USA > Maine > Sagadahoc County > Bath > History of Bath and environs, Sagadahoc County, Maine. 1607-1894 > Part 44
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Lincoln Bank .- "On August, 4, 1813, the stockholders of the Lincoln Bank met at Lambard Hotel and organized themselves agreeable to the act of incorporation; accepted the report of a committee chosen at an unofficial meeting for the purpose of appor- tioning the shares agreeable to the whole amount subscribed for in comparison with the whole amount of stock, excepting in subscrip- tions of 12 shares and under, none being reduced, while those for 100 are allowed 41. The curtailment allowed J. Hyde 30 and Zina Hyde 15 shares. In the choice of directors Mr. D. Trufant and
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Mr. C. Clapp were the only competitors, the others being selected with perfect unanimity, viz .: Samuel Davis, Peleg Tallman, Jerome Loring, John Richardson, Jonathan Hyde, D. Dunlap, and Charles Clapp. They were appointed a committee to fix on a site and make other necessary arrangements for establishing the bank. The capital of the bank was fixed at one hundred thousand dollars."-Zina Hyde.
When this bank was established its building was erected, during the war of 1812-5, where its location has continued to the present time. It was of brick and a novelty at the time, as it was the second building of brick that had been put up in Bath for business pur- poses. To erect the building for the Sagadahoc House, this edifice was taken down, and upon the completion of the new building the bank entered upon the occupancy of its present office rooms. The bank re-organized, as the Lincoln National Bank, in 1865. Since the Sagadahoc Hotel was erected, in 1848-9, this bank has occupied the rooms of the building, corner of Front and Centre streets.
The Lincoln National Bank is the oldest bank now doing business in this city, and is operating with a capital of $200,000. Its presi- dents have been Jonathan Hyde, George F. Patten, James F. Patten, Charles Davenport; cashiers, Seth Trufant, Samuel Davis, Green Richardson, Charles Davenport, John Shaw, William R. Shaw, Frederic H. Low. The directors have been Jonathan Hyde, Levi Houghton, Asa Palmer, Thomas Harward, William Richardson, William M. Rogers, William Drummond, J. Parker Morse, George F. Manson, John S. Elliot; and are now Charles Davenport, L. W. Houghton, Charles W. Morse, Charles E. Patten, Charles H. Morse.
The Commercial Bank .- This bank was chartered in 1832, with a capital of $50,000, and Parker McCobb was president. The directors were Parker McCobb, Jacob Robinson, and William D. Sewall. Thomas Agry was cashier until 1850, and David N. Magoun from that year until 1857, at which date the bank closed business.
Sagadahoc Bank was organized 1836; capital stock, $50,000; increased to $100,000 in 1850; paid stockholders from 1836 to 1865, 2142 per cent. Re-organized as a National Bank in 1865;
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capital stock, $100,000; has paid to stockholders since 1865, 225 per cent., has a surplus and profits of $44,000, and has erected one of the finest brick buildings in the city. Cashier Henry Eames has not missed a day from the bank for forty years, on account of sickness.
Presidents: Joseph Sewall, 1836 to 1847. A service of plate was presented to Mr. Sewall on his retiring from office. Thomas D. Robinson, 1847 to 1861; William M. Reed, 1861 to 1866; Will- iam V. Moses, 1866 to 1874; Franklin Reed, since 1874. The cashiers have been: Daniel F. Baker, 1836 to the year of his death, 1853; Henry Eames, assistant cashier to 1853, and cashier since that time. The site of its building was that of the original Bath Bank, on which it erected its present Bank Block in 1878. There have been on the board of directors, besides those who have been presidents, Alfred Lemont, Alexander Robinson, Moses Riggs, William F. Moses, John G. Morse, Henry F. Morse, W. Purrington, L. Blackmer, Samuel F. Emery, John N. Smith, Converse L. Owen.
The City Bank .- This bank received its charter in March, 1853, with a capital of $125,000. The presidents were James H. Mclellan, Oliver Moses, and Edward K. Harding; its cashiers, Otis Kimball and William B. Taylor. Its business was closed in 1868.
