The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1894-10-01
UNCLE JOE LITTLEJOHN.
He ShOveled Off the First Coal Land
ed in Portland.

ed in Portland.
Also Remembers the Boxer and Enter
prise Fight Settlement of Mash Island
Familiar Figure on Commercial
Wharf.
Uncle Joe Littlejohn, as he is familiar
ly known, is one Of the familiar figures
of Commercial Wharf. His kindly,
gray bearded face, is known to all the
fishermen, and the experiences of his
eighty-three years of life about Portland
harbor entertain them often when stres
of weather or the incidents of their bus1-
ness gather them about the stoves In the
offices of the fishing houses. Uncle Joe
was in reminiscent vein the other day,
and recalled for the PRESS the circum-
stances of the landing of the first cargo
of coal at Portland. 1t was at least
fifty years ago, when Uncle Joe was
young man. The little two masted
schooner, Hyperion, commanded by Cap
tain Charles Littlejohn, cousin of
Uncle Joe, and having as mate William
Larrabee, brought the coal from Balti-
more. In those days Portland harbor
was not frequented by the big four
masted schooners, thirteen Of which
were here in one day last week. The big
vessels of that day were briggs, barks
and ships. and the Hyperion was fair
sized schooner for that date. The coal,
of the soft Cumberland variety, was
brought as ballast or as venture, as near
as Uncle Littlejohn can remember. He
helped to unload it. They did not have
shears and TACKLE for this = purpose in
those days, an / they shovelled the coal
by hand out of the hold on to the deck.
At low water they shovelled next on to
an intermediate stage, and thence to
the wharf. At high water they threw
the coal directly from the deck to the
wharf
About one hundred tons were brought,
tha unloading being at Central wharf.
There was much curiosity and not
little scoffing and bantering about the
use of the "rocks," as the sidewalk COM
mittee called the coal. No coal was
burned in Portland then. The Boston.
boats for many years burned wood,
taking whole deckload for the trip
The Grand Trunk, which was not put
through for a long time afterwards,
burned wood in its locomotives for many
years.
There was not much demand for the
coal brought by the Hyperion. The
greater part of it lay on the wharf for
a year or more before it was used. Uncle
Littlejohn says that when the people
they threw in as they would wood and
providing for no draft they were of
course unsuccessful. This result threw
cloud over the reputation of the new
fuel. But later some one arranged
CRATE on the andirons, and found that
the coal burned well. Much of it was
taken into the country, and the whole
amount was finally disposed of.
Pursuing his train Of "reminiscences,
Uncle Joe recalled the fight of the En-
terprise and Boxer, which took place in
1915, when he was child three and half
yOnho o1s.f 1llo ldpaSl Aau bEcl buo plO-
neer settler on Mash Island, little rock
of thirty-fve acres lying outside Long
Island. The elder Littlejohn cleared off
he virgin forest, and got grass land that
kept COW and two or three sheep. He
lived there twenty-one years, with no
one to dispute his title. The buildings
have disappeared long since, and the is
land is now barren and uninhabited.
Uncle Littlejohn says that on the day of
the battle between the two vessels, the
smoke could be seen and the cannonad-
ing heard from their home on Mash Is,
land. After the Enterprise came into
the harbor the elder Littlejohn took his
family in his boat and came up to see the
sights. Uncle Joe rememb ers that he
was taken to this quarter deck of the En-
terpise and saw there the bodies of the
two captains, lying side by side He
declares that the Swords were still on
their bodies. Uncle Joe has never lost
interest in the event, and often visits the
tombs of the two captains at the East
ern Cemetery.