Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1902-12-24
| STRENUOUS LIFE.
THAT OF CAPT. GEO. X, GRIFFIN,
FORMERLY OF ELLSWORTH.
SAILOR, MINER, TRAVELLER, SPORTS
MAN--Sow LIVING AT HoLYoKE,
MAss.--HALE AND HEARTY
AT RIuHrY.

Al EioHIf.
The older residents OF Ellsworth well
remember Capt. George x. Grifin, who
lived thirty odd years ago 10 the house on
Pine street now occupied by John II.
Brimmer.
Capt. Grifiin is now . resident OF Hol-
yoke, Mass., hale and hearty at the sd-
vanced sge Of eighty years. He has lived
an interesting life.
His career as pioneer and woodsman,
asa Yankee sailor, skipper, shipbuiider
and owner; ss California miner and
pisInsman, as Klondiker, general travel.
Ter and sportsman would make q book
much stranger than most fiction. Such q
book will probably never be written, rs
Capt. Griffin IL modest, and II his life has
been considerably more strenuous than
| the average Of men, he made II 40 for the
reason that II was bis nature.
Capt. Griffin first saw light Nov. Is,
| is22, Ia log house In the Maine will
| derness In the shadow OF old Mount
Kstahdin, among the headwaters OF the
| penobseot river. He grew up like q
ssplirg OF the mountain slope, tough.
and supple and laying the foundation for
constitution almost grand to contem-
plate, which has hardly begun to show
signs OF decay after almost four score
| years OF wear snd tear, .enough to xiii
hree common men," as a neighbor Is
wont to say OF Capt. Griffin.
Young Griffin soon learned the book OF
the woods by heart. Before he was out
| Of his teens be could traverse the whole
country betysen the great arms Of the
| Penobscot, the east and west branches, by
| night or day. Re could run down a bull
moose, and shot and trapped every man
| ner Of beast with which that region was
then alive. He learned TO shoot In times
| ,shen It was sin to waste lead, and an
| objectionable crime to lose anything
| which had a value In furs or flesh.
| When be had just passed bis majority
came the first great change of scene In
bis life. The family pulled up stakes
/ Anu bosNo Aba rtttttA Nv AboWoAtbs
For the young woodsman this was q
| great change; from the vast north woods
| 10 the vsster ocean, from the Whispering
| u the pines to the roar of the breakers,
| from the hunters camp to the stuffy
| fo'csstie Of down east packet. The sea
appealed to The young man from The first
IL was an unexpIored region and he was
I ~ Ha - =
tore the mast hand at the first opportu-
| nity on one OF the small scbooners which
sailed between the coast towns and
Boston. He learned to reef and steer,
OF the courses, OF the lights, OF the buoys,
of the channels ana of the rocks and bars.
Among The many Interesting features
! Of this busy life we find one written
sbout this time. Young Griffin had but
one seasons experience on the coast when
| very late Ia the fall he was summoned to
Boston by Andrew Peters OF Ellsworth,
father OF ex-Chief Justice John A.
Peters of the Msine supreme court.
The elder Peters had purchased q
schooner In Boston, the "Vandalia", $50
tons, nd was very anxious to get her 10
| ellsworth before the Union river closed
| Mr.. Peters bad been watching the young
man from the woods, and had implicit
confidence I'm him. He placed young
Griffin In command. and set out to find
crew. IS IL needed three good men to
handle the craft. Sailors could not be
found 20 MAKE the trip.
The new captain became anxious lest
\ pirey
| sith the aid OF some 'IoDgshoremen got
sail on the 'vandslia" and with but one
other person en- board, young boy who
had shipped as cook, cast of the lines
from Constitution wharf and headed for
down east
II was q most risky undertaking, but
| fortune smiled her sweetest on the young
skipper. The wind held fair and stes d y
ana Ia forty-eight hours the "Vsndaiia''
was sailing up Union river, and that at
dead low water, a feat for veteran pilot
and full crew, as the channel was mar
row and crooked. II Is feat which has a
place in the legends OF the Maine coast :
now Cap'n Griffin sailed a $50 ton
schooner In December from Boston up
the Union river with but one small boy
| tor crew, in forty ht hours.
| Mr.. Peters was so we'll pleased that be
sold Capt. Griffin one-third OF the craft,
to be paid for at any time. Capt. Grifiin
and the "Vsudalia" led the other shippers
and craft merry race. Many time the
schooner made the round trip, including
dischsrging. in five days, and many 6
skipper v no thought he was fairly swift
has left Ellsworth IN company with the
"vandslis" and been ouistripped by thst
craft so much a. to meet her coming out
OF Boston W ten be - beating in. Lum-
Der aud bark we're the principal cargoes.
| Capt. Grifiin made money In those days
He gradually n srged his business, buy
| ing into other vessels, and then went into
sbipbuilding. The first vessel which be
| built was a schooner OF 400 tons called the
''ses Foam. She Was built with a center
board aud was a crack saiier. Capt.