The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1899-02-08
ONE NEW ENGLAND VILLAGE THAT
NEVER CAST A VOTE.
II Ina Existed For Generations and
Has Three Hundred Inhabitants.
There Are No Taxes. No COnstablcs
and No Criminals There.


Has Three Hundred Inhabitants.
There Arc No Taxes. No COnstables
and No Criminals There.
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 civilized
world.
1t contains 800 inhabitants within
the village proper, with as many more
at work cutting and hauling lumber to
the village from the slopes of the sur
rounding mountains 1t has two large
manufacturing industries, large store
and boarding houses, 26 residences,
postoffice, electric plant lighted streets,
ETC., railroad, telephone, excellent water
system and sewerage-in short, as many
modern conveniences as any village OF
its size in New England. Yet it is nei
ther city, town, plantation nor even an
incorporated place. 1t is nothing
It's inhabitants pay no taxes of any
sort. Babies have been born here, have
grown to manhood and become heads
Of families and never known what it was
to pay one cent for taxes.
There are, OF course, wild land tax
and state tax on the mill property,
but these are paid by nonresidents and
are something with which the inhabit-
ants have nothing to do. On the other
hand, no inhabitant can vote. They
are, as a rule, we'll educated the daily
papers have large circulation and the
people are we'll posted IN current events
Yet here, in the very heart Of New
England, is community who have TO
more voice or influence in national
state, county or town affairs than
though they lived i'll the heart OF Rus
sia. Here are gray haired American
citizens who have never cast q 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 abo.lt
this most remarkable place is the entire
absence Of crime. Notwithstanding this
heterogeneous population there are no
police, not even constable. There was
a sort of constable here, but his COM
mission expired, and his duties had
been so light he did not consider it
worth his while to renew it.
Here is the only village in the United
States to which there is no. carriage
road. The only means Of transportation
to or from the outside world is by a
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 diff
Guilty 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 a carriage
over the ties. But it proved so difficult
and dangerous that this method Of
reaching the village has been aban-
doned.
This railroad is one of the wonders
of New England. 1t penetrates IA miles
into the widest deiles of the White
mountains y ride upon it is Il new ex-
perience, even to 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 train to
20. You climb the sides of mountains
at an elevation of 400 feet to the mile,
where horse could scarcely go and
could not haul load; You shoot down
declivities which are almost preciplces,
where a break in the machinery 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
large scale in New England, and upon
this road was used the first patent gear
ed locomotive for mountain climbing
in the east.
The school is another unique feature.
The schoolhouse was built i'll 1892 by
the two companies who operate here,
and the teacher is paid by cortrlbu-
ton from each workman OF 10 cents Il
month. This is taken from each man 5
wages each pay day, and is enough to
pav for about 30 weeks of school a year.
This territory was granted to Richard
Batchelder by the state OF Massachu-
setts about 100 Years ago.
Forty years ago G. A Hastings Of
Bethel and d. R. Hastings of FryeburS
bought 20,O acres here, practically
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 pur-
chased at the same time 40, 900 acres of
timber in Beams purchase, just across
the New Hampshire line.
They put in the big steam MILL store,
most of the houses, the electric system,
water system, sewers, etc. They cut
their timber at Beans purchase and
haul it by rail to their steam mill here,
which saws 65, 600 feet Il day when run
to its full capacity.
Carl Storrs may be termed the father
of the settlement, rs he holds every