The Portland daily press., 1890-03-08
aEEN AND HEARD.


partly on her account and partly on my own.
She said that she was talking In school with
her children about the new gunboats that
are to be built at Bath. One of the boys said
that he had heard his father say that u gun
boat or monitor was built in this city,
somewhere near the Forest City sugar REIN
cry. He did not know the name nor did his
father but he was sure that what he said
was true. The major said that he remem-
pered the boat, monitor. 1t was not
finished until after the war was over, and
consequently was not used. The name he
said was the Wassuc. Thereupon the |
school Mistress formulated her question,
TO wit, What became of the monitor Was
sue built at Lawrence's ship yard In this |
city and launched In 1866 after the war was |
over
Jack Flint answered 1t, but there was |
something in the answer that made me |
doubt Its accuracy, aside from the fact that |
Jack was not Of responsible age in 1866. |
He said II guess you will find that they put |
ad n into the Wassuc.
The Boarding Mistress also contributed |
her mite to the general fund Of information |
on the subject. She said she remembered |
the Wassuc distinctly. She said she and |
the Major, her husband. strolled up town on |
the day that 1t was to be launched hoping to |
witness the event. She sa Id they were not |
very familiar with the swamp ward" then |
and that they went astray on Danforth |
street. losing the whole show. However, |
she said. they visited the vessel afterward |
as it lay at Sturtevant's wharf. At that |
time. as the government appeared to have |
no particular use for the Wassuc. 1t was
proposed by leading citizens-and the Board
Of Trade, added the Majoi-to. keep her here
forever as an industrial exhibition, a monu-
| ment Of Portlaud's workmanship, and in
cidentally a part Of the harbor defences.
All Of this is interesting and valuable as
showing how history tends to repeat itself,
| and that the value Of monitors has always
been recognized here, but 1t does not answer
| the School MISTRESS question. "What has
become of the Wassuc? Anyone who can
answer it will confer favor upon her and
| indirectly upon all who are interested In
local history.
The question was asked Monday evening
| at the tea-table II on any the election days
since the engine houses have been crowded
with promiscuous throng of citizens, an
alarm Of fire had given during the progress
OF the voting, and IL SO, what result had fol-
lowed. Jack whose memory for fiery facts,
aided by voluminous log book, extends far
back into the middle ages at once replied
that such an event had occurred, that 1t oc-
CURED in 1870 according to the best of his
recollection (of his log-book) that the fire
on Commercial street, and that aside from
single moments excitement there was no ap-
probable difference between that and an
ordinary occasion when fire alarm is given.
Jack on his own responsibility and laying
aside his log-book, said that the fact of an
engine house being in fact occupied by the
voting machinery would not incommode the
Are department much In case of an alarm on
election day. The hose carriages are remov-
ed bodily, out of doors in most cases, and
the harnesses are placed on the horses in
stead Of remaining on the shafts. The same
is true of the engines horses and harnesses
and although the engines are sometimes
showed into corner, the wheels are not OBJ
structed and very little time would be lost in
getting out.
The Major delivered an Grafton the other
i
did not at the time know what had stirred
him up on the subject. but this item In one
OF the papers which have since seen, ex-
| plainsft: ~
Major Frederick Lowell of this city was in
| Lombard Lake Tuesday"
To any one who does not know the Major,
that item appears all right. But 1t is fact
| we'll known to his friends that Frederic
Il Il &c fha ha r.
that Lambert Lake was the town he visited
last Tuesday. His Grafton was long. and
his points were scattered promiscuously
through it. but out Of it all gathered the
following general principles. The society
column might be Of value If properly con-
Quoted; but as now managed, or mis-
managed 1T is Of no use to anybody,
1t was originated, he said. to fill want that
the Personal column Of responsible papers
does not fill. Its province is to chronicle the
comings and goings and performances of
people, not important enough to be of gener-
al interest, yet often Of vital importance to
friends and aequaintances. A well managed
society column. said the Major. should be a
record of the parties, balls, receptions, ETC.,
taking place within its bailiwick, together
with register Of the people visiting in
town and the town people away on visits. 1t
should be carefully edited, and all names,
which are really all there is to it, should be
correctly printed" Passing from what it
should be to what 1t should not be, he said
"This printing lists of commercial travellers
under the heading The following Portland
people were In -- during the past
week, and statements that Mrs. So-and-So
looked charming at Mrs. KS reception,
dressed In a black grenadine, cut bias is
what makes people tired Of society columns
Then If Jack here goes to Belfast, or Bath,
or any other place. to squeeze some money
out Of a man who has had his house burned
down, or l 60 to Bangor for stay of few
hours, we see Mr.. Jack Flint, of the Sun
and Planets Fire Insurance Company, went
to Belfast last week to adjust John Does
loss or Major Frederic Lowell was in Ban
gor, Tuesday, on official business 1t makes
me sick-"Look here, Major" cut In Jack
at this point; "We all admit the society COL
umn, as now conducted, is all bad Just
give us few specimens Of your model soci-
ETY. column" The Major quivered little at
the sudden interruption, then said, SWELL,
for instance. you have been trying to make
us believe that you are going on the grand
tour west and south presently. If you go,
my society column will say:
"Mr. John Flint Of the Sun and Planets
Insurance Company left the city yesterday
for an extended tour in the west and south.
He expects to be absent several weeks"
If my nephew, Will, who liz, as you all
know. society man in every sense of the
word. should come to town for visit,
should say SO. but should say Mr.. William
| F. Lovel. This Mr.. Will Lowell, and Jack
| Flint, and Tom Scott, and Ed Russell does
no earthly good. A man who is important
enough to have his name in the paper is en-
titled to decent treatment"
At this point, the Other Lady asked
question. "Do YOU" she said ssnhiect to