Thanks to Mr. Jotham Hobbs of Fairfield, I have had a chance to examine a\u00a0copy of Appleton’s Railway Guide for the year 1864. It contains, as the title\u00a0page says, “time tables, stations, distances, and connections upon all the railways\u00a0throughout the United States and the Canadas, together with 75 railway maps,\u00a0delineating the principal routes east, west, north, and south”.<\/p>\n
By 1864 the Androscoggin and Kennebec from Portland to Waterville via Lewiston,\u00a0and its counecting road, the Penobscot and Kennebec, from Waterville to Bangor,\u00a0had become the Maine Central, but the road from Portland via Augusta to Waterville\u00a0and on to Skowhegan was still a separate line, the Portland and Kennebec\u00a0Railway. In 1864 Hollis Bowman was president of the Maine Central and C. M.\u00a0Morse of Waterville was its superintendent. B. H. Cushman of Augusta was Superintendent\u00a0and General Manager of the Portland and Kennebec.<\/p>\n
There was only one train. daily each way between Portland and Waterville via\u00a0Lewiston, but two trains each way between Waterville and Bangor. Likewise there\u00a0were two trains each way on the other road between Portland and Augusta, but\u00a0only one between Augusta and Skowhegan via Waterville. One way fare from. Portland\u00a0to Bangor via Lewi6ton was $5.00; from. Portland to Skowhegan via Augusta it\u00a0was $3.00. Way fares were three cents a mile. The running time from Portland\u00a0to Bangor was 6~ hours; from Portland to Skowhegan 5 hours.<\/p>\n
Some of the stations on the P & K bear names unfamiliar to mauy people today.\u00a0Between Freeport and Brunswick was a station called Oak Hill. Fairfield\u00a0Station is listed as Kendall:’s Mills ,Shawmut as Somerset Mills, Hinkley as Pishon\u00a0Ferry. On the other road, however, the stations are almost exactly the SSE as\u00a0today. Those between Waterville and Bangor were Kendall’s Mills, Clinton, Burnham,\u00a0Pittsfield, Newport, East Newport, Etna, Can.l and Hermon Pond. You will\u00a0note there was then no station at Benton, and none at Northern Maine .Junction,\u00a0because there was no such junction, 1864 being much earlier than the building of\u00a0the Bangor and Aroostook.<\/p>\n
Another Maine railroad listed in the guide is the Androscoggin Railway, from\u00a0Brunswick to Farmington. The stations were Little River, Lisbon, Crowley’s, Sabbatusville,\u00a0Leeds Crossing, Leeds Center, North Leeds, Strickland’s Ferry, East\u00a0Livermore, Livermore Falls, North .Jay, .Jay, Wilton, East Wilton and Farmington -a\u00a0total distance of 63 miles, for which the fare was $2.25.<\/p>\n
Another road was called the Calais, Baring and Lewey’s Island Railway. Its\u00a0original line was six miles between Calais and Baring; the later extension from\u00a0Baring to Princeton was 17 miles. The time table announced that the trains connected\u00a0at Calais and Princeton with steamboats to and from Portland and Boston.\u00a0w. W. Sawyer of Calais was the road’s superintendent.<\/p>\n
Still another road was the l3angor, Old Town and Milford, a thirteen mile line\u00a0on which the fare was 40 cents. It ran three daily trains each way, the first\u00a0leaviDg BaDgor at 6:00 A.M., and the last returning at 6:30 P.M.\u00a0A noticeable feature of all these early railroads of Maine is that none of\u00a0their passenger trains reached their terminus later than 7: 30 P.M.\u00a0In 1864 the Grand Trunk extended as far west as Toronto and Detroit. I thad\u00a0four di viaiODS, one of which (the Portland division) was the line so well\u00a0known to Maine people from Portland to Montreal. .Just beyond Island Pond, Vermont\u00a0was a station called Boundary Line, and twenty miles farther into Canada was\u00a0the station of Waterville. Forty 1Diles this side of Montreal was Britannia Mills.<\/p>\n
The time table announced, ”’Xrains are run between Portland and Island Pond by\u00a0Portland time, between Island Pond and Montreal by Montreal time.”<\/p>\n
I suspect few people now living ever heard of the Portland and Oxford Central\u00a0Railway. About it in 1864 the guide made the following a tatement: “This\u00a0road ia now open between Mechanic; Falla and Sumner (55 miles) .”and is in progress\u00a0to Canton Point on the Androscoggin River. The intermediate stations are West\u00a0Minot, Bearce Road, Eas t Hebron, Buckfield, Sumner and Hall t s Mills. At )fec:hanic\u00a0Falls this road” connects with the Grand TrUDk. No time table received’.’ The modem\u00a0traveler will recogu1ze” this old Portland and Oxford Central as the begiuning of\u00a0what later became the Runford Division of the Maine Central.<\/p>\n
Of course 1864 was long before the coming of Maine’s ten famous narrow guage\u00a0railroads, all of them now extinct.<\/p>\n
