USA > Maine > The history of the state of Maine; from its first discovery, A. D. 1602, to the separation, A. D. 1820, inclusive, Vol. I > Part 9
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* MS. Letters of Davis Wasgatt, David Richardson, and Nicholas Thom- as, Esqrs.
t Abbe Raynal, V. 260-82 Translated. # Sullivan's Hist. 56-59.
§ See Resolves of General Court, July 6, and November 23, 1787 .- Mrs. Gregoire was grandaughter of Mons. de la Motte Cadillac .- See post. . A. D. 1785.
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THE WATERS AND COAST
[INTRODUC.
Flander's bay.
Trenton bay. Narrows.
At the head of Frenchman's bay, is the town of Sullivan : and Flanders' bay, is on the northeast side, next to the northwest part of Gouldsborough. Between Skillings' river and Flanders' bay, is Trenton bay ; and two miles above its mouth, are the Nar- rows of only 600 feet in width. Above them the bay is seven miles long, and from half a mile to a mile in breadth. When the tide floods, the water is forced through the narrows with great impetuosity and raises the upper bay eight or ten feet. As the water below ebbs out much faster than the incumbent water can escape through the narrows, a fall of ten feet is formed, where the water pours down, and being salt, fills the eddy below with surges of white foam for the space of 12 or 15 rods. Twice in every twenty-four hours this natural curiosity makes its displays much to the amusement of the beholder. A toll-bridge, lately erected by Col. Sargent across these waters in Sullivan, gives to the place additional variety and beauty .*
Clam-shells.
On several projections of land hereabouts, are beds of clam- shells, from one to two acres in extent, and in some places near two feet deep. So long have they been on the ground, that strata of earth have covered them ; and a heavy growth of trees was found upon them even by the first settlers. In one of the neigh- bouring Islands, the shells are six feet thick ; and there is remain- ing a stump of a large tree which, though felled half a century ago, must, from evident appearances, have grown since the stra- tum of shells was formed or deposited there.t
Islands. 7 'Thomas', Mayo's, 4 Porcu- pine's, Burnt, Sheep and Great. Bean's, Ingall's, Preble's, Bragdon's, Dean's, Simpson's, and Ashe's Islands. Bar Island.
The Islands to be mentioned, as found in this quarter, are Thomas' and Mayo's Islands, the four Porcupines, viz. Wheel- Wheeler's, er's, Burnt, Sheep and Great Porcupines. Here cod, haddock, pollock and halibut, are taken plentifully ; and on the shores, clams, muscles, and other shellfish. Within the bounds of Sul- livan are 7 Islands, viz. Bean's, Ingall's, Preble's, Bragdon's, Deane's, Simpson's, and Ashe's Islands. More remote, and dis- tant 8 or 9 miles, are Bar Island and Thumpcap, in the vicinity of the Porcupines, which are high Islands. Near Gouldsborough "Thumpcap. is Stave Island ; about midway of Frenchman's bay is Bear Stave, Bear. Island, and another south, inliabited by three families.
* But it has been carried away and not rebuilt.
t MS. Letter of A. Johnson, Esq. Moulton's is a bad ledge, south of Gou dsborough harbour.
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The greater part of Gouldsborough* is a peninsula ; on the Gouldsboro' west of which is Frazier's point, between which and Schoodic point. Frazier's point and the southwest extremity of the peninsula, is Musqueto harbour. Musqueto harbour, having good bottom, and sheltered on the southwest by Schoodic Island, which is small and without inhabitant. Five Island. Schoodic miles northeast of Schoodic point is a little cove, which makes Prospect harbour,t and nearly east, is Indian harbour.
Prospect & Indian har- bour.
Gouldsborough river, which is salt water, is about 3 leagues in length, and is navigable six miles to its branches, which spread Gouldsboro' and end not unlike fork tines, exhibiting the village between them, river. mostly on the west fork. Here the usual tides ebb and flow 12 feet.
Dyer's bay, six miles long and one mile wide, is in Steuben, Dyer's bay. and is navigable on the tide to its head. The point east of it is Petitmenan point, southeast of which, two miles, is the Island Petitmenan of that name, containing 25 acres. In 1817 it was ceded to the Islaud. United States, and that government erected a Lighthousef on it Lighthouse. at the cost of $5,045. Ships pass both withinside and outside of Petitmenan Island, though there is a bar between it and the main land.
North of the preceding is Bowbear Island, quite narrow, Powbear though nearly a league in length. It is close to the Steuben Island. shore in Pidgeon hill bay ; containing about 300 acres of indif- ferent soil, though inhabited by 4 families.