The Bath Bank .- This bank was chartered as a State Bank in 1855, having a capital of $125,000. It was organized as a National Bank in 1864. Its presidents have been: Freeman Clark, 1864; Albert G. Page, 1867; Arthur Sewall, 1871 to present date. Cash- iers have been: F. Partridge, 1864; William D. Hill, 1865 to 1893; Frederic D. Hill, from April, 1893, to present time, Directors have been: Freeman Clark, Roland Fisher, William D. Sewall, Sr., Thomas M. Reed, William E. Payne, Alfred Lemont, Albert G. Page, Henry W. Owen, George A. Preble, Stephen Larrabee, Arthur Sewall, Thomas W. Hyde, John P. Delano, Samuel S. Sewall, Reu- ben S. Hunt, William D. Sewall, 2d, Seth T. Snipe, John O. Patten.
Long Reach Bank .- This bank was chartered in 1857, having a capital stock of $100,000, with David C. Magoun, president, and David N. Magoun, cashier. It closed business in 1866.
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First National Bank .- The first meeting of the stockholders under its charter was in June, 1863. The capital stock was placed at $100,000. The board of directors chosen were Oliver Moses, James D. Robinson, Henry W. Swanton, Charles V. Minot, and William Rogers. Oliver Moses was chosen president and William D. Mussenden, cashier. On the succeeding, August the bank com- menced business. In June, 1882, the term for which the charter was granted expired. In order to start anew, the bank liquidated its affairs and re-organized under a new charter, with the same stockholders and same amount of capital. The same year President Moses died, and his son, Galen C. Moses, was immediately elected to succeed him. Its present officers are: Galen C. Moses, presi- dent; William I). Mussenden, cashier; and the directors are: Galen C. Moses, Henry W. Swanton, Charles V. Minot, Frank O. Moses, Henry E. Palmer, Augustus Palmer, M. G. Shaw, John R. Kelley, G. G. Deering, William T. Donnell, Edward W. Hyde.
The Marine National Bank. - This bank was organized December 14, 1864, with a paid up capital of $100,000, and com- menced business in the rooms it now occupies, under the Sagadahoc House, on March 1, 1865. Its first officers were: B. C. Bailey, president ; H. A. Duncan, cashier; B. C. Bailey, Wm. Drummond, E. C. Hyde, A. D. Fisher, and S. D. Bailey, directors. Directors for 1894 are President S. D. Bailey, E. C. Hyde, Joseph M. Hayes, R. D. Bibber, and Cashier H. A. Duncan. Besides its original directors, Guy C. Goss, Elisha P. Mallett, H. W. Field, and P. M. Whitmore have, at different times, been associated in its manage- ment.
The Bath Savings Institution was organized July 23, 1852, with D. C. Magoun, W. D. Sewall, W. V. Moses, W. E. Payne, Wm. M. Reed, and Charles Davenport, trustees; D. C. Magoun, presi- dent, and J. H. Kimball, treasurer. In 1855, D. C. Magoun having died, Charles Davenport was chosen president, and J. H. Kimball, treasurer, who resigned in 1877 and John H. Humphreys was appointed; at his death, in 1891, F. H. Low became treasurer, and having been elected cashier of Lincoln National Bank, in 1892, W.
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J. Shaw was appointed treasurer. The trustees are, for 1894, Chas. Davenport (president), L. W. Houghton, H. W. Swanton, M. S. Briry, Reuben S. Hunt. Ezekiel Drummond and John H. Kimball were members of the board of trustees several years.
The Twenty-five Cent Savings Bank was chartered January, 1868. The presidents have been Barnard C. Bailey, Addison D. Fisher, Franklin Reed, Galen C. Moses, and John R. Kelley, who is now in office; treasurers, A. K. Duncan, Geo. W. Johnson, and the present official is F. W. Weeks. The trustees are Galen C. Moses, James D. Robinson, John R. Kelley, Reuben S. Hunt, and Gordon S. Preble.
Early Banks .- Before the civil war all banks were chartered by the state and were termed state banks. As they were not at all under the auspices of the national government they were obliged to keep in their vaults a prescribed amount of coin, while the known financial standing of the stockholders and directors was a prime factors in securing the confidence of the community.
There were two commissioners, appointed by the state authorities, whose duty it was to visit every bank at the close of every year and count the coin deposits. This author was knowing to the fact that these commissioners at one time, 1830, came to Bath, put up at Mrs. Maj. Joseph Trott's, who then kept a high-toned boarding-house in the building which is now the Commercial House, and where the best people visiting town were accustomed to find entertainment. The commissioners arrived in the evening, and the next morning the president of one of the banks called on them, took them to his bank where they entered its vault, and the bags of gold and silver were delivered to them, which they counted. That was enough work for one day as they were on a per diem salary. On the next day they were escorted to another of the banks, where they counted the same bags of coin that they had counted the day before, possibly reduced or increased in amount to correspond to the capital which the bank represented. This course of procedure continued during the existence of state banks in this city. During each night these bags had been conveyed from one bank to another. Thus the banks passed the
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ordeal and were reported all right. And they were, for the obvious reason that all the community cared to know was the assurance that the stockholders were all right, and it can truthfully be recorded that those having the management of and owning these banks were indi- vidually of such high standing that they were considered fully responsible for every dollar represented by their bills.
