Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1907-08-22
The Mystic's Envy of the kennebec.

1t is the solid truth of history which
Is recalled by our correspondent.
Shlp-builder," in an interesting letter
In another column. that ship-building
as serious business began on the
Mystic River, not the Kennebec, and
That Boston harbor, not Bath, is the
real birthplace of this industry In
America. The Popham colonists built
the pinnace Virginia as a confession
of the failure of their enterprise, and
IN order to make a retreat to Eng
land, but the Blessing of the Bay was
launched here for use here, and she
was quickly followed by large fleet
winch soon gave Boston the distinc-
tion of being one Of the ship-owning
and ship building centres of the world.
The real prosecution of ship-building
on large scale at Bath covers only
about hundred years, and while this
was a century of achievement to pc
proud of. it does not match the far
longer record of activity on Boston
Bay.-Boston Transcript.
1t is perhaps natural that Boston,
which not infrequently assumes that
it is the whole of New England, should
be somewhat envious of the successful
celebration held at Bath this summer
in honor of the Booth anniversary Of
the building of the first ship IN
America. But envious Boston cannot
make out good case in defense of its
contention that ship-building as
serious business began on the Mystic
rather than on the Kennebec. To be-
gin with, the Transcript is wrong IN
its assertion that the pinnace virginia
was built by the Popham colonists as
enterprise and in order to make
retreat to England. Work upon the
Virginia was begun at once after the
colonists landed at the mouth of the
Kennebec in August, 1907, and it was
undoubtedly their purpose to use the
little craft in the work of trade and |
exploration along the coast. That the |
Virginia should be used to carry part |
of the colonists back to England Il |
year ldtcr WAS stlIttillIS Ilpl Gull
templated when She was built. The
fact, however, that she performed this |
task successfully and was later used to |
carry supplies to the jamestown
colony, demonstrated her seagong |
qualities and her right to remem-
brance and honor as the first Ameri- |
can-built ship.
Nobody has claimed that the in |
dustry was continuously pursued on |
the kennebcc after the Virginia was |
but it is undoubtedly true /
that the building of ships has been |
on the banks of the lower
kennebec only during the Interrupt
tons in the occupation of the region
by white men. 1t is doubtless true that |
Boston has long had the distinction
Of being one of the ship-owning and |
ship building centers of the world, as
the Transcript asserts, but nevertne-
ess the fame of Bath as ship building
own is much greater both in this
country and on the other side of the
world than that Of Boston. The
Of the Bay. to which the
Transcript alludes, was built at Med
ord on the Mystic river in 1881 and it
vas no larger a craft than the pinnace
launched on the Kcnnebec "A
ears earlier.
Medford on the muddy Mystic has
ong been famed for the manufacture
If New England rum and if it wants
o celebrate a rum tcrcentennial it is
entitled to the privilege, but when it |
compares It's ship-building claims with
hose Of the blue Kcnnebec it gets i'm
water beyond it's depth. Bath and the !
<ennebcc had a right to celebrate the |
shipping tercentennial-a celebration
Justified by the facts of history and by /
I'll considerations Of sentiment-and |
f the celebration aroused enviOus |
ceilings in the bosom of Dame Boston |
Is something that cannot be helped. |
ioSton has the Cradle of Liberty but |
Maine has the cradle of American |
hip building