Pidgeon hill bay on the west, and Pleasant bay on the east, Pidgeon hill are contiguous and mix waters ; and the distance across both, and Pleas- from Bowbear Island to Cape Split, is three leagues. The for- ant bays.
Cape Split.
mer receives the waters of the Narraguagus river, after a grad- Narragua- ual descent of 40 miles from its sources. It is only a mill stream gus river. till it meets the tide and is enlarged and assisted by its waters. It is then navigable five miles from its mouth to the village and lower mills, in a good channel. Cape Split has a good harbour. Between the mouth of this and that of Pleasant river, which
* Gouldsborough harbour is N. N. W. from Petitmenan Light 2 leagues. { If you fall in with Shattuck Island give it a good birth and steer N. N. E. into Prospect harbour.
# It is a stone building 25 feet high, has a fixed light, forired o, lamps 53 feet above the level of the sea. Pass on the west side into Dyer's bay, and give the light a good birth, leave a dry ledge on your lar board.
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THE WATERS AND COAST
[INTRODUC.
Pleasant river. Narragua- gus bay.
are two leagues apart, is Narraguagus bay, stretching up seven miles into Harrington, which affords good navigation and good harbours ; having branches or salt water streams flowing into it, upon which tide mills are advantageously situated. Pleasant river empties itself at the head of Pleasant bay ; its fresh water part is short and small; but the residue of its run, being about ten miles, is commodious. At the head of the tide about four leagues from the bay, it is divided by a fertile and inviting Island, almost in the shape of a pendant, being about three miles in length and nearly two in its greatest width. Although the channels on each side are narrow, yet the beds of them are so soft, level and smooth, as to render the navigation safe and convenient nearly to the head of the Island. The soil here is fertile, the banks low, the village flourishing, and the situation and beauty of the country, emphatically such as to entitle it all to the name the river bears .*
Cape Split.
Moose-peck reach. Tibbet's point.
Beal's Island.
Cape Split is the point at the southwest extreme of the town of Addison, as we enter Pleasant bay from the east; and is half a league north of the western entrance into Moose-peck reach.t Between that point and Tibbets' point, a little farther east, is a good harbour. The reach has Addison and Jones- borough on the north ; and on the south Beal's Island of 1000 acres of good land and 10 families.# Its margin is ledgy, though it has one harbour on the north side, east of Indian river. The Island at the mouth of that little river, is encircled with naviga- ble tide-waters on all its sides. Below the east entrance of the reach, is Head Harbour Island, containing 300 acres of poor land, with one family ; between which, on the southwest side, and Bryer's Island, is a good harbour.
Head har- bour Island.
and. Rogue's Isl- and. English- mau's bay.
Bryer's Isl- Rogue's Island is N. N. E. from Head harbour, in English- man's bay : it contains 500 acres of good land, inhabited by three or four families. It has a very broken shore and its harbour is formed by an indent of water about midway of the Island on the southerly side. Near Rogue's Island southerly are others, called the Virgin's Breasts. Chandler's river, which empties itself into
Virgin's Breasts.
* Shattuck hills are back of Harrington.
+ Moose-peck or " Mispecky" Lighthouse is on Ship Harbour Island, with a revolving light.
[ Southwesterly of Beal's Island are 8 or 10 small Islands not far distant, which are uninhabited.
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SECT. II.] OF MAINE.
the head of the bay, is a small mill stream ; yet vessels ascend Chandler's to its mouth and take cargoes. river.
Buck's harbour, though small, is a noted one, being easy of Buck's har- access from the sea. It is a cove on the east side of the point bour. which is the western limit of Machias bay. The salt water river, west of that point, is navigable and pleasant, its banks being or- namented with handsome dwellinghouses on both sides.
Southwesterly of Buck's harbour are several Islands, viz. Fos- Foster's Isl- ter's Island and the two Libby Islands .* Upon the outer one of Libby and. the latter two, is the Lighthouse. Lighthouse.
Machias bay is about two leagues in breadth at its mouth, and Machias seven miles in length. At its northwest corner it receives the bay. waters of East and West Machias rivers, three miles below where they form a junction, and two miles below where they pass the narrows.
The length of West Machias river, in its meandering south- West-Ma- easterly course, is about fifty miles. The tide flows five miles above the junction to the bridge, the village and the landings, where are the public buildings. In this branch the navigation for small vessels is good.
chias river.
chias river!
East-Machias river is not so long as the other, though quite as East-Ma- large. It is navigable only about two miles from the junction to the falls, bridge, mills and village :- the falls here being from 15 to 20 feet.
