The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1913-10-02
Annals of Belfast tor Halt a
Century.
BY AN OLD SETTLER
Hon. VIM. G. Crosby.)
CHAPTER XXXIV. tlS40.)

National Census then just completed, our
population was 4l94; an increase of 1l17
from 1890 Belfast was then one of the
nine cities and towns in the State con-
tanning over four thousand inhabitants.
The increase in the population OF the
county during the same term was H.
745; but within that time Vinalhaven
had been annexed to the county, which
accounts for portion Of the apparent
increase.
There were several fires this year, but
none Of magnitude. The house of Mr..
Simon Knowles, on the outskirts of the
town, was destroyed by fire about the
25th of February, with its contents, In
the morning Of June 18th, the barn and
porch attached to the dwelling of Capt.
Benjamin Linekin were burned; the fire
commenced in the barn and it was only
by the greatest eNertion that the house
was saved. On the night of June 9th
the house of Capt. John Doyle, on Main
street, was burned. He and his family
We're absent from town at the time and
the house was unoccupied. No doubt
was entertained that it was the work OF
an incendiary. The house stood on the
site of the one now occupied by Mr.. Cy-
rus Patterson. In the evening of Octo-
Der Sth, Muster Day." large barn on
the Col. Morrill, lot, so called, located
half a mile from any building or road,
was burned. The general impression
was that it was the accidental work of
some one who, excited by the evolutions
of the muster field, had sought the Sc
clusion Of hay NOW to cool off his mill
tary ardor; it was thought also that
pipe had something to do with it. An
other barn in the neighborhood belonging
to Mr.. Jonathan Durham was burned in
the evening of the 18th; it was the sec
ond barn which Mr.. Durham had lost by
fire within about a year.
Hon. Alfred Johnson's term of office
as Judge of Probate for this county ex-
pired on the first day of March by Con
stitutlonal limitation. and Hon. Jonathan
Thayer of Camden was appointed his
successor William H. Goldman, ESQ.,,
Of Camden, resigned his office as Regis
ter Of PROBATE and Charles Palmer, Esq,
of this place vas appointed.
The steamer Bangor made her first
appearance for the season on the 18th of
April out was not yet able to come near
er our Warves than the landing referred
to in a previous chapter. On the 25th
she passed by on her way up the river
with three hundred troops destined for
Houlton. On the 18th of June she
touched here at 4 A. NJ, to take dele
gates to the Wing State Convention to
be held at Augusta on the day following;
there was no Maine Central Railroad
with branch to Belfast in those days
She made her last trip for the season IN
the latter part of November
On the 18th Of May Mr.. Edward Wight
committed suicide by cutting his throat
with draw-shave He was an honest,
upright man. For some time before he
committed the act ne had been Iaboring
under mental alteration. He was about
slXty-eight years Of age.
The Fourth Of July vas celebrated by
the Democrats at & ack's Corner ir
Prospect, now in Searsport, where ar
Grafton was delivered by Hon. J. G
Dlckerson of this city, then residing al
West Prospect. Their was public din
ner in bower provided for the occasion
The day was COMMUNICATED here BY the
Wings with an Oratioa by Lucius H.
Chandler, ESD, then Of Thomaston, anc
public dinrer in the Mcfarland Grove
no longer Grove but the site of numer-
Gus handsome edihces. 1t was the first
public demonstration III ade in this place
by the supporters of General Harrison
for the Presidency. There was a long
procession which marched through gu
streets to the Grove, preceded by the
party emtlems, the cog cabin" anc
'hard-cider barrel' mounted on wheels
the political Jaggerell" as the editor
of the Journal styled them-there were
banners floating in the ar, ensigns borne
by horsene en-, notices displayed in every
direction, and crowd as confident Of
success and as happy in the anticipation
of it as Fourth of July ever gazed on
The celebration was no more palatablt
to the Democrats than their party cele
brations of previous years had been tt
the Wings; but with comparatively few
exceptions they submitted to it with ;
very good grace. How could they hell
it? The ''log cabin with the smoke
curling from its chimney, was fac sim
lie of the genuine article, the face
peering from it's door and windows wer,
most provoking, tie notices OF
the banners We're hard hits, but good
natured ones, there was not the siightes
odor of vinegar about the hard cider
every heart was full to overlooking anc
every face radiant with joy. Under
such combination of circumstances mer
who could not conscientiously "Hurrak
for Tippecanoe and Tyler, too" could
not find it in their hearts to grumble at