CHAPTER XIX.

NEW CHURCHES, NEWSPAPERS, AND PARTIES.

1830. On the 26th of March occurred a memorable high tide and storm of wind and snow, which blocked up and for many days rendered impassable the roads on shore, and destroyed vessels and lives at sea. The schooner Thomas of this town, having left Herring Gut about two hours before the storm commenced, with a cargo of lime, was supposed to have been unable to enter Boothbay harbor from the thickness of the weather and severity of the gale, and was subsequently found, sunk keel uppermost in fourteen fathoms water, six miles E. S. E. from Seguin light. Those on board, who thus sank to a watery grave, were the master, Capt. John Spalding; two seamen, Wm. Thompson, and John Barrett; and two passengers, Capt. Edward Crockett, and Albert Baker; all, except the last, of this town, and leaving wives and children to deplore their untimely fate. This disaster was followed, May 2d, by that of Capt. Jas. Sayward of this place, who sailed in the schooner Fame of Warren, from Gloucester for Norfolk, with a cargo of 179 tons of granite, and was last seen off Cape Cod, in a gale and heavy sea, with pumps at work. From the 16th to the 24th July it was unusually hot, - the mercury ranging from 90° to 98o. A four days' rain succeeded, drenching the parched earth, and accompanied with cold which rendered flannels and over-coats comfortable. Severe gales were experienced in August and September; in one of which, the schooner Bradford, nearly new, Capt. John Lindsey, which left this place for Richmond, Va., Aug. 12th, with a cargo of lime, was thought to have foundered, when five days out at sea, with the loss of all on board; of whom, besides the worthy master, this place had to lament Thos. J. Bentley, mate, and perhaps others not recollected.

According to the census, taken here by Henry C. Lowell, the town had increased in population, since 1820, fifty-nine per centum; and in that respect stood, we believe, the second town in the State.

American independence was this year celebrated at East Thomaston village, by the supporters of Jackson's administration, then in the full tide of increasing popularity. The decorations of the brick meeeting-house; chapel services by Mr. Woodhull; reading of the Declaration by E. S. Hovey; the oration by Mr. Ruggles; the procession conducted by Col. Meservey; and the dinner provided by Jeremiah Berry,

on an open green, shaded by an awning, surrounded by evergreens, and presided over by Albert Smith, marshal of Maine, combined to give an eclat to the occasion alike honorable and gratifying to the young men of that village who made the arrangements.

1831. Some accessions were this year made to the Thomaston bar. Hermon Stevens from Waterville, who had graduated at that college and studied law with Hon. Timothy Boutelle of that place, came, in the autumn of this year, opened a law office at the Shore village, and is still in the practice in Rockland. Henry C. Lowell, also, a native of the place, having read law at intervals with his brother Hon. Joshua A. Lowell of East Machias, and also, it is believed, with Hon. J. Thayer of Camden, opened an office here not long after, and soon, by his talents, industry, and suavity, gained an eminent standing in the profession. Jonathan Cilley, who had, since leaving Mr. Ruggles' office, been in the practice at Mill River, was at this time fast rising in popular favor; having this year been chosen moderator, town agent, and representative to the Legislature, in the room of his late instructer, who had for many years filled all these offices, but had now been appointed a Judge of the Court of Common Pleas, and in March commenced his judicial labors at the term in Warren under favorable auspices and to the general satisfaction.

Mill River, Mosman's, and Oyster River bridges having been carried away or badly injured by the late freshets, the town voted that the second should be repaired at discretion of the selectmen, and the first rebuilt thirty-five feet wide, on the most favorable terms obtained by means of sealed proposals. The last was also rebuilt, and made passable for carriages by April 22d.

In the fall of 1831, Edward Robinson, and Wm. Singer, having concluded their prosperous and exemplary course as shipmasters, began business in company by establishing themselves on Fort wharf, one half of which they purchased, the other part remaining in the hands of the heirs of H. J. Knox and J. Gleason. They established a commodious warehouse for storage, and did a kind of wholesale business in corn, flour, salt, and other bulky articles; burnt lime from the Beech Woods quarry; and began ship-building, by launching, in 1832, the ship Brunette. By their influence and that of others, the tide of business began to flow up street and culminate about the bank corner, which soon began, though unsuccessfully at first, to make demands for a removal of the

post office to that locality. Spring business throughout the town was lively, especially in lime. Highly admired chimney pieces, taken from our quarries were this year manufactured for the new State House at Augusta, by Hon. J. O'Brien, whose marble factory, together with that of Col. Dwight, annually furnished large quantities of such articles, which then found a ready sale as far south as New Orleans. A new hotel, named the Lime-Rock, was this year put up at East Thomaston by Messrs. Joseph and Charles Thorndike.

