The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1888-03-15
Maine Matters.
NEW. AND GOSSIP FROM ALL OVER THE srAII
MAINl-G lII,

Maine Matters.
NEWS AND GOSSIP FROM ALL OVER THE srArr
| NAMES ATTORNEY GENERALS.
While everybody in New England is testify
ing to the wonderful skill aud ability ATTY Gen
Baker Of Maine displayed in the Staili-C rom.
well trial. there is this to he remembered: ii,
is the latest Of a long line Of as able lawyers a,
ever held office. Since Maine became a state
twenty-five men have held the Office of a;tor.
ney-Senera. Look at the records they la, I
made For four years Nathan Clifford. who sat
| for twcnty-three years upon the bench Of the
supreme court OF the L nited States, was one
For two wears he had been preceded 10y iona
than i, Rogers, Il great lawyer in his time. but
| forgotten now. all great LAWYERS are after
their speeches and their work have grown
twenty years old. and cold a> if the work
| had been done thousand Years before. and the
| speeches had never been made. Who else:
Judge Daniel Goodenow of Alfred; Wyman
| B. :. Moor (Seavy Moor they called HIM of
| Watcryiile, sam Blake. the three millionaire
| OF Bangor, who died in Boston a wear or 50
| ago, universally lamented," as they say. Who
| came next: George Evans. the greatest and
best loved Wing the state ever saw in Henry
Clay times John :. Abbott. who moved to lsos-
| ton and there prospercd. And then the men of
this generations First. George W. Inger>oli.
early cut off, father-in-law of eX-Gov. ID. ii.
| Chamberlain of South Carolina: Josiah ii.
Drummond. than whom there is no better
known Mason in the East; John A. Peters,
cX-congressman and chief justice of the su-
| preme court, who presided over last week $
| trial AT Bangor; Senator William =. FRYE. who
| convicted Frank Murphy, the great temper
ancc advocate, Of having killed Murray in Port
land; Thomas I'. Reed of whom nothing need
he here said: Harris NJ. Plai>tcd. general. con-
| gresham and Governor: J.. A. Emery. now II
judge of the supreme courts William II. Me
| Lellan of the Garcelcn period. as able man as
| any Of them: Henry B. Cleavcs. and now Mr..
| Barker.
IL there is Il state in the [ Mon which can
| show list Of attorney generals like that (and
VIC have held some in :eserye), where is the
state? Boston Herald.
| THE NEW BUILDING AT TIE STATE COLLEGE.
The new building in course of erection on the
Maine state College grounds for the use Of the
| department Of agriculture and natural history
| is rapidly nearing completion. The building,
| situated between the laboratory and President
| Fernald's residence is Of brick. three stories
high and has an ell and basement. 1t was
designed by f. +. Kddcr. Of Bangor, former
student Of the college. AMI will. when finished.
| till vacancy which has long been felt by the
| college authorities.
| The ground floor Of the main buildin. con-
tains the main hall with the physi laboratory
on The south. and the agricultural laboratory
| and recltaton-room on the north side. The
PLY ysica laboratory is Il large, well lighted room.
and i'll be arranged 50 that the work to be car
ried Oh there will be free from the inconven-
| fences to which it has long been subjected.
Occupying the whole of the ground floor of
the ell Is the library. This is also TO be used a>
reading room. and will contain all The period
| icals and magazines. To the left of the en-
trance from the main building is a large antique
open fire place. which is very neatly finished
| while ON the other side OF the entrance will be
| the librarians office
The second floor of the main building con-
| tains the geological laboratory and recitation-
room, the herbarium and the botanical labora-
| tory. The second and third stories of the ell
| are to he used for the cabinet and museum.
This room will furnish ample capacity for the
| display of the fine collections which are in the
| possession Of the college.
| The whole OF the third story Of the man
building is occupied by the large audience room.
which has a seating capacity of 400. The halls
| on the first and second floors, also the library
| and physical laboratory. are tire-proof. The
general plan OF the building shows. on the part
| Of the architect a knowledge of what was want
cd. and il would be hard to better it in any way.
| Although some parts of the building will he
used to some extent. the dedicatory exercises
will not take place till June 26.
| THE >MELT FISHERY.
| 4 Bath correspondent writes to the Boston
| journal: Smelts are found more abundant.V in
| Maine coa>twi.e waters than anywhere else.
