The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1885-08-06
The Island City of Maine.
Correspondence of the ,JournaJ

Vinalhayen for the first time In many wears.
When boy on board fishing schooner, away
back In the 50's cruised among the islands off
the coast of Maine and was at Carver's Harbor
in 1867 for the last time until landed there
from the steamer Pioneer in July 1885. From
what had read l was prepared TO see change
for the better, but | was not prepared to see
such wonderful Improvement In the place.
There has been ten times as much improvement
in the past % years as there had been since
Martin Pring and his voyagers landed on that
Island in 1903, up to the time of my last visit.
In 1857 there were but few struggling houses,
one small wharf and one store to supply small
fleet of fishermen, with no public highways and
but one or two houses on the entire island. The
land was owned by Reuben Carver, fine old
gentleman who is now 81 years of age and who
informed me that he carried on business and
built several vessels at the harbor He built the
hrst vessel IN 1926 and the spot where she was
built was directly across the principal business
street of to-day. While twenty eight years ago
there was nothing to attract the eve different
from hundreds of other islands in the State ex-
cept perhaps, the barren and sterile appear
ance' to-day 1t Is as fine and thriving village
as there is in the State. Indeed 1t is almost a
city, as the following statement will show The
town of Vnahaven has 5000 inhabitants and
$500 of them are in this village at Caryers
Harbor. Then there are upwards of 800 dwell
ing houses In the village, all new, clean and
nicely painted, with not Il shabby one in the lot
Many of them are very fine. 1t is safe to say
that there are no finer residences in Waldo
county, at least, than can be found In this vii
lage out in the SEA. There are 30 stores of all
kinds, all doing good business apparently.
the store Of the Bodwell Granite Co. doing
about bali the business Of the place. They in
formed me that they purchase about S20O,OOO
worth Of goods per year They supply all. or
nearly all, of the families OF thu stone cutters
and wofkmen. Al the present time there are
alb ont 400 workmen, nearly all having families
In addition TO this large business Messrs lane
Libby sell about 100000 worth OF good. an
nuaily. These gentlemen do 4 very extensive
fish business, shipping fish to all parts Of the
world In 1883 they handled $1,000 quinta..
Lane, Sanborn n Walls also do quite Il fish bus
mess. This year the two firms hrc consoiidat-
ed. +. NJ. Brown is doing quite business in
putting w I'M iOf lne nome market. lie puts
up a very fine article OF clean. nice, sack-.aIt-
ed cod, for which he finds ready sae at home.
lie also furnishes Messrs. Lane 4 Libby about
200 quintals per year. | found I'm Mr.. Brown
an old schooImate whom | bad not seen or
heard from for g wears
NinaIhayen has very fine system of Graded
schools. There are no less than six school
rooms in the vllage-tWo elegant school houses
beside smaller ones, there being about 200
scholars on the island. The exact number in the
village did not learn. The schools are under
the supervision of the Rev. Mr. LitletieId and
ii is said they have Glasses that will compare
faVorably with any in the State. There is good
hotel: ilVery stables. barber shops, markets,
good hall, Two churches. and newspaper and
1t s as quiet and orderly community tl> | ever
visited. While perhaps intoXicantS may be had.
1 am happy to say that during a weeks stay
saw not the slightest signs Of intoXicatlon.
ihey have some rs fine teams As are to be found
in the State and this year they are building a
trottns park which viii have a fun half mile
track
OF course the lever that moves the entire
business OF the place is the Bodwel Granite Co..
which is the largest and most successfully man
aged Granite 90. III the world. | have not the
ability to describe the workings OF this Granite
business fully, but will simply say that from
four to five hundred men were at WORK. and the
sound of the blast, and the klink. klink, klink
OF the hammers is heard from morn till night
They have all the improved appliances for
working and hosting the huge blocks of stone.
| There appeared to me to be continual stream
OF stone from the Quarries to the large Sheds
anu from the sheds, after being finished, to the
wharf where they are hOisttd on board the
vessels. AT least three large schooners were
loaded with this finished stone during the week
that was there. Some idea can be had of the
amount shipped when you are informed that
| 70 NJ. feet of lumber is used per year in boxing
the stone for shipment. Tall oaks from little
| aceorns grow" So with this business. 1t had
small beginning. One man with no capital
except his hammer and his strong right arln
began business here 81 years ago. Moses Web
ster, the founder of this vast enterprise, came
to the Island from New Hampshire and single
banded and alone began to work u quarry
where others had failed. He bad no capital.
| and what he got had to come by hard knocks
At the end of the first year he returned to his
family, " no lived in the house with j. Il. Bod
well. (Who was then small farmer in Methu
en- Mass) happy man, with $500 in his
pocket. He persuaded Mr.. Bodwell. who had
a few hundred dollars, to Join him the next
year. These two sturdy men worked alone for
some time, Mr.. Webster quarrying tic stone
and Mir, Bodwe driving the ITO Yoke Of
oNen-all they had. They worked along IN
this manner barely making good day wages
until Il light house was to be built at Petit
Menan in eastern Maine. The contract for
furnishing the stone TO build this light was
awarded to these two men, " no did their own
work, and the price bid by them was 50 600.
" i'on was tle invest plu' lneE competed
.ne contiac' IN Iour nohIh Us ana cleared SlSoQ
,liu ilonh Wy" sIhali beginning, Dl hard
l'uoi' goo" J"uSiheht ana economy ihey
-. n'tI Suno ~ iiolii Soou 10 oetteT' uiltiI
.o"a! .ie1 nav tuc alStsi anu most success
~ u q any "othS IN Tue WoFiu. lney nave
N.Y. i'i.ioHs VI ''olial worm Oh worn WIJi!Ih
VIZ pa'1 .Nont! St"' > ootu lol private paFtIes
anu anu ~ .ne ''eheraI government, ana granite
ron lnaIha!en eau oe round IN most OF the
~. p'iu'hss III ileaI,! every Guy 10 lht hlttu
oIa'es, euIii ~ ~ h"aTu Oh Ifaae puiIdhS al
Gais cl5c,lllati 1stom House anu Post
Oilice ~ ounce aha court House al Atlanta,
NJ ". 0liiGe any court mousse i'll ali River,
las .i PioV ~ ~, bIiu2e' 81 Louis Bridge,
Alpans i o. 'lilCC' ihtspuI& IoSt once, new
9ta,e' wa Hhu Nav! puIidinS' Washington,
anu d teiy large hninber OF others which /
n f hoL tliie OF space 70 mention. pat was
tht sliiail co-parthershlp OF bodWel " Webster
! thlfty years ago, representing few hum
ureds or dollars, Is to-day known A. the Bod
Vice ,lre.iJant ,,,,'
Nv Mrssrs Rod,yniI III Wah.tsTa,,I /" ~ ~ y
| WALKER Esn MA ~ :" ti" - .
mem . lor many years. me company nave been
eAtieiheE fortunate IN securing the services OF
W.. 9ohh Low as supeflnteuIthl q Iht ehtlre
| Both men are well known and skilled artiiicers.
Mr.. Bodwell now resides at Haowei. where
he has another quarry, but Mr.. Webster pre-
1