Page:1898 NB Magazine.djvu/340

This page has been proofread, but needs to be validated.
AT PORTLAND POINT.
323

great majority of the latter settled on the rocky peninsula south of Union street, laid out by Paul Bedell as the Town of Parr in the summer of 1783. Some individuals, however, purchased or rented lands from Hazen, Simonds and White, and thus the population of Portland was considerably increased. The following persons settled at or near Indiantown, viz., Samuel Wiggins, John Wiggins, Willet Carpenter, Samuel Lockwood, Benjamin Stone, William Eagles, Caleb Merritt, Elnathan Appleby, Robert Lasky, Robert Thomas and others. Just outside the bounds of Parrtown, between Gilfred street (now Union street) and the old mill pond, lived Ebenezer Holly, Thomas Hopwood, Angus McKay, William Wise, Peter Griff and Peter Gaynor. On the other side of the pond, just beyond the old mill dam lived Richard Graves, and Morris Wooton. The first bridge here did not follow the present line of Mill street, but ended at the elevation north of the Union depot, then called Wooton's Point. The first bridge must have been built shortly after the arrival of the Loyalists and was undoubtedly a rude affair. Indeed the one that replaced it appears to have been of a decidedly primitive character, judging by the specifications found in the following advertisement in one of St. John's early newspapers:—

☞ PUBLIC NOTICE.

Whereas the Corporation of the City purpose building a Bridge on the Public Highway, leading out of the City towards the Indian-House, to commence at the City side of the Saw-Mill dam, thence to run in a direct line to Whooten's Point, so called, agreeable to the following outlines, to wit—At the end nearest the City a Butment composed of Logs (not less than 12 inches diameter) in the form of a Wharf, and sufficiently ballasted with stone, 12 feet by 15, from which five large, strong pieces (not less than 14 inches diameter) to be extended to reach the Rocks at Whooten's Point, those to be supported under in three different places by good and sufficient Posts and Girths, the whole to be laid over with a flooring of Cedar Logs, not less than 8 inches at the small end, and to be well covered
This article is issued from Wikisource. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.