The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1903-03-05
Maine's Oldest Type-Setter.
Still in the Harness. Is a Prominent Grand
Army Man.

An eventful life has been that of
Martin c. Dilworth of Belfast. who
has for sixty years been engaged in the
work of printing and type-setting, and
is today the oldest printer yet Sin the
harness" in the State. From the devil
to the foreman, and from soldier to
millman, has been the experience OF
the little man." as he is often called,
since his arrival in this country from
across the sea many years ago.
Martin c. DilWorth was born III the
city of Cork, Ireland, the son of Ed
ward and Eliza Dilworth There he at
tended the public schools, and at the
age of Is years, soon after the death OF
his father, he removed with his mother
to America. This being in the days
when steamers were not in communi-
cation with the "old country" the voy
age was made by a sailing vessel. The
ship was the Earl of Whitbee, full
rugged brig, and while she was very con-
venient for those days, yet 1t occupied
to reach st. Andrews, n. b., where they
landed, eleven weeks and three days.
The vessel sailed from Queenstown,
seven miles below the city of Cork,
and the voyage across the Atlantic was
filed with rough weather and bitter eX-
periences for the little company. In
telling the story of his life, Mr.. Dill
worth said:
st. Andrews was then smart town
and considerable of q shipping port.
Soon after landing there | got employ
ment as a parcel boy and soon worked
mp a good trade.
IN the month of June, in 1913,
went into the office of the Charlotte
Gazette. published by John McLaugh-
lin, as printers devil, and began the
work which | have followed about GO
wears. | was employed there about a
year: then, the management becoming
lax and pay hard to get, | left and en-
tered the office of the st. Andrews
Standard, published by a. W. Smith,
where remained until 1913, when my
mother removed to Maine, coming
across the river to Machias. My folks
removed to Whitneyville, and after
leaving the paper | went there with
them and found employment in a lath
mill where | remained until the Ma
chias Union was started IN 1852, by
Yates 4 Furbush. On this paper, which
is still published | made up the first
FORMS
After the first year Yates sold out
to Furbush, and after that | worked
back and forth between Machias and
VII plltbo P"PCA INV ~
Rev. Mr.. Lenfest, who in the latter
town published a paper called the
Gross and Crown for Sunday school
work In June, 1855, the first Machlas
Republican was published by Stacy
Fowler then a hustling newspaper
man. and with George F. Talbot as
editor, now of Portland, the paper got
a good start After assisting in getting
out the first numbers, | returned to
work in Machiasport. | worked ON
Calais and Machias papers until the
railroad was opened from st. Andrews
to Woodstock, and going there | shipped
as cook on small packet sailing to st.
Andrews, st. stephen and Calais. From
there | shipped in small schooner,
lumber laden, for Boston, but when the
schooner was forced to seek harbor III
Machiasport, | left her to 60 home,
having enough of salt water sailing.
Il was married in February of '62, to
Margaret L. Higgins of ADDISON and
soon after enlisted i'll the army to go to
the front. | left home as member of
the Sixth Maine Battery, Capt. Rogers,
and remained until the close of the war,
being mustered out of the service on
the 18th of June.
Il once more found employment III
the office OF the Machias Republican,
and later on the Belfast Republican
journal, edited by W. H. Simpson, and
the Bangor Wing and Courier, as well
as III Boston and Cambridge, where |
worked with Wilson 4 son, book print
trs.
''Im October, %, | returned to Bel
last. and until the starting OF the City
Press i'll that city. was employed in
various offices about town.
In the book written by, but published
after the death of Editor Pendleton,
entitled Andy Dodge" Mr.. Dilworth,
under an alias, figures as one of the
leading characters.
81 worked said Mr.. Dilworth, ''for
a short time on the Literary Digest, in
Bangor, as well as in Belfast offices, in
the meantime going to New York. |
where was employed by a party namt d
Keller, who was about to publish pa
per at Dobb's Ferry, on the Hudson. |
Since that time have had employment
in various offices in this section, during
the past four years for the Belfast
Printing Co., where | am now en-
ployed.
wages were very good in those old |
days in the printing business, and one |
could easily make fine salary com
pared with the present prices paid type |
settlers on straight work. Why, in the
Buchanan times, | used to get five dol |
lars day and board, for work.
while working in Machias at type !
setting, my family lived in Whitney
vile, and | walked a distance Of three
and half miles each morning and |
night to and from work, figuring during
one summer something more than 1.500 |
miles, III addition to doing full days |
work.
Il worked for one winter on the |
Aroostook Pioneer, and printed the first |
full sheet poster that came from a |
press in the city of Belfast. In the |
early days, when | began work, there |
were no stoves used and the office was
necessarily heated from fireplace. 1t
was then the daty of the devil to get |
up in the morning, sometimes wading |
in the deep snow, and saw sufficient |
wood to last during the morning; then |
build the fire and have the Office warm, |
or supposed to be warm, when the other |
workmen arrived. At night we were
often forced to remain up until late to
get the incoming mail, many times de-
layed far into the night.
'In the State militia, | served seven
wears in Co. H, and on the death of |
Charles Littletield, who was company