The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1917-10-11
BELFAST.

In 1865, one hundred and fifty-two
wears ago. John Mitchell visited the spot
now known as Belfast. Hewas probably
the first white man to penetrate the
primeval forest which, centuries old,
then fringed our shores, grew luxuriantly
on our lowlands and crowned our hill
tops. 1t was 147 years and few months
ago when the first sawmill in Belfast was
put in operation and sawed timber and
boards for the first frame house erected
here This sawmill was the first manu-
featuring enterprise of the early settlers.
To our younger readers TAT years seems
to be a very long period of time, but it is
only a little more than twice three score
and ten and is considerably less than
twice the years lived by our oldest resi-
d ents AS the world reckons time, Bel
fast is still young. During the first so
wears of what may be called her indus
trial infancy, the energies of her in
ha bitants were mainly directed to the
81 caring of land AMI the building of homes,
and very little Of what can be considered
as manufacturing was done. We find
that in 1927 Belfast had brickmasons,
2 brickmakers, / blockmaker, 2 clock
max ers, 3 cabinet makers, chair maker,
II housewrights, house carpenters, 3
har ness and saddle makers, 10 shoe max
ers, 10 ship carpenters, 1 sail maker, 5
ia nneTs and 3 tailors The above list
comprises the manufacturers and builders
in the little village of 90 years ago, as
81 ven in Whites history In the early
days of orivation and toll, the sea was
even more than now a great storehouse
Of food, and was also the only highway
leading out to sources of demand and of
supply. 1t was therefore natural and
nee essary that the building of vessels
should enlist the business energies of the
forefatheTs. From 1927 down to the pres
ent time there have been launched from
Belfast yards, vessels, in the aggregate
of more than 10000 tons. When our
great master Builder" Columbia P. Car
ter, lay on his death bed, the one nun
dredth vessel was launched from the So
called, Carter yard. During a violent
storm in November 1864, thirteen fishing
vessels and coasters were driven ashore
IN our harbor and two of these were
wrecked, and in the months of November
and December Of that year Reuben Sib-
ley loaded seven vessels for the West
indies, The above shows what ship build
ing and maritime commerce in former
times contributed to the business welfare
of Belfast.
During the late Sixties" ship build
lng languished, our export and import
de dWlndled and those to whom shin
building had become almost a business
instinct were forced to turn their atten-
Sfon to enterprises in which they had no
experience. 1t was at once seen that ad-
dltlonal means of transportation must be
provided to and from the outside world. |
II ,heifast was to preserved from decay. |
after great efforts, "a miles of railroad
were completed in 1870, and almost the
entire cost fell upon the city and it's citi-
zens. Four years later, the total of
freight carried in one year was onlv
il,O36 tons, an average of less than two
full carloads a day. Year after year
freight traffic has increased till now the
road stands q monument To tho csC,o;+,-
and courage of its builders. Two years
later, in 1872, the first shoe factory build
ing was erected and the next year. 1873
the Mathews Bros. plant was established
Both of these industries, enlarged to
twice the size of the originals, are doing
business today. We have the largest
phosphate factory in New England
large and well equipped sardine canning
plant, the plant for canning corn and ap-
pies, the Thompson Mfg. Co., the Jelli-
son, E. O. Hall, Gates and Pierce & Bill
lings plants, the Leather Board mill, the
Peiepscot Paper & Pulp Co., the Heal
and Hutchins granite and marble sheds
and several other industries of import
;ance, Measured by its wealth, popula-
ton and natural facilities Belfast is today
doing its share of the worlds work.
If any of our citizens happen to have
''blue Monday" when pessimism has del
uged his hope for better Belfast in the
future, he should, some rare day in this
October, ride along our residential streets.
He should pause on Congress street at
some vantage point and gaze upon the
scene between him and the bay. And as
he gazes he should realize that in 1905
there were less than 100 buildings within
what we consider to be the boundaries of
the city itself. He should realize too
that then, stumps were standing where
the post office, the Unitarian and Univer-
salist churches and the school houses now
and in rpopv n residential hock 4.