The Portland daily press., 1889-03-23
ALL ABOUT SALT AND SALT MAKING.
A Business That Was once Carried
on In Portland.
How informers Were Treated In the
oIden Time.
Tarred and Feathered and then
Officially Soaked In Salt Water.
Hon. William Goold.l

Hon. William Goold]
Salt is spoken of in many places in the BIZ
Die, and although we hold 1t so cheaply, usual
ly as the emblem of something sacred. 1T IS
covenant of salt before the Lord forever
Numbers, 1919 In his sermon on the mount
the Saviour said to his disciples "Ye are the
salt of the earth" The prophet Elisha used
salt in new vessel in the miracle of sweet
ening the waters of the fountain Of jericho.
In his history Of New England Gov ernor
John Winthrop relates that white man IN
formed an inquisitive Indian that the frst
principle of commonwealth was salt; for
by means Of it we keep our flesh and fish to
have it ready when it is needed. Whereas
for the want of it you are often ready to
starve. A second principle is iron; for
thereby we fell trees, build houses and till
our land. A third is ships; for by them we
send away such commodities as we have to
spare, and bring home such as we Lack
'Alasl" said the Indian, "then / fear we
shall never be a commonwealth; for we can
neither make salt, iron nor ships" Morton's
"New English Canaan, 1857, says "the In
dams will not use salt, even where it
abounds."
w Sceohs uhO Va tuC fuCACudht dQt ChtuICto
of Plymouth, Old England, wrote TO the
Plymouth people OF New england, I'VE have
now sent you, we hope, men and means 20
settle these three things. viz, fishing, salt
making and boat making" GOV. Bradford
replied the next year, 'But he whom you
sent to make salt was an ignorant. self
willed fellow. He bore them in hand he
could do great matters in making salt. but he
could do nothing but boil salt in pans. Be-
fore summer was out he burnt the house and
spoiled the pans.'
In 1895 Elisha Cook, Elisha Hutchinson
and John Foster, with their associates. re-
ceived a monopoly Of making salt in the
Province of Massachusetts, latter the man
ner 1t Is made In France" for the space Of
"A years. They were required TO produce
100 hogsheads of salt before the end of the
year 100. Their works were on Boston
Neck. On the Goth of June 1897. Judge
Sewall, who vas one OF the company, records
Il went and saw more than 20 bushels OF
salt raked,. which is the most that hath
the expiration of the exclusive charter,
which was probably extended. Samuel
Waldo, afterward the Brigadier, who was
dividing bis attention between his Boston
and his Falmouth interests, established on
bis Long Greek farm" now the reform
school farm, salt works. Mysauthority for
this bit of home history is the business books
OF Enoch Freeman who had a store of goods
at Clay Cove. From his books 1t is evident
that he was Waldo's agent to supply the salt
works. and his farm with what was needed.
There were several Indians who were em-
ployed on the farm or in the salt works, but
whether they were held as slaves, or were
hired, it is not clear. This farm is mention
ed liz probate papers as the ''salt works
farm to distinguish 1t from the Str0udwater
farm. The first mention of the salt works
IN Freeman's books is in 1746, the year of
Gen. Waldo's return from. Louisburg
Long Creek point was then the centre OF
Waldo's shipping business The ship Eliza
beth. Capt Pend0ck Neal, is mentioned as
taking cargoes from there to Liverpool.
There was wharf there. Salt became very
| the interior towns suffered from the want of
it.. Brigadier Preble's diary while he was a
delegate from Falmouth to the Provincial
Congress, says June End 1777 there are in
this State 1900 bushels of salt; committee
was chosen to distribute it to the back towns"
"July7 There was resolve passed last
Saturday to give bounty of three shillings
a bushel for all the salt that shall be made
out of salt water in this State" N0twith-
standing the bounty, before the peace of 1888
salt rose to the enormous price of eight dol
lars per bushel. The bounty of 1777 stimu-
lated the manufacture at Cape Cod and many
other favorable places.
Salt works and house for its storage,
were built on log Island somewhere near
the bar that joins the two islands. The
works were burnt and rebuilt In 1873.
Nathaniel Deering who owned the island,
rebuilt the works, and in his book he charged
i've per cent. commission for his services
OF course there were other associates in the
enterprise. The most probable one was Gen.
Preble who had seen the increase of the
business near Boston. Mcintosh, his tenant
on Bangs Island, is credited with bringing
bricks from town. There were extensive
salt works at Point Shirley. When the
early steamboats, ran between here
and Boston, from their light draft. they fire.,
so narrow is the passage that from the deck
the process of salt making could be SEEN
VIM, Tukesbury who had worked in them
purchased the works in 1882 and ran them
until 1916. He died in 1883 aged So. Soon
after the Hog Island works were completed,
salt works were built on Weeks wharf, near
the foot of India street. These works were
in operation up to the war Of 1872.
Years ago. gentleman yet alive related to
me an incident connected with the Weeks
wharf works. In 1906 or 1907, Joseph McLel-
Ian. Jr., went TO st. John, N. B., and bought
100 bbls OF rum, and 100 bbls. of sugar and
secreted them In a barn on Long Island, be-
longing to Huckins, hoping to evade paying
barrel OF each for his assistance in the trans
action. He informed an officer of thel GUS
toms and was entitled to one half the pro-
ceeds of the sale of the forfeited goods.
When the inf0rmer came to town for his
share OF what was considered ill gotten
money, mob gathered and tarred and feath-
cred him at the salt works. Collector llsley
was appealed to to protect Huckins. He
appeared on the scene, but his protection
consisted in ordering one of the salt kettles
to be filled with water and heated, and Huck-
ids to be soaked therein until the tar could
be got off.
During the Introduction of commerce Just
before the war of 1872 salt rose to extravagant
prices, and during the war it reached 81 per
commerce, being hauled by large OK teams
through the notch of the White Mountains
to supply the settlements beyond. 1t was
also carted from one seaport to another for
fear OF the enemy's cruisers, which closely
blockaded the coast. This internal COM
merce was ridiculed by the. opposers Of the
war. l recollect, among other this distich.
ssNo masts npr sails do need those ships,
Which men do drive with waggon.whlps"
A Pittsburg Gazette of 1924, says: "a long
time after the settlement of that country,
bushel OF salt was considered fair eQuiva-
lent for good cow" Salt was great aid
In the settlement of the Western country.
Cows were turned loose in the morning and
often were compelled to seek pasturage far
from home; but for the little salt which was
sure to be given them at night for the
purpose, they would not return, consequent
ly they could not be kept at profit. Cattle
require much more salt remote from the sea,
than they do on the coast. The States
which were once the Northwestern Terri
tory" contain below the earth inexhausta-
BILE stores Of salt, iron, coal and copper; but
the pioneers were slow in discovering them.
When Henry Clay was first nominated as a
candidate for the Presidency, among his vast
numbers of presents sent to Ashland by his
admirers, wa8 one of twenty-three bushels