One mile below the junction, are the Narrows, 50 rods across ; Narrows. to which a ship of the line might ascend, in a channel of six fathoms of water, with safety. South of the narrows, the shores are bold ; the tide flows 15 feet; and it is supposed, where the wharves now are, stood the New-Plymouth trading house.
There are two Cross Islands lying at the east entrance of Ma- 2 Cross Isl- chias bay ; Great Cross Island contains about 6 or 700 acres of . ands. pretty good land ; though neither of them is inhabited.
East of Cross Island is Little Machias bay, which extends Little Ma- nearly a league into the land and has a depth from two to six chias bay.
fathoms at low water. It is inhabited on both sides. Also Little river harbour, two miles still farther east, is a good one, enlivened by a small contiguous settlement.
* Machias Lighthouse stands on Libby Island, lying on the western en- trance to Machias bay, and is 65 feet above the level of the sea and con- tains a " revolving light." Seal Islands are due S. E. from Machias.
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THE WATERS AND COAST
[INTRODUC.
Little river.
Moose and Haycock barbours.
The coast from Little river to West-Quoddy-head, five leagues, exhibits a very forbidding appearance. Except about Moose harbour and Haycock harbour, which afford good anchorage, the shore is little other than high ranges of a most rugged ledge, a league or more in width, against which the waves often break so furiously as to throw the water an hundred feet into the air.
West- 'Quoddy- head.
West-' Quoddy-head* is an elevated bold promontory, which forms the southeast corner of Maine and of the United States :- the highest part of it is 150 feet. In 1807, 100 acres of the projection was ceded to the United States, and the next year a Lighthouse, with a lantern of fixed light, 90 feet above the level of the sea, was erected on the south side, near the centre, at highwater mark, which cost the national government $4,966. There is also an alarm bell, intended to be rung in foggy weather, which will strike 10 times in a minute.
Campo- bello.
North of 'Quoddy-head, is the south end of Campobellot, which is 8 miles in length from northeast to southwest, with an average breadth of four miles. It completely landlocks Lubec and East- port from the southeast ; but its local situation renders the west entrance into the bay and the harbour of these places crooked, and at low-water difficult on account of a bar.
Flagg's point. Lubec vil- lage.
From the entrance the course is west about two miles, forming West-'Quoddy-head into a promontory ; thence north two miles, at the end of which is Flagg's point, whereon is Lubec village, opposite to the narrows, which are only about 25 rods across from that point to Campobello. But as the tide rises here from 24 to 28 feet, the whole passage is safe and easy at half flood. Four miles and an half from Lubec village north, is that of Eastport or Moose Island, full in view.
The divis- Sonal line.
The line between the two governments is thus ;- From the narrows, in the middle channel, by Mark Island ; thence in mid- water, between Eastport and Indian Island ; thence N. N. W. to and in the thread of the St. Croix river, passing between the
* There are three passages into Passamaquoddy bay, western, middle, or ship channel, and eastern : in passing the first, give the sail rocks and whirl-pool a birth more than half a mile; and steer westward.
{ This Island is an appendage of New-Brunswick.
# Lubec village is 24 miles from Machias ; 12 from Grandmenan ; 16 from Robbinston : 30 from Calais ; and 60 from the city of St. Johns.
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Devil's head and Oak point,* to its source at the Eastern monu- ment.
Allen's and
Between Lubec and Eastport, at the southeast entrance into Cobscook, Cobscook bay, are two small Islands, the northeasterly one is Rice's Isl- Allen's Island, containing 70 acres of good land, and has one ands. family ; the other, southwesterly, of 15 acres, is called Rice's Island, and is uninhabited. At the entrance of the bay, the width of water is half a mile ; but on account of shoals and rocks, the navigation is difficult. This bay, which lies westward of Moose Island, and is about seven miles long from its southern to its north- ern entrance, does on its several sides, project into no less than seven branches ; all which are navigable for boats, and the short- er branches for small vessels. On the largest one, southwest, is situate the village of Orangetown, now Whiting, up to which Orange- boats may float ; on the northwest branch, which receives Den- town. nysville river, is the village a little above its mouth, to which only boats can ascend ; and on the branch southeast of Dennysville is the Pennemaquam settlement, 4 miles from the ledge, and west quam.
Pennema- of the narrows, which are 40 rods wide at the entrance, north of Moose Island.