The Lincoln Bank, as the second oldest of the Bath banks, had a credit in the city of New York that gave its bills a circulation at par, a standing that few state banks enjoyed, and none other in Bath, during the state bank system of banking. For doing an exchange business the Lincoln Bank kept a deposit in New York City. At that period considerable amounts of bills and coin had to be trans- ported from place to place in lieu of drafts or bills of exchange.
A Bank Incident .- Among the humorous men of Bath of a past generation was Jeremiah Ellsworth (" Uncle Jerry"). He was a man of much natural ability, combined with mother wit, and could always be found wherever mirth and jollity prevailed. One of his best practical jokes, the outcome of which he could never cease to relate on the streets, was: On one discount day he handed into the Commercial Bank a note for discount. It was for only one hundred dollars, a considerable sum for those days, on an "accom- modation note." Jacob Robinson was the bank president and Thomas Agry, cashier. The note was "thrown out" by the directors. Upon being notified of this fact, Jerry produced a ten-dollar bill of the bank and demanded its redemption in gold; taking this in his hand, he went into the nearest store and asked if they could give him ten dollars in bills on the Commercial Bank in exchange for a gold piece. Upon obtaining the bills he returned to the bank and demanded the gold for them. He then went into another store, was accommodated with the desired bills, and again demanded gold of the bank, and thus he was going on infinitum, when the cashier began to realize the graveness of the proceeding, and at once sent for President Robinson to come in post haste to the bank. Mr. Robinson was promptly "there," and when Uncle Jerry came to the counter again, with a ten-dollar bill in his hand, he was told: "Mr. Ellsworth, your note is discounted." He drew his money.
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APPENDIX.
Trufants Point. - Immediately south of the entrance to Ropewalk Creek, and where is now "Shaws Mill," is a locality with a diversified his- tory. It is contiguous to where was the starting point or "head bounds " of the ancient Gutch tract, which originally comprised the territory of Bath. Later this point of land was owned by David Trufant, who, from his ener- getic will and forcible character, was given the cognomen of "King David," whose residence was on the south side of Pine street, a portion of it, now in existence, forming an ell of a house on a side street. On this "Point," in 1804, Mr. Trufant had a windmill, a style of mills in common use in an early day on the Kennebec. It was a "grist-mill." The chief farming production was Indian corn, and corn-meal bread was the main depend- ence for the "staff of life." It was on this Point that Seward Porter, Aaron Tyler, and John Gordon built the first mill that used steam to operate it, Gordon acting as clerk of the company. This was in 1820, and the cost of the plant was $25,000. After undergoing several alterations, and the mill run at a loss, it was shut down in 1836. In 1838 another company, con- sisting of John Henry, S Jewell, and C. Wilson, came into possession of the old mill, took it down and built a new mill, with which they did a large business until 1853, when it was abandoned and the premises sold to Joseph Berry and George Robinson, who occupied it for a ship-yard several years, when the firm ceased business. Early in the season of 1883 M. G. Shaw & Sons purchased the locality and put up their large lumber mill and com- menced operating it the same year, continuing to the present time - 1894 - with success, and known as the Shaw Mill. This mill is fitted with all modern improvements of mill machinery and appliances, and has a capacity of sawing one million feet of long lumber during a month; twenty-five thousand laths, the same of shingles; three thousand clapboards per day, besides pickets, staves, and broom handles, employing from seventy-five to one hundred men.
Pioneer Steamboats. - The first craft propelled by steam on the Kennebec was the Tom Thumb, in 1818. She was about the size of a small tug boat of the present day. . She came from Boston, towed by a sailing packet to the mouth of the river, from whence she steamed to Bath, making slow headway against the tide. As no one in Bath had seen a steamboat her arrival created a sensation, and everybody went down to the wharf to see her. She had side wheels, no deck, and her machinery was
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open to view. She was run as an excursion boat up and down the river. This author well remembers the old Tom Thumb. She was rightly named, as she was a little chunk of a boat with light power.
