The Republican journal., 1903-09-24
NEWS on The pENosscor.
Furnished a Chicago Paper by an Able
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People who live in the towns along
the picturesque Penobscot river from
Rockland to Bangor read the newspa-
pers Just as people in other towns do.
but they get good deal of gossip from
the hurricane decks of the steamers
that pass by daily. That is the way
people along the Mississippi and the
Missouri rivers got their news before
the days of railroads.
When a Penobscot river steamer
sounds her siren for landing the
whole town tiocks to the pier and when
the steamer is made fast and the cap
tain stands at his post, communications
begin, somebody ashore leading OF
while the populace looks skyward and
listens.
1t was from the pier at Searsport
that the following question was waited
"See anything of Squire - up to
Bangor this trip"
The old captain replied that he hadn't
seen the person mentioned for several
tHe sent word that he'd be deown to
Searsport and | kind O. been lOOkin' fur
him. Hope nothin' happened. When
YOU 90 up again, if you see him, just
tell him I'm expecting him deown."
When the steamer lay at the wharf
at Belfast man ON shore called to the
captain:
Hear anything deown n Boston
'beout report that Senator Frye's going
to marry soon?"
The captain, not often communica-
tive, except by monosyllables, became
slightly interested at this inquiry.
Hadn't heard that. Might be SO,
though. Where did you hear that?'
''Purser of the sister ship come
ashore minute on his way up on last
trip and said he heard it deoWn in Bos-
ton. Seems mighty strange we have to
go away from home to hear the news.
Then the captain got the signal that
all were aboard. He changed the bell
at the foremast aud the big steamer
churned up the waters and sailed ma
jestically for Camden, while the old
captain paced the floor of the pilot
house and stroked his Pefferian whisk-
ers until the steamer was made fast at
the Camden pier. While the freight
was being hustled out, a Camden man
shouted up:
"Who was that chap you brought
down from Bucksport last trip, cap?"
The captain did not recall the per-
son.
"Well, he made things lively in Cam
den until we made him leave town.
He had a jag the like of which Camden
haint seen in many day, and just how
he ever got anything in Bucksport
int r6 of Sn0h q
thing in Buchsport since last presiden-
tial election. Guess he don't belong in
these parts. Hope you don't land any
more like him in Camden
Never heard of it" said the captain
as he motioned to the pilot to go ahead.
And it was a man on the pier at
Bucksport on the up trip who shouted:
"Hear anything in Boston abeOut
big panic in Wall street, New York?
Nothing special was the reply OF
captain.
''Man was deown from Bangor yes
terday who said he heard it up there.
Didn't seem to know much about it,
though. But | hope it's so.'
''What makes you say that" shouted
a passenger, who, being a New Yorker,
concluded to take hand
"Well," said the man ashore, panic
in Wall street means that somebody's
got hurt deoWn there, and we re glad to
hear of it up here. Some of our folks
in Bucksport were deown in Wall street
abeout year ago and they haven't
been much use to this community
since"
This seemed to please the crowd
ashore. They laughed, and some OF the
passengers on the hurricane deck asked
back if old Jed Prouty was at home.
Then the captain rang the bell.
'What's the name of that fort across
the river?" asked passenger OF an
officer of the steamer.
The officer replied that it was Fort
Point.
"Any soldiers there?'
No; haven't seen any around there
since the Spanish war;
"What's it kept up for?"
ooh, nothing, exceptit helps the gov
ernment spend some Of its money.
And it makes people in Bucksport feel
SAFE A foreign fleet at Searsport could
drop shells onto that fort and blow it
up by the roots. Bnt you can't make a
Bucksporu man see it that way, and as
long as Bucksport feels safe it makes
no difference about the balance OF the
country
The officer swerved from his military
criticism long enough to hail a man
ashore, to whom he shouted: ''The
skipper of the July Fourth will be
deown next week with that load OF
shingles. Told me so today up at
Hampden."
Then the officer told the passengers
that the July Fourth was schooner
that plows the waters of the Penobscot
picking up freight anywhere between
Rockland and Bangor.-Chicago Jour
nal.