The Palatka daily news. (Palatka, Fla.) 1884-1888, 1886-11-11
ABOUT PORTLAND.
A View of the Maine City Through
Boston Spcctacies.
Special Corrcspoadencc.l


BOSToN, Oct. Ill have been to Port
land Portland well up in the universe is
built on n hill which IS almost an island has
plenty of water and islands around it, and
prohibitory law which forces every honest
saloonkeeper to relegate the sale of his in
toXicating compounds to the delicate privacy
OF 4 back room. Tho city is beautifully
drained. Thanks to Nature, and little praise
to man, the streets are clean. The women
who do not wear spcctaCles are beautiful and
there is a city liquor agency where Just and
reputable men who know how to make a
proper and righteous use of whisky can be
supplied 10y the pint, quart or gallon.
The oldest cemetery in Portland contains
the bones of Commodore Preble and several
other marine heroes, and in the city are the
remains Of a submarine, blue-bloo,led aris-
tocracy, which looks down on that OF Boston
There are no saloon signs to be seen i'll Portland
except live ones. The Portland saloon stations
rel, dubious nose, with man attached, out
side. If You, a stranger, ask him where on
earth You can buy a glass of beer, he will
jerk his thumb significantly over his shoulder,
and say in English: Go within, and don't
stop at the first back door You meet, but force
1t open, and he then guided hy the inner
light You win do 81, and on facing the
rear door sec n bar, lined three deep outside
and from one 10 two IeTSViriny barkecpers in
si,le, loading and firing at viii, while the rum
and the cash cross each other over the counter
i'll a constant succession OF parabolaS. Ii is
an inspiriting sight, and s..pws what per
sistent temperance agitation can do toward
keeping up appearances inside and out
Viewed from a distance and Portland would
readily pass for q total abstinence town
Viewed microscopically and intcriorally, it
diluteS its water in secret with more potent
fluids
If after the first drink You want another,
all you need 10 do i To- enter any other door
where You Il plug Of tobacco displayed i'll
the window.
Portland Is protected outside from for
cign invasion by two strong forts, which
arc very useful To fire Fourth of July
salutes from, and serve also places for fat
tCSing United States officers and privates.
The town was invaded from the rear many
years ago Ly various tribes of foreigners and
several of its most important industries cap
tured, notably the retail sale of beer. The
present Portlander dates almost everything
back 70 the great fire, some twenty years ago.
What he doesn't date back 10 the fire he does
% the rise in taxes caused by the City's voting
a few millions to the Portland and Ogdens-
burg railroad. LonGfellOw came pretty near
being born in Portland, and the house his
parents lived i'll is pointed out with justitiable
pride. They were just as good people as
LonSteliow anyway, and might perhaps have
written poetry hal they known it would have
been slleabIe.
Portland Is city of considerable American
antiquity. As settlement or town with q
charter, lt Is not as old as the dcluge- As a
location It IS possibly much older. At one end
of the city is a bed of fossil mussels, over
which geolosists have made several very pro-
found guesSes as TO how they came there. At
the other end of the town are sundry fossils
which are not musSels.
PRENTICE MILFORD.