The Portland daily press., 1894-04-13
THE ANTELO
A Remarkable Boat Builder-The First
Steamboat From Portland to Peaks Is
Iand-Horatio Cook and His Notable Life

1and-Horatio Cook and His Notable Life
In low, dusty loft on the third story
of building on Portland wharf
an old and very round shouldered mar
is employed in making boats. He does
good work, and they. say he can make g
boat stronger for it's weight than any
one else in the city. He ought to know
how, for he has built boats for over hall
| a century.
| Away back in the forties, Horatic
| Cook was an unusually proficient young
| mechanic in the twenties. He had mas
tered both the trade of woodworking
and of ironworking, and could build q
house or make boiler. 1t became. man.
| ifest to him that so many people
made excursions to the islands in the
summer that some boat not dependent
on wind or tidescould command good
business. The idea gained such control
of him that in the spring of 1850 he
went to work and with two assistants
Built Small Steamer
constructing all of the machinery as
well assthe hull. 1t was "sfdewhecler, "
for propelIers were only just being intro
dnced then. 1t was so feet long, feet
wide and the hull was 30 inches deep.
There was an upper deck for the passen-
gers,o which it could carry 100 The
boat was named
The Antelope,
and.was the first steamer to engage in
the passenger business between Portland
and Peaks Island. That spring was SO
backward that there was no good
weather until July. 1t was intended to
make the first trip on the Fourth of
July but that was stormy, and the
steamer reached Peaks Island on the
sixth.
Mr.. Cook found good deal of trouble
at first about securing landing. The
people down there objected very decided
ly to passenger steamer. They were
afraid of crowds of rowdies, etc. At
last, Captain Littlejohn, father of Joe
Littlejohn, who is still alive ut the age
of SO years, and who then had charge of
the land, where the Union House and
wharf now stand, gave Mr.. Cookspermis-
sion to land at the stone fishing pier,
which is still part of Jones's wharf.
For five years that wharf was used,
but there was no water at low tide, and
in that-case the Antelope sailed over to
a big boulder near Greenwood Garden
and landed her passengers on that, with
the aid of plank
The Antelope was run tor three years
and it proved paying enterprise. 1t in
augurated the summer resort business at
Peaks Island.
Captain Jones, the late husband of
Mrs. Jones, of the Onion House, was
then cooper by trade. Hissshop was at
the head of the wharf. Mr.. Cook told
him that he could make more money
making chowders than barrels. Captain
Jones believed him, ana SO transformed
his cooper shop into a restaurant and
the great fireplace was turned into a
kitchen.
Such was the beginning Of the bust
ness of the Union House and the popu
larity Of that famous hostelry. That first
year of the Antelope's existence, Captain
Littlejohn built the bowling alley that
still stands on the bank above the wharf
the first one on the island. An old is
land schoolhouse was utilized as a bill
lard hall. After three years, Mr.. Cook,
who was both captain and engineer of
the Antelope, took her to pieces and
built the Casco, a somewhat larger boat.
In 1865, William Curtis built the Gaz-
year he bought the Casco of Captain
Cook, and ran it to Freeport until it was
worn out and torn to pieces and sold
for old junk.
The Antelope made but two trips a
day. She was not very fast, mot over five
diction then. which showed his great
sagacltyssin such matters. He declared,
though people laughed at him, that the
time would come when there would be
"little propeller steam boats no bigger
than yawl-boat." Captain Cook took
charge of the Gazelle for Mr.. Curtis for
a short time, but soonsleft and resumed
his former occupation OF boat builder
and Mechanic. For the past twelve years
he has built over 100 boats for WE. Car
ter & Co., He goes to work down there
on the wharf, between and o'clock,
every morning, winter and summer.
He goes home to dinner at 10 o'clock a.
M, ret urns at about II o'c ock, works
till between 4 aud sand then goes home,
eats Supper Immediately and goes to
bed He has lived this way for 20 years.
He cam OF sleep in the morning, but
can in the evening. He is really the
originator of our summer resort bust
n ess in the harbor. He thought of it
first, and took the first steps to bring it
about, and for the first 20 years almost
was the leading man in the business.
Yet he is making boats in a dingy loft
at the age of 70 years.