The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1914-07-23
A Renaissance.
Events Brought to Mind Through the Death
OF Once Prominent Steamboat Officer.

OF Once Prominent steamboat Omcer
lCapt. George L. Norton in The Marine
Journal
The death of Capt. Mark L. Ingraham
at the age of ninety recently in Rock
land, Maine, recalls the fact that there
were several brothers by the name of
Irgraham, and one or the other was for a
long time in command Of steamboats,
running on that hazardous route between
Boston and Bangor; hazardous In conse-
uuence of the continuous fogs in summer
and snowstorms in early winter, these
boats being laid off before the Penobscot
river became closed with ice. The In
grahams in connection with New Eng
land steamboat navigation were as we'll
known to the patrons of these steamers
since the Civil War as the Sanfords, who
established this line, before it. There
was Capt. Charles Sanford, and if men,
ory serves me right believe his broth
er's name was Benjamin. The latter
was the business manager, and Char
ley,' as his intimates called him, was
captain of one of the boats A natural
steamboat captain, large, handsome
man with continual smile on his face.
polite, and gracious to everyone. re-
member him first in charge of the steam
boat Penobscot.
Capt Charles Sanford and Hugh Ross
of Bangor were inseparable chums IN
that river port in those days. Capt.
Ross was the owner at the time referred
/ to-ls56-of the tugboats that lowed all
the vessels that loaded lumber at Bangor
down the narrow part of the Penobscot
if they failed to get fair wind. He had
a monopoly of the business and was
hustler. In those days there was large
fleet of briggs sailing out of Bangor to
the West Indies and South America,
carrying lumber cargoes altogether,
while barks were frequently loaded
there, ard occasionally full-rigged ship.
! 1t was lumber everywhere and of every
conceivable shape from the saWmllls
farther up the river. Bangor, in fact,
was live port IN those days. The of
ticers and crew of these vessels as we'll
as the large number of coasters were
nearly all natives OF the old Pine Tree
State. Bucksport, Searsport, Castine,
Belfast, Camden, Rockland. Bath, Port
land, Machias, Damariscotta, Eastport,
and the interior villages furnished these
stalwart, hardy men, and nearly all of
the seaports built the vessels in which
they sailed from the small fishing and
coasting schooners to the largest and fin
est of ships, Bath leading in the latter.
1t was not unusual for an entire crew,
from cook and steward Zone man filling
both positions) to captain, to be from one
village, and with such crew the old
saying was carried out to the letter, "A
long pull, strong pull, and pull all
together There was no task that fell
to the lot of such crew that was not
mastered in fine shape ano in double
quick time. There might be few
uncomplimentary remarks made In the
forecastle when the watch below had
been called more than once to shorten
or make sail, but no growing was heard
aft. These home boys were too loyal
and deeply interested in the success OF
the voyage to complain of necessary
work, which was almost continuous, as
they handled cargoes both in the United
States and foreign ports.
Andrew Furuseth's gospel OF unlonlsm
had not reached the forecastle then.
Had he been on earth he couldn't have
got a hearing among those native
Americans who lived up to the conditions
required in the articles they had signed,
realizing that subservience to necessary
discipline led to the quarter deck. Such
where the advantages existing when the
writer served his time in the forecastle,
an education more valuable to those who
were privileged to pursue the calling. OF
a seaman than college course, which
was beyond their reach.