Belfast Gazette was issued, and on
the 10Th the Waldo Democrat appeared
TO fill the vacancy; it was the first news
paper here to raise the dPnocrdtic stand
ard. 1t advocated the election Of john
Quincy Adams and, so far rs type and ink
could avail, consigned Andrew Jackson
to perdition.
There was daily mail stage this year
Ebctwecn this place and Augusta. leaving
Augusta every day, Sundays excepted. at
noon and arriving here at S p NJ; leaving
here at A. NJ. and arriving at Augusta at
) r. NJ There was also a daily mail be-
tween here and Thomaston and trl-
weekly to and from Bucksport. The fares
harn In tnnllSf1 tp
Thomaston 200, to Bucksport | 50.
Two buildings We're destroyed by fire
this wear On the 10th of October a build
, ing owned by Hon Thomas Marshall
which stood on the site of the building
now occupied by Clark and Fernald, mar
workers. was burned. 1t was build
ing about which clustered many pleasant
associations, it having once been the pub
fishing office of the Hancock Gazette and
the book and stationary store of Mess.
Fellows and Simpson its publishers. The
schoolgirls OF those DAYS remember it as
the place where they We're wont to 90 to
purchase their pens, ink and paper. and
the boys Of those day equally well re
member it as the place where they were
wont 10 90 10 meet the girls. Ii is the
:. place now where Grave-Stones are made !:
hopes and loves Of half century ago have
long lain buried.
On the night Of November 18th saw
mill on Wilson'S stream. as ii was then
called, owned by Hon. John Wilson, was
burned There was no more angling for
trout at the tail Of that mill; prior to thai
time it had been one of the favorite local.
ties on the stream Many FRY" have
the boys had in its Immediate vicinity who
was themselves long oinon food fol
worms, y or who now walk with canes and
have learned not 10 he indignant when
they are called "old men,
The schooner Mechanic, Isaac Clark
master, which ran for many years rs a
packet between this place and Boston was
launched on the 18th Of December from
the yard OF Messrs Ilaradcn Il French
near the late Foundry and Sash Factory,
The schooner Albert, John Shutc, master,
was launched in the year previous. They
were both as much in advance OF the coast
ers which had been plying between the
same ports, in style of finish and accom-
modations, rs the steamer Cambridge is in
advance Of an ordinary steam-tug
A sad casualty occurred on the Albert
on the night Of February l1th, 1920. She
was lying at Bishops wharf. now Lewis's,
loaded and ready to sail for Boston, when
she was discovered to be on fire All eff
forts to eXtinguish the fire were unavail-
ing until she was scuttled by boring holes
in the run when she soon filled Two
young men. part of her crew, both resd-
ing here, Thomas Reed, Jr., and George
W. Merriam were suffocated and burned
to death in her torecastle; their bodies
were found lying at the foot Of the stairs
The Belfast Debating Society and the
Waldo Club an association of a similar
character and object, We're both in flour
ishing condition this year. The discus
sions in both took wide range; from the
question g whether the substituting OF
bank paper for specie had been produc-
tive Of more good than evil to the ques-
ton ought old bachelors to be taxed for
the benefit OF old maids" 1t was the Gus
tom to take the sense of the meeting, at
the close of the discussion, by ayes and
noes At the meeting at which the ques-
ton last named was discussed 4 majority
Of those whose names were called were
bachelors, old or young; but the vote was
almost unanimous in favor of taxation
One of the members who was suspected
of being on the brink Of matrimonv caused
no little merriment by replying, when
called on to vote aye on no, that he was
son the fence; q position occupied about
that time by large portion of our local
politicians.
December 25th was 4 great day for
''sportsmen." A lot OF turkies We're eds
tributedT at the Spa and a still larger lot
of tnrkies, chickens and geese We're eek
posed to marksmen in the rear OF Mr.
frethingham's Westinghouse according
to the advertisement refreshments also
We're provided. Rum, gunpowder and the
Gospel We're slightly MIXED on the occa
sion
This year, after long and yirnlent con
! testwhich embittered the decentralization
Of many respectable members of the com
mnnity, Waldo Avenue was located from
the Mckeen school house, or the McNIil-
Ian house, terms used indiscriminately
at the time, to Bridge street The onno-