The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1899-01-19
A VILLAGE WITHOUT VOTES.
1t Hes Existed for Generations, and
Its Inhabitants Pay No
Taxes.

Taxes.
Hastings is a little village seated
amid the white mountains on the
boundary between Maine and New
Hampshire, and is the most unique
IN New England, perhaps in the civil
.zed world.
1t contains 200 inhabitants within
the village proper, with as many more
at work cutting and hauling lumber
to the village from the slopes of the
surrounding mountains. 1t has two
large manufacturing industries, large
store and boarding houses, &c resi-
denccs, post office, electric plant, light
ing streets, store. etc, railroad, tele-
phone, fine school. religious societies
ana services, excellent water system
and scwerage-in short, as many mod
ern conveniences as any village of its
size in New England. Yet it is neither
city, town, plantation or even an in
corporated place. il is nothing.
Its inhabitants pay no taxes of any
sort. Babies have been born here, have
grown to manhood and become heads
cf families and never known what it
was TO pay one cent for taxes.
There is, of course, a wild land tax
and state tax on the mill property,
but these are paid by non-resideuts and
are something with which the inhabi-
tants have nothing to do. On the other
hand. no inhabitant can vote. They
are, as q rule, we'll educated, the daily
papers have large circulation here,
the people are well posted in current
events.
Yet here, in the very heart of New
England, is q community who have no
more voice or influence in national,
state, county or town affairs than
though they lived in the heart of Rus
STA. Here are gray-haired American
citizens who have never east ballot,
and cannot so long as they live here.
1t is the most cosmopolitan village in
New England. Every nation on earth
is or has been represented here.
The most remarkable thing about
this remarkable place is the entire alb
sence of crime. Notwithstanding this
heterogeneous population there are no
police, not even a constable. There
was a sort of constable here, but his
commission expired about a year ago,
and his duties had been so light he did
not consider it worth his while TO re-
new it.
Here is the only village in the United
States 20 which there is TO carriage
road. The only means of Transports
ton 20 or from the outside world is
by railroad. This railroad starts at
Gilead and follows the valley of the
Wild river along route so narrow that
in many places there is barely room for
the rails. On every other side Of the
village are mountains so steep that
even footman can climb their sides
only with difficulty, and so high that
| the sun is visible only part of the day.
When this railroad was first built a
few persons ventured to drive car
riage over the ties. But it proved so
difficult and dangerous that this meth
| cd of reaching the village has been
abandoned.
This railroad is one of the wonders OF
New England. 1t penetrates IA miles
into the widest defiIes of the White
mountains. \ ride upon il is rev
experience. even to a traveller who has
| visited every country upon the globe.
You follow the sinuOus Wild river,
whirling around curves of 40 degrees,
where it seems impossible for 4 train
| to 90: you climb the sides of noun
ta:ns at an elevation of 400 feet to the
/ I. I ,s,s.rIy-
and could not haul a load: you shoot
| down declivitics which are almost
precipices. where a break in the ma
Chinery means death. Once the train
| did run away and was smashed, killing
| the trainmen 1t is freight road, not
usually taking passengers.
Here was the first successful expert
ment of hauling logs by rail upon u
large scale in New England, and upon
this road was used the first patent
geared locomotive for mountaia climb
| ing in the east.
The school is another unique feature.
| The schoolhouse was built in 1892 by
| the two companies who operate here,
| and the teacher is paid by contribu-
ton from each workman of ten cents
a month. This is taken from each
mans wages each pay Gay, and is
enough to pay for about 30 weeks OF
school a year. This term there are 81
| pupils.
This territory was granted 10 Rich
| ard BatcheldOr by the state of Massa-
| chusetts about 100 years ago.
Forty wars aUo e i IfaStiuUS Of
Bethel. and d. Il. Hastings, of Frye
| burg. bought 10000 acres here. prac-
| tically the whole region. In 1891 they
| sold the right of way through their
| territory. the mill site at the village,
| and 20 acres to the Wild River Lumber
company of Island Pond, Vt. This
company purchased at the same time
| 10000 acres of timber in Beams Pur-
| chase. Just across the New Hampshire
| line.
They put in the big steam mill. store.
most of the houses, the electric sys-
| tenn. water system, sewers. et2 lheS
cut their timber at Beams Purchase
and haul it by rail TO their steam mill
here. which saws 200 feet q day when
run to its full capacity.
Carl Storrs may be termed the IA
Their of the settlement, as he holds
every public office so satisfactorily that
no other man has been thought of N
connection with the position.
He is the company's agent, book
keeper, paymaster, trial Justice, post
master police. etc.-Roston Globe.