Of all the Islands described, no one is more noted than Moose Moose Island, [or Eastport. ] It was not only, for many years, a sub- Island. ject of controversy between two nations, being itself most eligibly Eastport. situated ; but it has long been a place of great resort. Its greatest length is five miles from N. W. to S. E; yet it is no where two miles in width. Vessels pass on all sides of it. In one place towards the northerly end, it is nearly parted asunder by the waters on each side, so that at highwater they almost meet. Its area is 2,150 acres. The exteriour of the whole Island, at the water's edge, is extremely irregular ; and its surface is suf- ficiently variegated with swells, hills, and vallies. It is a very inviting place for commerce. The village is southerly of the The village isthmus, on the eastern shore, pleasantly facing the east. There is a regular ascent from the village, half a mile northward, to Fort hill, which commands quite an enchanting prospect. This is the site of the United States' garrison. There is a deep cove Fort hillą at the south end of the Island where ships of any size may be moored, head and stern, and be safe from all winds. The north
* MS. Letter of H. G, Balch, Esq.
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THE WATERS AND COAST
[INTRODUC.
extremity of the Island is near the main land, separated only by a narrow pass for vessels ; and the mouth of the Schoodic river is considered to be at the narrows, between this Island and Deer Island .*
Mark and Rogers' Islands.
Dudley's and Freder- ick Islands
Allen's Island and Rice's Island, before mentioned, also Mark Island and Rogers' Island, are all belonging to the town of Lubec. But it is to be remarked that Allen's Island is the same as " Dudley's Island," and Rice's Island the same as Frederick. Island, and both of them, as well as Moose Island, under the 4th article of the Treaty of Ghent, the Commissioners determined, November 24th, 1817, to belong to the United States. Dudley and Frederick Islands were originally granted by Massachusetts to Col. Allen ; and his son's widow and family live on the former, the only inhabitants. The latter is owned by Mr. Thayer of Lubec.+
Schoodic river.
The Schoodict river, which in its whole length, is the dividing line between this State and New-Brunswick, we are next to de- scribe ; and we begin with its sources, which, as the river runs, are about one hundred miles from its mouth. Its head is seven miles above the lakes, at the Eastern Monument ; in which part Cheputnate- it is quite small, and is sometimes called Cheputnatecook. It empties itself near the north end of the upper Schoodic lakes, which lie in the form of a crescent, 35 miles in extent, with their thickest segment northwest. The mean width of the lakes may be from one to two miles, though in many places there are very narrow passes between the greater or wider bodies of water.
cook.
From the outlet of the upper lake, the general course of the river is southeastwardly ; its descent is rapid, its bed and banks for the most part rocky, with very few bordering intervales ; and its length, to the lower or salt-water falls, is called by travellers sixty, some say, seventy miles. In this distance we find several Loon's bay. sections of still water, particularly two, called Loon's bay and Por- Porter's meadow. Falls. ter's meadow. There are also the Great falls, several miles from the outlet, where the water descends 20 feet in a short distance ;
* Philip Coombs, Esq .- MS. Letter of Jona. D. Weston, Esq.
+ MS. Letter and ingenious plan of Lorenzo Sabin, Esq.
# There are three rivers which empty into the Passamaquoddy bay, the largest of which is called the Schoodic, [Scatuck-Indian,]-the lake is " where fish live all the year," and are often taken ; such as trouts, chops and perch .- But M. de Monts and Champlain, call it " Etechemins."
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and several other rapids and pitches, so that there are at some seasons of the year, no less than seven carrying places between the upper outlet and Calais.
About 35 miles below the upper outlet, a junction is formed between the main river and the west branch, which is made by issues of water from the Grand Schoodic lakes, being about a Lakes. dozen of them in all ; and by this confluence, the river below is doubled in the quantum of its water.
The lower falls are at the head of the tide, to which the river descends from the southwest, and thence runs southeast, forming almost an isoscles angle. Within this is the village of Calais, op- posite to which, at the point on the north shore, is the parish of St. Stephens. The falls are at Milltown, two miles above Calais Milltown. village, where there are about 20 saws, a grist mill, and other lage. waterworks in lively operation. Those on the northerly side are owned by the British, and those on the other by the Americans. Between Milltown and Calais, the river is crossed by two bridges, each about eighty rods in length.
At Calais, above the mouth of Dennis Stream, there is a great mill establishment of $20,000 cost. The river here is half a mile in width, and the water is very shoal when the tide is out ; but the flood tide brings hither a sheet of water from 14 to 16 feet perpendicular, and is limited a mile above the village, where the salt and fresh water meet.