Seward Porter was the father of steamboating on the Kennebec. In 1822 he commenced by having a scow drawn up on Kings wharf, sawing her in two to lengthen her, putting in machinery which proved of insufficient power to stem the strong tide. She was used for excursions and named the Kennebec. He followed this beginning by another boat called the Enter- prise, which ran to Augusta in 1823. He then undertook to run steaniers between the Kennebec and Boston, obtaining aid in Bath and Portland, and was the first to establish a Boston and Maine steamboat line, which was in 1823. For this purpose he purchased in New York the memorable steamer Patent. She was a small, chunky craft, but a fine one for that day. She reached Bath August 7, 1823, having touched on her passage at Boston and Portland. Henceforth Captain Porter ran boats for many years. Nathaniel Kimball succeeded Captain Porter as a long continued and famous commander on the Kennebec and Boston line.
Railroads. - Bath men and their capital were important factors in the constructing of the Kennebec & Portland Railroad, that first extended from Bath to Portland, and later to Augusta. When work was commenced, June I, 1847, George F. Patten lifted the first shovelful of earth. The first train was started from Bath July 4, 1849. Flat cars fitted up with seats gave free rides to a crowd of citizens a few days before to Yarmouth. The eastern terminus of the road continued to be at Bath until another enterprise constructed a road to Rockland, which was completed in November, 1871.
The Knox & Lincoln Road was built with a financial basis of aid from towns along its line. Towards this aid Bath issued, July 1, 1869, thirty-year bonds to the amount of $475,000; a second issue, of twenty-year bonds of $177,600, Mar. 1, 1871; a third issue, of thirty-year bonds of $243,000, Feb. I, 1872; in addition, thirty-year stock bonds to the amount of $137,000; a total of $1,032,600. The road commenced running to Damariscotta early in 1871. Its earnings failed, year after year, to pay interest on the investments, when the entire road was sold in 1890 to a syndicate representing the Boston & Maine and the Maine Central Roads for the sum of $1,500,000. From this sale Bath received in bonds $486,000 and in cash $74,918.50, a total of $560,918.50. The city has an outstanding indebtedness, on account of this road, on stock, $119,500; on bonds of the first issue, $70,Soo; second issue of bonds has been paid, and there is due on the third issue of bonds, $138,500; a total of $328,Soo indebtedness in 1894. This road is now oper- ated as a part of the Maine Central system.
The Great Fire of January, 1894 .- On Sunday morning, the 28th of January, 1894, between eight and nine o'clock, an alarm of fire was
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rung out. The stable in the rear of the Sagadahoc House was found to be on fire, from some unaccounted for reason, and as the city water supply had been cut off the day before, on account of a break in the main pipe that crosses the New Meadows River, not a bucket of water was to be had to put out the incipient fire. Telegrams were promptly sent, by Mayor John O. Shaw, to Brunswick, Lewiston, and Portland for engines, which arrived during the forenoon, the efficient aid of which stayed the progress of the flames. It was exceedingly fortunate that the day was calm and not ex- tremely cold, which favorable conditions continued during the next day.
For the want of hydrant supply of water, the steam engines were called out and compelled to go to the river for water, making a delay of nearly half an hour before a stream could be brought to bear upon the fire, by which time the flames were beyond control, resulting in the total destruction of the hotel and the block north of it as far as Webber's drug store, nearly opposite the head of Broad street, where was a high and wide brick wall, burning out the Lincoln Bank, Harris' drug store, John O. Shaw's book- store, J. L. Douglas' clothing store, the Marine National Bank, and D. T. Percy & Sons' dry goods and crockery stores, all of which were on the west side of Front street. On the second floor of these buildings were various offices and halls. From the main line of the fire the flames lapped across the street, consuming, or badly damaging, all the buildings from opposite the Sagadahoc House north nearly to Broad street. In the centre of these was the People's Savings Bank, which was totally consumed, while next north of it, the Times building escaped with the loss of editorial room on its second floor, and all of W. S. Shorey's book-bindery on the third floor. All of the buildings on the north side of Centre street, from the Sagadahoc House to the City Hall, were totally destroyed, the Hall escaping. The flame extended its tongue across to the buildings on the south side of this street, badly damaging many of the stores with their stocks of goods, their entire destruction being arrested by the heroic efforts of the two fire com- panies that came from Brunswick with hand engines.