The severest gale known for years occurred Jan. 15th and 16th, with badly drifted snow; and March 30th there was an extraordinary fall of rain,-carrying away Oyster River bridge. The Thomaston Register of April 1st says, "the whole of Mill River was completely under water, and serious apprehensions were expressed by some that our lime kilns would all go to sea. We saw a boat with a number of men in one place towing a house ashore." The spring was backward, the summer cool, and the fall free from frost till Oct. 28th. A storm, Nov. 22d, did considerable damage, especially at the Eastern village. The tide was said to have risen two feet higher than was ever known before, and, being driven in by the strong east wind to which the harbor there is exposed, nearly destroyed several wharves, gullied and washed. away the earth quite into the town road, and drove three vessels ashore, two of which were wholly lost, and the third left high upon the rocks. The damage was variously estimated at from $5,000 to $11,000. The cold in the greater part of December was remarkably severe, and occasioned much suffering, especially at sea. Capt. Oliver Robinson in the sch. Billow got into the George's River with himself and crew so badly frozen that their caps and boots could only be removed by cutting. The Lafayette, Capt. Crockett, took fire off Cape Cod from her lime; and, after closing the hatches, the captain and crew remained on deck forty-eight hours, without food or any but their ordinary clothing. They were badly frozen, but made out to get back into East Thomaston harbor, where the fire was extinguished.

The Fourth of July was duly observed by a procession from the Knox hotel, through Main and High streets to the Mill River church, where, with the usual services, an oration was delivered by Mr. Cilley, and an original spirited ode sung; after which a repast at the Knox hotel, provided by J. Balch, was partaken of with the usual sentiments. David Kelloch, Col. B. Burton, and other revolutionary soldiers, were in the procession, and added much to the interest of the occasion.

1832. The centennial return of Washington's birthday was celebrated at the Cong. church, Feb. 22d, by the Thomaston Athenœan Society, when the Farewell Address of the pure minded patriot was read by M. R. Ludwig, and an oration given to a large and attentive audience by Wm. J. Farley. Besides the Athenœan, other literary associations, and especially debating clubs and lyceums, were got up in different parts of the town and continued according to the talents of the members and the interest they were able to excite. One of these was formed at Wessaweskeag as early as 1828, and, for a time exciting considerable interest there, was followed by another at Owl's Head; which, having somewhat declined, was revived Dec. 6, 1832, by the choice of S. G. Adams, president, G. Emery, Jr., clerk, and Messrs. Nat. and Jos. Pillsbury, John and Daniel Emery, J. W. Dodge, J. Post, and others, debaters. Besides this, we have found no record of any others, till 1839, when the George's Debating Society was organized by the choice of Col. Starr, president, and E. Vose, secretary. The Wessaweskeag society was revived the same year, when Jesse Sleeper was chosen president, and Capt. H. Spalding, secretary. All these, in their time, contributed much to improve the young, and bring out latent talents.

In March, the Thomaston Coal and Mineral Company, which had slumbered for the last twelve years, was re-awakened by an Act of the Legislature; but the doings of the year seem to have been mostly confined to the sale and transfer of stock, which in December took a prodigious rise; viz.: from 25 cts. to $7 per share. During 1833, its operations for discovering coal were resumed and carried on till the weather rendered a cessation expedient. Boring was commenced at the bottom of a shaft twenty feet deep, formerly dug by the company, on the old Killsa farm west of the Meadows, then occupied by Capt. R. Robinson; and a depth of 100 feet was reached by a 4 inch auger. There, obstructions occurred, and an iron tube 50 feet in length was inserted, when boring was continued 40 feet further with a 34 inch auger; but obstructions again arising and the season being far advanced, it was thought best to suspend operations till the next spring. The whole distance penetrated was 183 feet, through the following strata; viz.: slate, 40 feet; clay, 34; slate, 33; sandstone, 13; clay, 12; and slate, 51 feet; at an expenditure, including apparatus, of $958,65. Encouraged by the indications thus far observed and a donation of $100 from Mr. Bussey, the company renewed the

work in 1834, but found the perforation filled up to the height of sixty feet, principally with clay; which, from its constant working in, it was found almost impossible to remove. But, erecting a building forty feet in diameter as protection against the rain, they continued the operation with a onehorse power, and a succession of smaller and smaller tubes and augers, for nearly two months, when it was thought best to desist, probably from want of funds; after having expended $258,88. The last meeting of the company was held, as usual, at the house of Col. Dwight, July 25th; at which, the means of prosecuting the further search for coal were considered. Mr. Loring was authorized to sell the remaining shares of the company at $20 per share, and here the proceedings of the company, so far as the records show, came to an end. Expectations of finding coal have been subsequently excited, especially in 1836, when, in consequence of specimens fished up in George's River, boring operations were tried on land of Capt. D. Lermond, in Warren, in which A. Rice and others of this town participated.

A cold winter of good sleighing was broken by a heavy rain-storm March 12th, accompanied at evening with sharp lightning and much thunder, during which the wife of John Chaples in St. George was killed instantly. There was a high freshet, the last of May, damaging bridges especially at Mill River; and on the 23d severe cold, producing ice in brooks and killing martins and tender birds.

At town meeting, May 7th, it was voted to raise the bridge near Ulmer's mill-dam three feet higher, and to raise $800 for securing the shore road, to be expended under direction of Wm. Heard, J. O'Brien, and J. Spofford, who were empowered to receive proposals for carrying the same into effect. This being the second time this road was put in jeopardy by the action of a sea storm, a sea-wall was now constructed with timber and filled in with earth by Jere. Berry, who gave a bond for its security; which seems to have led to some controversy with the town, on its being again, in 1837, broken up by a tempest. The matter was amicably settled, however; and the work was rebuilt and loaded with a heavier mass of rock and earth. This, with other repairs in 1839, 1841, and 1843, proved effectual till 1861, when it was re-constructed, of wood and granite.*

For the last ten years the maintenance of the poor of the town had been annually set up at auction, and given to the

* Messrs. J. Spofford, and J. Spear.