The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1899-08-29
BANGOR'S DEAL TRADE.
a Once Prosperous Industry In the Old
Maine Town Has Revived.
New York Sun.

SIBangor. Aug. 90 -Banaor's deal trade.
after many years, has come back again
and today Their are scenes along the river
shat recall the times when millions of
Penobscos logs sawed into thick planks.
were shipped away every year to the ports
of the United States and all over conti-
mental Europe-the times when prices OF
eumter and everything else were high,
and when the Yankee wooden sailing
ship was still queen in the fleet and a
winner in thu race for the world's deep
water commerce. As Annie Pixley used
20 sing with tender regret of "The days
of 49," SO the Bangor sailorman an d
-umberman sings in his heart of the days
.ust before, or those after the war, when
ships were many here and business
brisk.
Away back before the war. Bangor did
a smashing business in lumber, with
many ports in four continents, and after
The WEI the business was revived to some
extent Countless millions of feet Of deals
were sent to the United Kingdom, and
vast quantities of 'i3 by stuff" to south
AiEerica, while the wealth of Penobscot's
clearand wide white pine was scattered
all over the Vest Indies. Prices were for
che most part good, wages high for steve
aores, freight also high and sailors pock-
ats were seldom empty. Times were
lush In the port of Bangor in those
uays.
q he vessels that used to come to bangor
,n that time for foreign loading were
among the best specimens of wooden CON
struntion ever turned out anywhere, and
~. hat
Head docks were delight to the sailor S
eye aud n satisfaction TO the heart of all
perh tic Americans. In recent years
sbefe have been some notable sea con-
Sresses at these same docks. but there is
vast difference between the old fleets
and the new. Now a-days the foreign
trade is done almost entirely in foreign
bottoms. and even the foreign sailing
vessels are being crowded out by British
and Norwegian tramp steamships that
carry so much at % load and 90 quickly
and cheaply. Never agnin does Bangor
ships as thu Belle Of Bath, the Conquer
or. the William H. Conner, Reynard and
The ships OF the great McGtlvery fleet;
fey never come here now, and, indeed,
Jew of them are let in any trade.
But Bangor is shipping deals again.
Win let OF other stuff, TO foreign ports.
and is glad of it, even II the business is
uone in foreign steamers. For some years
.5he tramp steamers have been coming
tera, but not until lately in the deal
srRde. They have been engaged till now
v the transportation of spool wood TO
sac Scottish mills and ground wood pulp
20 vsTious paris of the United Kingdom
rnd the Continent. Last year 20, COO, 0O)
eset of deals were shipped, and this year
ste ex porlation will be as much or more
Sore of the steamers take as much as
a,Ge0 COZ feet, others from a million to a
million and half. One of last years
deet carried away 100000 feet.
cha tramp steamers load quickly, carry
big cargo and cross the water in about
\ days, They carry few men, have no
repairs that can be made here, and leave
t.ttle money in the port, which is one
reason why they are not liked. Some
tlmes as many as four or five of the deal
steamers are here at a time loading or
waiting for cargo, and strangers are sur
Irised to see such big ships so far up a
fresh water river. Some of the steamers
are of 5000 tons, gross, and draw 23 and
"a feet of water loaded. But the Penob-
scot is deep river. ard with the expen-
diture OF O moderate sum for dredging
could be made fafe for almost any vessel
of the navy, here at distance of 25 miles
from the head OF the bay.