The guests in the hotel readily escaped with a portion of their personal effects; from the hotel stable some twenty horses and some carriages were saved. Shaw, Harris, and the hotel saved little of value, and nothing from the Percy stores, while from the other stores some goods were saved. The buildings and their contents were, on an average, fairly insured. The valu- ables in the vaults of the Lincoln, the Marine, and the People's Banks came out uninjured, as well as most of the safes in other buildings.
Sunday services in the churches were suspended during the day, and about all of the people of the city, men and women, were out to witness the fire, which exhibited a grand as well as a sad siglit, long to be remem- bered by those witnessing its destructive progress, with flames and smoke filling the air to be seen from miles around.
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It appears that the incorporators of the Bath Water Supply Company, soon after organizing under its charter, transferred its franchise to the National Water Works Syndicate, whose headquarters are in Boston, and this company contracted with the City of Bath, July 9, 1886, to construct the works, the city to pay $5,000, annually, for hydrant service. This Syndi- cate Company sold its rights to H. M. Payson & Co., of Portland, who sold it to Arthur Sewall and others, after which it was merged into the Maine Water Company, and the Bath service is known as the Bath Division of the Maine Water Company, which is blamed for the total lack of water at this conflagration.
A committee was appointed, from among the citizens, to investigate the the origin of the fire and report to the City Government. This committee decided " that the fire was not incendiary but accidental and caught from sparks either from the chimney of Shannon & Huse's stable or from the chimney of the northern division of the Iron Works, as it was testified that a new fire was built there that morning."
Within a week work was begun on removing the débris preparing to rebuild on both sides of Front street by the Sagadahoc Real Estate Loan Association, at the head of which is Mr. Galen C. Moses, who is much engaged in improvements in the city, the association owning most of the territory of the burnt district on Front street. Plans are drawn for the erec- tion of a two-story block, occupying all the space, for stores and offices on the west side, on the east side a hotel and stores; the People's Bank will rebuild, north of which buildings were damaged but not destroyed.
The next week after the fire the citizens of Bath contributed $500 for the purpose of presenting $100 to each of the fire companies which so promptly came to assist in saving further destruction to the city by their very timely services, and John O. Patten presented to the Bath Company a complimentary sum, in recognition of their efficient services in saving his Times printing office from total destruction.
Burning of the Bath Iron Works, February, 1894. - On Monday night, the 12th of this month, a fire destroyed a large portion of these works. The buildings burned were of wood, and were south of the most valuable machine shop, number one, the office building, and boiler shop, all of which were saved, the prevailing north wind driving the flames from them. The fire originated in the joiner shop. The buildings destroyed were machine shop, number two, joiner shops, plate shop, bending floor, moulding loft, and furnace rooms. Tug boats were in readiness to take the steamer City of Lowell, which was at the Iron Works wharf being com- pleted, and the steamer Kennebec, which was at Houghton's wharf, out of the way of danger, if it became necessary. The Ammen Ram Katahdin was not injured. The $200,coo Slater yacht, which was on the stocks, was damaged and some stagings around her destroyed. In the joiner shops
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were parts of the cabins of the yacht and the steamer City of Lowell. These were destroyed. In the machine shop that was burned a big $50,000 steam windlass, being built for the Cramps, was destroyed, as was also the machinery and the tools of the workmen. The plant was fully covered by blanket policies. The wildest and coldest snow storm for years was prevailing that night.
Notes-POPULATION BY DECADES .- In 1850 it was 8, 020; in 1860 it was 8,078; in 1870 it was 7,371; in 1880 it was 7,875; in 1890 it was 8,723. In 1860 there were 1,720 polls and estates $5,876,993; in 1870 there were 1,915 polls and estates $6,402,713; in 1880 there were 2,285 polls and estates $5,913, 192; in 1890 there were 2,505 polls and estates $6,419,481.
SPEEDY VOYAGES AROUND THE "HORN." - In about 1852 the clipper ship Flying Cloud made a passage from New York to San Francisco in eighty-nine days and eight hours. This was during the period of the clipper ships and this ship was built expressly for speed, carrying light freight. She subsequently made another like voyage in eighty-nine days, sixteen hours. Ships make quicker passages from San Francisco to New York, several having covered the distance in seventy-six days.
The old James White timber house that stood near the corner of Lincoln and Centre streets, facing east, was built in 1755 and taken down in about 1890.
The old-fashioned, gambled-roof house that stands immediately north of the Orphans' Home, of a story and a half, facing north, built by Isaiah Crooker, Jr., is now occupied and in a good state of preservation.
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