The Republican journal., 1904-04-21
OLD TINES ON The PEN0Bscor.
Some of the Passenger Steamers that Used
tn PLY ON the Bay and River.

Some of the Passenger steamers tnat Used
tn PLY ON the Bay and River. =
To THE EDITOR OF THE JOURNAL:
The first passenger boat l remember
(about 1884 was the sidewheel steamer
Bangor, Captain Samuel H. Howe. Her
route was from Bangor to Portland
and Boston. She had wooden hull
and low pressure engine with gallows
frame. The fare was IS, including
meals and berth. Her landing at Win
terport was by small row boat at
Shaw's wharf at high tide, and at Fer
| ry Point at low tide. Sometimes the
landing was made on the beach below
Eveleth's wharf. When there were
passengers to 60 from here flag was
raised on the flag staff at the hotel.
| The Bangor was sold to parties
across the Atlantic Turkey, l think
and Capt. Howe formed a company
and built fine steamer named the
State of Maine. She ran to Port
land and connected there with the
Eastern R. R. for Boston, Mass. Her
passengers were landed at the South
Ferry, East Boston, and crossed by
ferry to the city. In the winter she
ran on the Sound from Fall River to
New York. Her stay here was short
as she was too expensive for the bust
ness. She was sold to the New York
| Co., and then steamer named Gov.
ernor took her place on the river
Capt. Howe was still master Captain
Alden Parker of Bangor had boat
built by Hollingsworth 4 Harlem, Will
mington, Del. named the Bangor
for a freight ard passenger boat, to run
direct from Bangor to Boston, the first
outside line. She was iron hull, wooden
deck and all above deck was wood, had
twin screws and double engines. On
her second trip from Boston she caught
fire after leaving Rockland and all her
wooden work was burned. The Gov
ernor towed the iron hull to Bangor
where it was sold and the boat re-
built. Charles Spear, formerly purser
of the old Bangor, bought her and
put her on the route to Boston and
she made a few trips on the river
During the Mexican war the government
bought her for transport and changed
her name to the Scourge, and that
was the last of her: that was in 1917.
A boat named the Independence that
ran on the Portland route was wrecked
in Bangor. She struck a big boulder
below the wharf where she landed.
The rock was afterwards called indie
pendence Rock. 1t was removed
some years ago. l we'll remember the
evening she was wrecked.
The first boats to make the out
side trip were those OF the San
ford's Independent Line, and the first
of the line was the kennebec. They
also had a line from New York
to Philadelphia. l think that Van
derbilt put on an opposition line
here to both Boston and Portland.
Their advertised rate was 25 cents to
Boston and u - cents to Portland;
lots of fun. There were the Huntress
1. W. Richmond, Telegraph, Express.
Penobscot, Kennebec, Governor, and
others that l cannot remember. There
was Sanford boat called the L. F.
Secor, Capt. Thomas B. Sanford, that
had the route to Ellsworth. She was
the first winter boat on the river and
ran one trip a week from Portland. |
| think that was in 1916. At that time
there were no telegraph lines or rail
roads this side of the kennebec.
A boat was built for the Portland
route named the Daniel Webster,
Capt. Joseph Farwell. He was the
''untie your hind line fame. AS left
here in the early tiftles this is as far as
| can 60. GINGER"