Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1904-05-18

ton, are dealers in sporting goods in
all parts of the country. They are
Offering to make contributions of
articles for use as prizes in the several
contests which will form a feature of
the outing
Among the things which have already
been donated is a patent elastic pack
sack, given by S. ID. Martin, of Gin
cinnatti, o. This is one of the most
unique prizes which the association has
ever been able to offer and at the
same time it is one of the most con-
venient articles which a man who likes
to cruise in the woods can possibly own.
Warden Walter r. Butler, of Bluehill,
has notittd the fish and game commits
sionerS of the prosecution of Burton S.
Wardwell, of Penobscot, for killing five
black duck on April l. Wardwell paid
a fine of $25 and costs of So.
Morrill, n. Drew, representative in
tthe House of Representatives from
Portland, was a visitor at the State
House on Tuesday.
The recent remarks in this column In
regard to the private railroad which
runs from Gilead, on the line of the
Grand Trunk railway, to Hastings, has
| brought back memories, some of which
are pleasant, some of which are other
| wise, but all of which are interesting
| TO one state House man. This man
visited Hastings in the boom days.
VIXEN the town was full of life and go
| and when there We're no deserted
houses, as there are today. He rode
\ into the town from Gilead over this
private railroad and that forms one OF
the unpleasant memories of the trip.
| The road WAS built, so he contends, to
| conform with the contour of the land
| over which it ran, rather than any eff
| fort being made by grading to make
| tue land more suited for railroading
| than nature had left it. The result WAS
| that ride over it was on Il par with Il
| trim OF the same length on Il lumber
wagon over a corduroy road, with the
| chances of comfort in favor of the last
| named.
| Another thing he distinctly remem-
bers IS that, whether there had been
| any certificate or not issued by the
| railroad commissioners. he had to pay
his fare but that doesn't matter. The
main point is that he went in over the
road and knows that it existed and is
willing to take oath that a lot of milk
| carried over it would be butter by the
| time it reached the end of the line, so
/ riCkey were the rails.
Rut it is of the town that he dis
courses most.
| 1T was the greatest place I ever
struck" uuoth he in telling to the
| Journal man his experiences. Think
of it, you didn't have to have any
| money-no one did. Didn't see bit of
real money, except what little l had of
| my own all the time I was there. No
one had any use for it, though they all
lived on the best the stores afforded,
had the doctor when sick, insured their
household goods and banked some
money. Really, twas grand to watch
the Hastings folks do their trading
without money and l used to envy
them. You see the town was founded
by Il lumber company, the same as
Miilinocket was started by the big pulp
land paper company. l think it was the
Wild River Lumber Company. They
went back upon the mountain side
where there was a splendid spring
brought the water down into the town
so that there was a perfect supply OF
pure water in each house, for the COM
pany owned them ali. Then they put
in an electric light plant and fitted vi
the streets with electric lights and put
them into such houses as the occupants
were willing to pay for that method OF
illumination.
"As the company owned all the stores
there were in the place everybody hao
to trade with the company and SO, In
order to obviate the necessity of using
cash to settle with their men, the COM
pany issued check books. containing
checks of varied denominations from
five cents up. With these they paid
their men off and in turn the men used
the checks to pay their grocery and
meat bill. the doctors bill and their
water rates. also for their electric
lights, If they used them. In cases
where the men succeeded in saving any
money the company had an arrange
ment for taking the checks which they
had saved and banking that amount to
the credit of the man.
No the lumber mills are not oper-
ated and but small part of the town Is
inhabited. so that, in a way. it is de-
: serted village.
"Oh. YES. there's one, or rather was,
I fine thing about the town. 1t was on
private property was unincorporated
and. consequently. there were no taxes
to pay. Do you wonder liked there?"
The question has often been asked
since last summer. did the manoeuvres
of the army and navy off Portland pay
all that it cost? Probably those who
were Inconvenience by these manoeu-