Five miles below the village is the Ledge, where the passage The ledge. is narrow, the water quick, and the navigation difficult, even at half ebb. Two miles lower is " the Devil's head," 92 leagues Devil's above Eastport landing, a very high, rocky, and mountainous head. bluff, on the western shore, which may be seen 12 leagues. Di- rectly opposite to this, northward, where the river is two miles wide, is Oak point, on the British side .*
Three miles below the Devil's head, the river passes between the village of Robbinston and St. Andrews, where it is a league across.t Hereabouts in the river, on the American side, are two small Islands; the one is a mere ledge of about an acre, above highwater mark, bearing only a few trees; the other, called Hel- leker's Island, of 4 or 5 acres, was first owned by a man of that
Oak point ..
* Philip Coombs, Esq. Here the tide flows 25 feet.
MS. Letter of Hon. John Balkham.
Schoodic
Calais vil-
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THE WATERS AND COAST
[INTRODUC.
name, who became the sole inhabitant of it soon after the revolu- tion, where he lived to a great age. The north bank of the Island is high and ledgy, the residue is of a rich soil which he cultivated like a garden. The width of the river here is 22 miles.
" St. Croix," or Neutral Island, is situate in the river, oppo- St. Croix or site to the dividing line of Calais and Robbinston, where it angles Neutral island. upon the waters edge. It contains 12 or 15 acres and is direct- ly in the middle of the Schoodic river, though the ship passage is usually on the eastern side ; it is now the residence of one family and is claimed by Gen. Brewer. It is a delightful spot ;- here de Monts, in 1604, erected a fort and passed the winter ; here the commissioners, in 1798, under the treaty of 1783, found the remains of a very ancient fortification ; and afterwards de- termined the river to be the true St. Croix .*
Pleasant point.
Pleasant point, [in Perry,] which is ten miles southeasterly of Robbinston village and 5 miles northwardly of Eastport village, is one of the most delightful situations in the State. It is a small peninsula, on a cove making up on the back or west side of it two miles. This is the site of the Indian village, where the Pas- samaquoddy tribe have about 40 habitations or wigwams.
Indian vil- jage.
There is no difficult navigation in the Schoodic from Eastport to Calais, except at the Ledge. The tides at Eastport are from 24 to 30 feet ; and there are some good harbours and many places of good anchoring ground, along the western shore ; the only inconveniences being the boldness of the shore and a depth of water, which is in some places 12, in others 25 fathoms.t
St. John river.
The only considerable river which remains to be described is the St. Johnt and its tributaries. Its several branches are spread through the whole northern section of this State, and a sweep around their heads would form a curve, or segment of a circle, not less than 200 miles in extent. Its principal sources are in the highlands which divide Maine from Canada, and the chief St. John, in its meanders, runs more than 150 miles before it crosses the eastern divisional line of the State. Not very much is known of all these branches, though they intersperse and water a third part of our territory ; except, that the soil among them is
* 1 Holmes A. a. 149 .- Sabin's MS. Let, + Blunt's Coast Pilot.
# Indian name, Loshtock, or Long river, very wide, for the waters run- ning in it,
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good ; the timber-growth great ; and the face of nature well in- terspersed with elevations and vallies. At the mouth of the Met- awascah, however, which is 30 miles from the line, where the French set- French settlement is, people have made repeated visits and some tlement. discoveries.
The St. John river crosses our eastern boundary line, 77 miles north of the "Eastern Monument," and 227 miles from its mouth. The Great, or " Grand falls," are four miles below the Great falls. line, in lat. 46° 54'. Here the river is contracted to the width of only 3 or 4 rods, walled and overhung with cliffs, and de- scends a few feet in a broken inclined plane; rebounding from a bed of rocks below the eaves of a fall. It is then precipitated down perpendicularly, about 45 feet, into an abyss studded with rocks, which nearly choke its passage. But with a whirl, it sweeps through a broken and rugged channel and a chain of falls half a mile long, closely pent with projecting rocks on both sides, which so overhang the water in some places as to impede the view of the beholder. To the foot of these falls, come flat bot- tom boats, from the city of St. John, 223 miles.
From the Grand falls to Woodstock, at the mouth of the Me- Medusne- dusnekeag, the river is about a quarter of a mile wide, when it keag. expands to the width of a mile, forms some fine Islands, and then again contracts and passes the Maductic falls, where the chan- Maductic. nel is greatly choked with rocks, though they do not totally inter- rupt the passage of boats and rafts.
At Fredericton, is the head of sloop navigation, about 85 Fredericton. miles from the sea, where the river is about 3-4ths of a mile wide, and where the tide rises from six to ten inches, and is per- ceivable nine miles above that place. Thence the river flows in a beautiful unbroken current, to the falls, near the city St. John.
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