Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1874-10-15
The First Ship Building in Maine.

From the "llistory of American Man
utacturers,' "c learn that, New York
was the first locality OF ship building in
this country. The account is As follows,
The first vessel, with the exception of
a few open boats, built by the followers
Of De Sofa ever constructed bv Euro
peans in this country, was Dutch
yacht, named the Oure,t or Restless, of
IS feet keel,44 IL feet long, lIl-2 feet
wide, and 10 tons burden. She was
built by Capt. AdriGd Black, OF Man
ha.ten (now EasD River, in 1914, to sup.
ply the place OF Que destroyed by fire,
which. with four others, arrived there
that year from Amsterdam. In her,
Capt. Hendrlckson, i'll August, 1916,
discovered the Schuvlkill river, and ex-
plored II Iarly the whole coast from No.
va Scotia to the Capcs OF Virginia, after
which he returned TO Holland; and hav-
ing presented finely executed map OF
the coast, he asked a grant of the coum-
try, which was not conceded however.
During the same year Q6ID, Capt
John Smith sailed for "Norh Virginia
with TWO ships and iorty-tive men and
boys, 10 make expel iments upon a gold
and copper mine. They reached the is
land Of Monhigan, on the coast of Maine,
latitude IA deg. 80 sec, in April, where
they made some attempt at the whaling
business, but failing in itbat they built
seven boats, in which thirty-seven men
made successful voyage. Thus the first
humble attempt at the fishing business
was made III American bottoms.
In 1924, within four years after the
landing, the Colony at Plymouth receiv-
ed an accession OF Il carpenter and salt
maker, sent out by the Company. OF
the former. Gov. Bradford saws: "He
quickly builds two very good and
strong shallops, with a great and strong
lighter, and had hcwn timber for sketch
es Ga much larger description of YES
sels), but this spoilt for in the heat of
the season he falls into fever and dies
our great loss and sorrow" The salt
maker Tor WHOM. the lighter seems to
have '"eu built-selected site and
erecteu building, and made an attempt
TO manufacture salt for the fishery, first
at Cape Ann, and the next year at Cape
Cod, both of which essays were, through
his ignorance and selt-will,, unsucce.s-
tu.
AT Monument, now Sandwich, near
Cape Cod, whittier the settlers removed
about that time, pinnace WAS built bv
the Plymouth people in 1927, for the
purpose of fishing. But the first vessel
OF any size constructed there was a bark
built by subscription in l64l. She was
OF about fifty tons burden, and was esti-
mated TO cost t2O0. 1t appears by the
records Plymouth, there were thirteen
proprietors, OF whom William Paddy,
William Hanburry, and John Barnes,
owned each one-eight part, and William
Bradford, John Jenny, John Atwood,
Samuel hicks, Geo. Bower, John, Cook,
Samuel Jenny, Thomas Willets, Steph-
ell Hopkins, and Edward Bangs, each
ne-sixteentli part.
The building of this vessel, though
small, it has bean truly remarked, (see
Mass Hist. Coll), twas an undertak
ing at that period of exigency and priva-
ton surprising the equipment OF a Can
ton or Northwest shi p with our means
at The present day" john Drew from
Wales who settled at Plymouth as early
as 1000. is believed to have been ship
| carpenter, and number of his descen-
dants, i'll that and other towns, pursued
! the business-one of them at Halifax,
on the Winetuxet, a small branch OF the
/ Tauntonriver.