Now bear in mind that this guide covers all the railroads in the United\u00a0States. There was no railroad yet through to the coast, though the Un.ion Pacific\u00a0was fast nearing completion. In 1864 the farthest west one could get by continuous\u00a0rail j,ouraey was St. Joseph, M:1ssouri, and the statement of the North M:1ssouri\u00a0Railway in this old guide we find especially interesting: “All persoas going\u00a0West into Northem Missouri, to St. Joseph or the State of Kansas, and all points\u00a0west of that state, should be careful on purchasing their tickets to see that they\u00a0are by the North Missouri Railway. ‘!hus the traveler comes through St. Louis, the\u00a0Great City of the West. Connection is made at St. Joseph with the Missouri River\u00a0Packet Company’s line of splendid steamers for all points on the Missouri River.<\/p>\n
Also steamers to Leavenworth and Kansas City, and stages to all points in the interior of Kansas.”<\/p>\n
Another western road, the Mississippi and Missouri, an extension of the Rock\u00a0Island road, extended to Council Bluffs, Iowa, across the river from Omaha, Nebraska,\u00a0almost due north of St. Joseph. So, by either road, the traveler could\u00a0get about the same distance west.<\/p>\n
I am sure all of my listeners know that the early railroads were richly endowed\u00a0with lands by a generous government, and the guide statements of all the\u00a0western roads contain offers of land. The North Missouri said: “On this line\u00a0the road lands are low and exceedingly fertile. No better lands in Illinois and\u00a0Iowa are selling for four times our price for these lands. Persons residing on\u00a0this line can get their products to market every day of the week except Sunday.”<\/p>\n
I am sure you haven’t forgotten what was going on in our nation in 1864 -a great fratricidal war between North and South. Now there were plenty of railroads\u00a0in the South. What about their time tables in 18641 ‘l’here just wet:en’t\u00a0any. Most of the Virginia roads were by that time in Northem hands or completely\u00a0disrupted by the war. The same disruption was true throughout the\u00a0South. The guide gives the list of stations of as many as forty Southe~ roads,\u00a0but no train times. A mmber of the lines, especially in Westem Virginia, Kentucky\u00a0and Tennessee are labeled flU. S. Military Railway”.<\/p>\n
An interesting old newspaper was the Portland Tr8DScript. Through the\u00a0courtesy of Hrs. Grace Thompson I have had the pleasure of going through two\u00a0years of that old weekly paper, the years 1842 and 1843. Unlike most of the papers\u00a0of that time — and this was especially true of the Augusta and Waterville\u00a0papers — the Transcript was not a political paper. It took pride in the fact\u00a0that it represented no party. Its editor was Olarles P. Ills ley , and he called\u00a0his eight page sheet “A weekly journal devoted to literatut:e, news, etc. 1f It\u00a0contained a lot of literature and a lot of etc., but precious little news. Host of\u00a0its so-ca1led news items were in fact editorial eouaents on the news rather than\u00a0factual accounts.<\/p>\n
In 1842 the railroad reached Portland, and that must have been a big event.\u00a0But Editor Illsley was not exhilarated; he was only peeved. Be wrote: lYe see\u00a0by the papers that the railroad was opened with jollification on Monday last. We\u00a0notice a1s0 that gentlemen of the press were invited. The directors, however, took\u00a0good care to extend courtesies to the gentlemen of the political press only. We\u00a0trust their aiggared courtesy was not owing to the presumption that there are no\u00a0other gentlemen of the press save those who wallow in the mire of poUties. It\u00a0It was in 1842 that William Mathews, older brother of the Edward Mathews who\u00a0was murdered by Dr. Coolidge five years later, started the Waterville paper called\u00a0the “Yankee Bladen. The Portland Transcript took note of its new contemporary in\u00a0these words: ”Mr. Mathews’ Yankee Blade is a neat folio sheet and is of true stuff~\u00a0highly tempered, keen as a razor, and we trust it will continue its way deep into\u00a0public favor. We like the fresh, independent style of its editor. Success to him.”<\/p>\n
Editor Illsley apparently liked our Kennebec Valley. In his issue of June 11,\u00a01842 we find the following account:<\/p>\n
“The editor of the Maine Cultivator says he has been invited by all the editors\u00a0this side of the Connecticut to send them a Kennebec salmon. To do this\u00a0would be too much of a tax on his generosity. He however extends an invitation to\u00a0us, saying, tWe wi1l entertain you with the fattest salmon the market affords. Besides,\u00a0if you have never seen Old Kennebec, you have not seen the garden of Maine.\u00a0We have not only the best salmon in the world, but the fairest country, the noblest\u00a0river, the best farms, the prettiest villages and the handsomest maidens. fit\u00a0Editor I11s1ey replies: “It would be a pleasure to accept his offer. We\u00a0subscribe to all he says about Old Kennebec. We have been there frequently, have\u00a0tasted its salmon and feasted our eyes on its lovely maidens. If ever we should\u00a0pull up stakes, we know not a place where we would so soon pitch our tent as in\u00a0the delightful Valley of the Kennebec.”<\/p>\n
