The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1898-02-09
STATE TOPICS OF INTEREST.


Of . letter he recently received from the
chief Justice. Mr. Hopkins had written
:Judoe Peters. congratu]ating him upon
recovering his eyesight. and the famous
iurist answered in this way: My Dear
Friend he began, 81 am writing this
with nv old eyesight, and he wrote a
few lines in the slightly crooked chirog-
ranhy. which had characterized the period
of his failing sight. Then came the re-
mainder of tie letter in straight, perfect
lines. "This, - wrote the chief justice,
81 am writing with my newly recovered
eyesight." ''And I tell you,' said Mr.
Hopkins, who is himself 81 years old and
as straight as young man of 20, sit did
me good to get that letter and to learn
that the friend of a long lifetime had re-
covered his sight"
The Berlin Bridge Co., of East Berlin,
Conn, has crew in Bangor making
preparations for putting in new steel
draw at the Bangor end of the toll bridge
connecting Bangor and Brewer. The
plans and ell that could be attended to
last fall were done at that time with the
understanding that the draw was to be
put in some time after the closing OF the
river. 1t is not expected that the WORK
of.putting in the draw will interfere with
the travel across the bridge to any great
extent. The only time when the bridge
will have to be entirely closed is when the
draw is adjusted.
The Augusta Board of Trade at it's an
nual meeting Monday night, voted to give
dinner and elected officers. Last year
there was no trade dinner, but 1t was
thought best to have one this year ana
the chair appointed committees to MAKE
preparations for it. The committee TO
look after the literary part is composed OF
- TyN1
Lynch, w. FL. Williams and G. b. Bur
leigh. The committee to provide the pan
quet is f. W. PJaisted, II. e. Bowd1tch,
S. S. Randall, C.sF. Fletcher, and FREQ
Cony. By vote of the board the clerA was
instructed to cast one ballot for the IT, re-
election of the present officers Inc
officers are: President, Charles 5. H1ch-
born; vice presidents, John W. Chase,
Arthur W. Whitney, Melvin S. Holway
treasurer. Charles e. Whitten secretary,
Fremont j. G. Little; directors, A. >.
Bangs, j. Il. Manley, NJ. Y. +. Chase,
f. S. Lyman. Byron Boyd, I. Fl. Ran
dali, A. w. Brooks.
Mr.. Plummer clerk of the State Board
of Assessors, is condensing and placing
in one book the testimony taken in ",
'04, '96, from which the valuation OF wild
lands was made up. Frequently the peo-
pie come and want TO know from what
was made. To answer this often the
three books have to be hunted through,
SO that with one book it will be much
easier In talking with reporter Mr..
Plummer said that this wild land valua-
ton was generally the most unsatisfac-
tory that the Assessors are caused to
make. The Assessors before making up
the valuation have printed in the papers
the different places of meeting in the
eight counties, and also send printed no
tices of these meetings to owners Of 300
acres or more. Those not satisfied with the
present valuation then come in, and from
their testimony the valuation has to be
made for the assessors do not explore these
lands They have not the funds at their
disposal either, to send explorers out, SO
one can readily see how uncertain and
incomplete ia the valuation made up in
this way.
Sunday morning about O'Clock big,
flaming moon went down behind the
distant hills in the West, and it came to
pass that just as the lower edge seemed
to touch the earth Brewer man aroused
himself from deep slumber and turning
over in bed he cast his sleepy eyes out
the window and saw the moon with its
flaming red face and thought it was a
fire. He sprang to his feet and was about
to dress himself to run to the fire, when
his wife called out from the other side:
my dear" said she in sleepy tones,
"what's up?" NI'm up. my DEAR" said
he, land I'm going to the fire. It's
booster. - "F'irep" she answered, "where
cited husband, and he pointed with his
index finger to the moon. The wife
raised herself to half recline, and
through disheveled hair size cast glance
westward at the flaming moon, then her
ripping laugh filled every nook and cor
ner in the room. What are you laugh
ing at, dear2'' said he, as he put his arm
through the sleeve hole of his vest.
"Fire." said she, shaking with glee.
Why, you ninny, that is the moon just
going to bed.
Charles S. Hichborn, president of the
Augusta Board of Trade for over two
months has been endeavoring to induce
the Pedryoid Case Company Of Gardi-
ner to locate in Augusta. This company
was organized q little over a year ago,
for the manufacture of travelling cases
from wood pulp, under patents granted
to P G. Holmes of Gardiner. The cor
poration has been recognized and the
capital stock increased to $1,000. P. o.
Vickery ig President. AS soon as the Clo-
yer Medicine building on State street can
DO fitted with steam pipes, the new cor
poration will move into the building and
OCCUPY the two upper stories. A branch
OF UTl6 SUdQudEu bOA VI
Me. and Rochester, N. Y, will be es-
tablished on the ground floor. and in
the basement of the same building, both
firms using the same power. This latter
concern will manufacture paper boxes.
State Librarian Carver has received the
year book of British Colum bia, which in
addition to various other interesting
matters, contains great deal of interest
ing reading about the Klondike gold
fields. There is very large map of the
entire region contained in the work. In
addition to this book there has been re-
oeived for exchange with and distribu-
tion to the public Libraries D0Gumen j.
edited by James Phinney Baxter and
published by the Maine Historical Socie-
ty with the assistance of the State. In
the first series of the work there are nine
volumes. and in the second there are FIVE
Besides these there are a set OF four vol
umes of the proceedings OF the society
These are all very interesting volumes,
Containing finds of valuable matter.