Daily Kennebec journal., 1882-07-01

eS "AHtCh VI lftV 8uQ 0V - y l0kcU8SlY
cold. Gen. Seuall says. ssThe river was
frozen as far down As Judge Hills in Phipps-
burg, and the ice vas sufficiently strong to
bear teams" That winter, . mast was hauled
from Pofser's mills through Fiddlers' Reach
to Bath. The snow vas over four feet deep
and did not disappear till May. Caeco BAY
was frozen over. There were various causes
that transpired to produce seasons of great
scarcity. Men we're away . great part of
the time. and there was 4 fear that the British
would ascend the river and injure the set
tiers, and their exertions we're palsied- About
this time many had planted potatoes, and 30
scarce was food that they we're obliged to dig
out the seed to eat before il had sprouted
May 18th, 1880 Was the famous s'dark
day." Common print could not be read birds
retired TO roost, and all was dark as night.
At this period the currency had depre-
ciated to an alarming extent. One dollar of
specie was worth 40 of the currency Tea
was sl9 pound, corn s35 per bushel; mo-
lasses sl6 gallon; rum S26 per gallon;
coffee So a pound; ealt S45 per bushel wheat
S35 per bushel; hay $500 per ton, etc.
In 1855 there seems to have been a change.
as we find in day-boek kept by Maj. Seth
Gay. which is now in possession of the FAM
lily: Coffee, 25 cents per pound; honey,
20 cents; vinegar, ,33 cents per gallon ;candles.
20 cents per pound; rum, 25 cents quart;
tea, 15 cents per pound; tobacco, IL cents per
pound: shingles, 81. 80 per NJ. salt, 90 per
bushel; silk, 81 per skein; turnips, 33 cents
per bushel; cinnamon, % cents per OF. po-
tatoes. 80 cents per bushel; writing paper,
% cents per quire; corn, 81 cents per bushel
wool, % cents per pound cider, % cents per
gallon: pork, II cents per pound; beans,
81 80 per bsshel; stockings, 80 cents per
pair; butter, II cents per pound. large
number of the charges on these books are for
rum, tobacco or snuff. Is it any wonder so
many settlers lost their farms! From
the settlement of Pittston until 1890
the civil affairs Of the plantation were in q
loose state, and it was impossible to collect a
debt or obtain justice. The lawless had it all
their own way but on the removal of Gen.
Dearborn to this place, things assumed bet
ter state. His decisions were. respected and
generally enforced. They had a whipping
post in those days, and many an unruly fell
low felt the force Of the whip, in accordance
with the sentence of the General. This post
was a ''windlass gallows'' used for slaughter
ing cattle. John Shaw was the constable, a
very strong man, and many culprit knew
his strength. When he wished to arrest a
man he would send him jack-knife. and 1t
seldom failed in bringing the subject. 1t
would not be likely to have the same effect
to-day in bringing culprits to justice. At
this time there were very few people inh~bit-
ing what are now Gardiner and Pittston.
In 1889 there was a very imperfect and
circuitous road from Gardiner to Hallowell
The road on the bank Of the river was made
later and . bridge across the stream. There
WAS no road on the west side of the river,
and no mode of getting to Brunswick by land
but by crossing the ferry at Gardiner and
going down the east side to the narrows above
Bath where there was ferry. The first
ferry was established in 1885, and the hrst
wharf was built in the same year by Seth
Gay. The first wheel vehicle was chaise
brought to Gardiner by Mr.. Hallowell. 1t
was one of the first chaises invented, and
was called the parish chaise, as the whole
parish borrowed it. This was In 1889, Or
1870. When Gen. Dearborn returned from
Congress, the first time, he brought Phila-
delphia wagon with him, which was a great
wonder to all the boys, and there was not
over a mile of road where it could be run.
In 1906 the first new chaise was brought to
Gardiner by Rufus Cav, for which he paid
Sl35.
In 1894 Louis Philip, afterwards King of
France. and Tallyrand, who were in exile,
visited Pittston, and remained several days.
ouc uhy WCIc a. euSuh AZ Alot-
lowell Tallyrand went fishing in Vaughn's
brook, and fell in where the water was deep
and swift, and a small boy who was with him
helped him out. In October, 1892, a snow
storm came and covered the potatoes several
inches deep. 1t renamed several days, and
the weather was so cold as to freeze this
river. The snow protected the potatoes and
they were not injured. June Is, 1875, .
great frost cut down all vegetation.
In the beginning of the present century,
Daniel Lambard, who lived in Canaan, sud-
denly announced that through the medium of
witch hazel rods he had discovered wealth
untold in different places. He got the
people in the kennebec Valley crazy, and
from Anson to Seguin and along the coast
people were digging for treasure. The Peb-
BILE Hills in Pittston was famous place, and
excavations so feet deep were made. Lam
bert at length gave out that he had found
quantities Of gold, and SO deceived people
that many sold their farms and stock and
gave their property to him and beggard them
selves. He told them that large amounts
had been sent to Philadelphia to be coined.
and that a general distribution would be
made on the 1st of September; but when that
day came round he was missing. That was
one of the strange delusions that degrade
communities. Still, nOtw outstanding all this,
there has been scarcely year but what men
have dug in localities in Pittston for gold
that has never yet been found.
In 1901 Robert HallOwell petitioned to the
Massachusetts legislature to have Gardiner
added to bis name, as DIR. Gardiner left him
large and valuable estates provided he would
change his name to Robert Hallowell Gardi-
ner. March IL, 1902, a special act was
passed. and he came into possession OF these
estates.
The Togus stream once abounded in
alewives, SO much that they were crowded
ashore by thousands. The writer has heard
his father tell of the immense quantities that
entered the mouth of seven n-mile brook lat
Vassalboro years before the dam was built ct
Augusta In 1903 Pittston was divided, and
the land on the west side of the Kennebec
was incorporated under the name of Gardiner,
out of respect to the Gardiner family. The
original name was Contee. signify
ing the place where surgeons abound.
The money raised for the support of the Cos
pei was, BY vote of the town, appropriated to
the support of the Episcopal mode of wor-
ship, but Methodists and Baptists were al
lowed to direct their proportion.
Moses Springer used to relate story OF
Jimmy Davis. or as he was familiarly called.
..Born-drunk Davis" Mr.. Springer asked