| There at least $50 men in Bath who have
| made good round sum of money by this bus-
ness. In Sasanoa River. opposite Bath. there
are - small >hanties scattered about over four
acres of icc This is a Smclt catching village.
and here over 100 tons Of the little fishes have
| been captured within the past three months
| 1t Is a most interesting village and has been
visited by thousands of people. The shantcs
| are placed very near each other and as there
are hardly any two of the same construction,
| II makes a very grOtesuue settlement. Each of
| the shanties is owned by two men, who fish in
| partnership. the one by nj ight and the other by
| day. A. many as five lines can hc used. and
when the fish are biting lively it requires both
| men to keep them of the hooks.
| This business, though small in itself. has had
| great results and has been Il blessing 10 hun
| dred> Of poor people in this vicinity this Will
| ter. The smrlts are considered a luxury in
the cities, and thither most of the catch il sent.
a the price paid per pound is double that given
| in the local markets. This winter about 800
| pounds day on an average have been sent
| through the American Express Agency. Earlier
| in the season the more skilful of the fishermen
easily made 81 per day. and ii may be said that
81 30 per day has been fair average for all of
the men. The catch two Years ago was some
thing wonderful. For many days in succession
| hNetoh> OF smeit> were shipped to Boston and
| New York. The season will continue for four
| weeks vet.
| MANIruLA1oES OF TIE PASTE BOARDS.
4 Boston Herald correspondent fell in with
4 commercial traveller on train the other day
and the knight Of the grip-sack and sample
trunks discourscd - follows: "Gambling in
| Maine is not monopoliZed by the professionals.
as many think. | guess not much. The pro-
| fessionals are but a very small number among
those who bet on the paste boards. tnce in Il
while, after my days business is over, like to
play a little 5-cent ante, to kill an evening: and
let me tell YOU that some of the men | play
with in >aco. Portland. Bath. Rockland. Ali-
| burn, Lewiston. Augusta Gardiner. Skowhc-
| gan. Waterville, Bangor, Calais, HOuton. Bel
fast, and a hundred towns that ! visit in the
| state. who are supposed to be gentlemen. can
stock hand or palm card adroitly as the
best professional. You know - land the
runner named one Of the most prominent law
| yers in Maine y "well. he can put up the cards
as well as the best of 'em. He's as nimble-fi fin
| gered as the best sleight-of-hand man YOU ever
| that 10 one can ever tell whether he's blufiing
or not. He's daisy at cards. and whenever he
sits in game he's always bound to make it a
hot one
NUMBER AND VALUE OF FARM ANIMALS.
One of the most interesting pamphlets lately
put out by the government statistician, is that
| relative to the number and value of farm ami
mails. 1t comprises tables and statistics. with
some comments thereon. Here are the figures
for Maine:
| Average
| Number Price. Value.
| Mich Cows ,F4 $29.OO 4,S57, 7G}
Oxen and other cattle lSj, $50 21.5l 5,G.ei, los
sheep ........... .A1,.25 3.Ol l,645.9l4
| Hogs. .......12 ISIS 9.l3 671,9l7
OF horses the report SAYS: "IIorses have in-
creased more largely than any other class of
animals, mules coming next in order. This is
due to the remuncrative prices which have
been obtained for good horses of all classes the
past few years. There is a strong tendency to
breed better horses than heretofore. More
draft horses are being bred than of any other
class, and this fact is indicated by the increase
in the number Of mules, they being only grown
for draft purposes
| AN AROOSToOK INDUSTRY THREATENED.
There are thirty-three starch factories in thi,
State, thrty-one OF them being in AroostOOk
county. The make for 1887 was the smallest
for years, as potatoes were scarce and poor
The average capacity of the mills is from 20 0OG
to 10000 bushels per year. producing from JOG
to 200 tons of starch to each factory. A nc
small industry. Nearly the entire product is
| used by the cotton and woolen factories of New
England.
The adoption Of frce-trade would strike the
farmers Of AroostO0k front and rear by com.
pelling the manufacturers to reduce prices OF
shut down, it would render the starch market
almost valueless; while on the other hand the
Canadian product, either Of potatoes or starch
would come in to cap the climax of ruin. Free
trade would speedily relegatc ArOostook to tho
dominion OF the BEAR the wolf, the chipmunk
and the cheerful border smuggler of the older
time. tBiddeford Journal.
THE COAL BARGE BUSINESS.