The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1881-04-04
Burdette in Bath.
Some Novel History of the Maine City.


burlington Hawkeye.l
Bath, Me.-'The pleasant little city hasn't
changed very much," the fat passenger said.
"since we were here two years ago. The Sag
adahoc house still holds ON to all of its name
and its pleasant, homelike ways, and the Ken
nebec river looks just about as it did,"
"Bath used to be the fourth city in the Unit
ed States in ship building" said the sad pass
enger. Twenty years ago, the tonnage built
here in one season amounted to 107,S45, and
the best ship timber in America floated down
the Kennebec. American craftsmanship has
so fostered this industry, however, that it has
been declining ever since. If we could kill off
all of our statesmen, this country would
grow"
"Robin Hood used to own. .this,city of Bath"
the tall thin passenger said. "Robin was
guileless savage, and the author of the beauti-
full song Drink rum, drink rum, drink rum if
you go with me- About go years ago Robin
sold the town to minister, Rev. Robert
Clutch, of Salem. Bath is in the heart of a
very historical country. On the long peninsu-
la of Phipsburg, in. 1904, De Montz, the HUI
guenot chief planted the cross, and three
years later Sir George Popham, (son Of old
Popham of Popham's corners, Popham county,
and Raleigh Gilbert, nephew of Sir Walter
Raleigh (who was elected capital of North Car
olina), came here and celebrated the service Of
the Episcopal church on this peninsula. This
is said to be the first Christian service held in
New England. After they built the church
they built fort, of course. Or maybe they
built the fort first. They got into row with
the Indians because the savages wouldn't sell
the Christians land at the rate of ten acres for
cent, with thirteen years credit. The Indians
got away with them and captured the fort and
a lot Of Christian powder. The poor labo-
rigines didn't know what the powder was, SO
they set barrel of it on the fire to see IL it
would go off.
1t did. hf
They didn't go off together, either. They
went off variousy and separately. In many
instances the same Indian went off very sep
arately.
Early in the morning the caravan set out
for Lisbon. New Hampshire, but didn't get
there. All railroad trains in that country
seem to aim to disconnect with all other trans,
and the pilgrims found themselves at Fabyan's,
in the White mountains, at eight o'clock that
night. And they had the whole house to
themselves but it wasn't such lonesome
place as you would imagine, for Frank Coffran
was there to take care of them, and they wan
dered through the great house, a caravansary
with frontage Of three hundred and twenty
feet, accommodating five hundred guests. 1t
stands on mount called the Giants Grave
near the Ammonoosue river. A tradition tells
that once an INDIAN whose name our reporter
failed to learn, stood here at night, and swing
ing pine knot lit from a lightning scathed
tree, expressed his emotions and convictions
in the following language: sslr ,5
No pale-face shall ever take deep root here;
this the Great Giant whispered in my ear
Red fire and slow curtain. And there are
lots of people who most implicitly and firmly
believe that tradition and have the most
abiding faith in the alleged prophecy, who
cannot bring their massive intellects to be-
lieve the Bible. Since then, three hotels have
been built and burned on that site. The ira
dtion probably occurred after the second hotel
was burned. The summit OF Mt Washington
is only seven miles away in an air line, and all
the Presidential peaks save one are visible
from Fabyan's"