The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1886-08-09

Extract Works, where tanning liquor is ex-
tracted from hemlock bark. There are two
starch factories in the village, and one in
West Houlton; a small wooden mill gives en-
ployment to six or eight hands. A few car
riageS are made, and there is a small foun-
dry, and cheese factory. Lumber is man
ufactured as in most all Aroostook towns.
The Eastern Fresh Meat Company have a
large slaughter house, whence they ship NUT
ton in refrigerator cars to the west. In the
killing season several hundred sheep are
slaughtered per day.
PRECoCIoUS VILLAGE.
From being the shire town of an immense
county somewhat remote from large cities,
Houlton derives an Importance not usually
enjoyed by place of its size. 1t may not be
that Aroostook DANES look to Houlton for
the styles of their bonnets or gowns; but the
place is much looked up to by the people
throughout the region. 1t is the focus of po-
litical activity, and the DEGREES Of its poll
ticians are much respected throughout the
county. Here, too, is the United States GUS
tom house for the district of Aroostook, and
from here the present collector directs his
deputies; nor does he disdain, even under
this reform administration, to direct as well
the lieutenanUs of his political party This
spirit of metropolitanism is carried so lar
that Houlton even assumes to add to our
mother tongue new expressions. thus exer-
cising a function generally claimed by
thronged cities For instance, anything suf-
fciently remarkable to elicit in Portland or
Boston such expressions as ''pretty tart,
stunning" ''fine," perfectly lovely" is
called in Houlton smooth" If the day is
pleasant, it is called smooth weather; if
an excursion or picnic is enjoyed it is said to
be "smooth time" if a pretty girl passes
on the street, the Houlton youth exclaims:
''Smooth, ahw
THE OLD FORT.
The parade ground Of the Old Fort on the
hill is one of the most interesting places
about Houlton. In the time OF the Aroos-
took war this parade ground was surrounded
by barracks, and the flag Haunted defiance to
the British, whose territory is about three
miles distant across a deep valley. But the
barracks disappeared about ten years ago,
and the Flagstaff has since fallen in gale of
wind; now nothing remains but the hard
level surface of the parade ground, and hol-
lows where the barrack cellars were dug.
Old residents of Houlton have many inter
esting memories of the days when Mcclellan,
Mcdowell, Robert E. Lee and Jefferson
Davis, then young men, were at the fort or
on duty along the Boundary line. The view
from the parade ground is one of the best in
the State. A wide region stretches be-
10 hut
the Boundary line runs along deep valley,
while heights on the New Brunswick side
almost overlook the Old Fort. In these days
of long range guns, the parade ground would
be an unpleasant place, should the Cana
dams attempt to shoot from their own hills.
SMUGGLING.
In spite of the ,!vigilance of custom
house officers a good deal of contraband trade
goes on. In former years, silks, velvets,
gloves, laces. and other articles of clothing,
were the principal articles of this Illicit
trade; but now oats, potatoes and liquors are
the products that the officers have to look out
for. Liquor especially gives them much
trouble A great deal is seized and sold; but
it brings very little, as few dare to buy it of
the officers, for fear of the State law. One
man openly evaded the laws both OF the State
and nation, for years. He kept house. IA
nous as the Line House. One half of it is in
New Brunswick, the other in Maine. The
liquor was kept in the New Brunswick end
and the customers walked in for their drinks
at the Maine entrance. This man has now
retired, and is one Of the jolliest and most
comfortable fellows in the streets of Houlton.
The Line House has been handed over to a
successor, who is making hay while the sun
shines. But oats and potatoes cannot be
Struggled into Maine without danger, and
the seizures, fines and forfeitures resulting
from detection amount at some places to al
most as much as the duties collected. But
the smuggling goes on in spite of all efforts
to prevent it. Last year it cost about fifty
cents on the dollar to collect the duties; this
year Collector Donworth thinks that the ex-
pense will be as low as forty six cents. The
following table, giving the amounts of the
customs collected and of the fines, forfeitures
tiIu SOrAorOo, 1%FO Sr'~--~S----'-s
cn,,c,rl;nc, 10 oo,r;ad ~, II, cn,oa dictrictc