The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1874-06-25

canvas tent officiating as ticket-mastcr
when an inside customer, rather rough
specimen Of the female persuasion, terri
bly, dilapidatcd in dress and with a face
which did not indicate any very familiar
acquaintance with soap and water, pre-
scented herself saying, Mister, I'm going
out to get some refreshments and want
you to look at me 50 You'll know me when
come back. Do you think you will ?''
"Know you," replied NJ ; '.if you don't
wash your face | shall know you sure"
The elephant above mentioned was Il le
male and the largest animal OF the kind
which has ever been exhibited i'll this
place. On her return TO the west while
passing through York county she was tired
at by a miserable miscreant and killed.
The early part OF September was a sea-
son Of extreme and in many instances in
tins and neighboring localities of distress
sing drought Vegetation presented the
appearance of having been scared and
large streams shrank to rivulets. 1t was
olliicult Ill some localities to procure a
sulhclent supply Of water tor domestic
purposes; many families were compelled
TO procure the needed supply from II mile
olStant cattle We're driven two miles to
water. The forests all ABOUND us were
| here and there on fire and the village was
literally enveloped in smoke The engine
| company and people generally We're called
out several times TO protect buildings from
| the flames. Rain came, however about
the twentieth of the month and stayed the
| raEages of fire hut too late to repair the
damage done to vegetation by the drought
The rain was followed by cold weather
| OF unusual severity tor that season Of the
| year On the night of the 29th there was
| quite fall of snow in some of the towns
| in the interior to the depth OF three or four
inches. II was an event unprecedented
in the memory OF onr oldest inhabitants
The greatest amount Of suffering and loss
of property from the fires which We're
prevailing at this tim" was in the towns
OF NiscasSet and Alma. A large number
OF houses, barns, and their contents were
destroyed. So great was the restitution
which followed that an appeal was made
for charitable relief throughout the State
AT the annual commencement at Bow
dom College, Sept 3rd, two young men
graduated who We're residents in this
town; one was William Jeffrey Read, son
OF Judge Read, who was born in Danycre.
Mass, and died at his fathers residence in
this town in lS29-siN Years after he grad
uated, two years after he was admitted to
the bar-aged twenty-ninr He was a
young man of brilliant talent and had his
lite been spared would have been an orna-
ment to society and the pride of this the
home OF his adoption. The other young
man was the compiler of these annals
who in charity may be excused for taking
pride in the tact-the only one in long
| life over which he has ever claimed to glo-
rity himsclt-that he was the first natirr
born of Belfast who ever graduated at a
Collegiate Institution.
| Early in the morning Of November 18th
Il fire broke out in the boarding house of
Samuel Jackson. then undergoing repairs
preparatory to converting it into 4 hotel
on High street. His daughter, Il very in
teresting girl about fifteen wears of age,
who had been watching through the night
at the bedside of a sick relative and who
had retired to rest in an upper room Of the
| house only an hour or two before the
fire broke out, persisted in the flames. The
dwelling house Of George Watson, Esq.
q store owned by him, occupiedby Samuel
| Is. Morrill, as Il shoe store, and two or
more barns standing southerly. and the
store of John Angler Esq, standing north-
erly from the building in which the fire
commenced were burned. Within two
months afterwards Mr.. Watson had erect
ed and finished so far AS was necessary to
make it tenantable dwelling house on
the site of his former one 1t is the same
building now occupied by \. q. Prescott
4 Company and GeorgeG Wells as stores.
The store now occupied by Mr. Calvin
Hervey stands on the site of the one occu-
pied by Samuel B. Morrill, The residue
of the burned district is covered by Phu-
nix Row
John Durham, son Of one Of the original
| Prnprintnr> nfthe township, died III October
| aged seyenty-forIr He was one of the
| Highway Surveyors elected at the first
| meeting held under the act incorporating
the town at the house OF John Mitchell OH
the / th OF November l7713. lie was mar
ried in 1880, and commenced houSekcep-
| ing in log house which stood about Oh
the same site of the New England House
| stable. He afterwards removed to a one
story frame house which he built and
which stood about midway on High Street
between the New England House and the
dwelling house of James Y McClintock
ESD; the bars to his pasture were about
where the front door of Mr. McClmtock's
house now is. In 1911 he removed to the
house which he built that year on Wilson'S
Hill, known as the Avery house, now in
occupation Of Messrs. Gilkey and Swift.
He was the owner of Lot SO, one of the
two lots on which the principal business
portion of our city is located It7 southern
boundary is Main street on the course if
runs from Wilson'S Hill to Custom house
Square and on the same course to the
shore; its northern boundary is forty rods
northerly from its southerly Inc, Lot 81,
the other lot of the two referred to, known
to the men Of the last generation and some
OF the present as the Miller Lot, through
which portion of High, Church. Court
Cedar and Congress streets run, was
drawn" in the division Of Lots among
the original proprietors by Robert Patter-
son, who thought SO poorly of THAT he
"droppcd'' it and 'pitched'' on lot not
far from the upper bridge in preference
Looking at his choice through the tinan-
cial spectacles of this day he made a mis-
take; although in making the change he
brought himself more Immediately in con-
tact it is true, with salmon, shad, mink
and musquash, the most practically avail
able currency of the day. Mr.. Durham left
several children, sons and daughters the
only survivor resident here is Mrs. Charles
Treadwell, wife of our universally respect
cd Commodore Of the Chowder Fleet.
AT the annual Spring meeting, Philip
Morrill,, James McCriIlis and William
Avery were elected Selectmen. Herman
Abbott, CLERK, Samuel French, Treasurer,
and among the other town officers William
Crosby, Asa Edmunds and Calvin Pitcher,
Tythingmen; an office which still has 4
name and place on the Statute book but not
elsewhere at least so far. as this locality is
concerned. A faithful discharge OF the
duties originally attached to the office
would furnish full employment now -a-aay
holding it and interfere seriously with the
movements of the numerous class in our
community who hold practically, it not
no holiof tl,ot