A marriage notice in the old Transcript intrigues me. It says: “Married in Brunswick, June 18, 1842, Mr. William Thompson to Miss Elizabeth Marriner”. I\u00a0wonder if Miss Elizabeth could have been any relative of mine.<\/p>\n
There are a lot of items in the Transcript that deal with marriage, but none\u00a0more unusual than two which appear on the same page of the issue for September 17,\u00a01842. One item reads: ”Married in Athens on Monday, August 8 at 10 0 f clock P.M.\u00a0by C. H. Herrick, Esq., Henry Stimson and Charity FoX.” The other item is this\u00a0one: “Caution. The public are cautioned against harboring or trusting my wife\u00a0Charity, lately Charity Fox, as she has refused to live with me, and I will pay\u00a0no debts of her contracting. Henry Stimson. Athens, August 12, 1842.11\u00a0A vel:)’ short marriage indeed. Henl:)’ may have been chiefly to blaa, but\u00a0it is also possible that the girl was moxeFox than Charity.<\/p>\n
When we were telling you about William Bl:)’ant’s diary, we quoted his xeference\u00a0to the disillusioned Hillerites, when their pmdiction of the end of the world\u00a0in April, 1843 failed to come true. But in an issue of the Portland Transcript -that\u00a0of August 27, 1842 — we find the most amusing item we have ever encountexed\u00a0about the Millerites. Bere is Editor Illsley’s ca.ent: ”’l’he Millerites axe pmphesying\u00a0that the world will come to an end next April. Yet at the same time, in\u00a0this month of August, 1842, they am taking subscriptions for a newspaper one\u00a0year in advance. What’s the matter? Don’t they believe their own prophesy?”<\/p>\n
Although Editor Illsley claimed non-partisanship on political issues, he\u00a0was not without bias. On September 10, 1842 he wrote: ”It has been said that\u00a0Pxesident Tyler intended to travel through the States; but it is now said that he is not coming. Well, who cams? We would not give a fig to see his ugly mug.”\u00a0Bow many of you xemember Portland’s old United States Hotel? The building\u00a0still stands, facing Monument Squaxe, and now houses Edwards and Walker Barclwaxe\u00a0. Company. On his fxequent trips to Portland to visit the wholesale grocers, my\u00a0father always stopped at the United States Botel. For many years it was Kaine’s most\u00a0famous hostelry.<\/p>\n
Well, Editor Illsley was present at the opening of that hotel, and he tells\u00a0us about it in his issue of October 29, 1842: ”Messrs. Dunlap and Kingsbul:)’ have\u00a0taken the establishment long known as the Cumberland House and have xechristened\u00a0it the United States Botel. They have mpapered, repainted, recarpeted and refurnished\u00a0— in a word, have regenerated the whole place so as to make it rank A No.\u00a01. Those who want regalement, xefreshment, repose and reclusion should drop in on\u00a0our friends Dunlap and Kingsbul:)’. It was our privilege to be invited to the opening\u00a0dinner which they gave to prominent citizens and all\u00a0representatives\u00a0of the\u00a0local press. It was a magnificent affair — a menu of twelve courses and the finest\u00a0decorations. Take our word for it~ as the man said of the fat oyster, it opened\u00a0rich.”<\/p>\n
Year: 1951<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Read the script for “Little Talks” program #102, broadcast on April 1, 1951<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":405,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[786,35296],"tags":[],"builder_content":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/csc-home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7214"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/csc-home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/csc-home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/csc-home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/405"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/csc-home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7214"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/csc-home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7214\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/csc-home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7214"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/csc-home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7214"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/csc-home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7214"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}