Penobscot River
1844 Petitions against repeal of the fisheries preservation laws on
the Penobscot River
"To the Senate and House of Representatives of the State of Maine:
The subscribers, inhabitants of Bucksport, beg leave respectfully to remonstrate
agains the petition of "Ware Eddy & others, praying that the laws
for regulating the fisheries on Penobscot River, passed at the last session,
may be repealed," and submit the following statement of facts:
It has been found, from a careful investigation of the subject, and a thorough
examination of all the papers and documents existing relative to the business,
that the shad and alewive fishery alone, previous to the erection of the
"Corporation Mill dam" so called, owned by John Otis and others,
and the "Great Works" dam owned by Josiah Little and others, amounted
annually to the sum of over one hundred and fifty thousand dollars. Since
the erection of these dams whereby the free passage of these fish has been
impeded they have rapidly diminished in quantity and within the last two
or three years have become almost extinct. These two are the only dams that
offer any serious obstacle to these fish in their passage to their accustomed
haunts.
The expence of constructing good and sufficient fishways by said dams would
be, comparatively speaking, but trivial; we therefore view with unfeigned
astonishment the attempts of the gentlemen corporators through their creatures
retained and people wholly uninterested and indifferent to the subject (for
such are the signers of these petitions) to effect the repeal of the law
of the last session, reckless of the inestimable privileges of which they
would thereby deprive the good citizens of this section of the Country."
Jeremiah C. Lowell and 43 others.
1844 Petition against repeal of the fisheries preservation laws on the Penobscot
River
"To the Hon. the Senate and House of Representatives in Legislative
assembled:
The undersigned, inhabitants of the Town of Frankfort, respectfully represent,
that in consequence of the Mill-dams & other obstructions upon the Penobscot
River and its branches, the Salmon, Shad & Alewives, which once abounded
in said River & Streams, and which serves for food for the inhabitants,
have now nearly left us; and learning that some of our most wealthy men
(who have made themselves rich by taking said fish and then erected Mill-dams
on the River & Streams, and thereby robbed the poorer inhabitants of
their natural rights) have petitioned you to repeal the Fish Law passed
last year. We therefore remonstrate against the repeal of the Law, believing
that the fish will return to us should that Law be suffered to exist and
as in duty bound will ever pray.
Elish Chick, Jr. and 22 others.
1844 Petition against repeal of the fisheries preservation laws on the Penobscot
River.
"To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of Maine in Legislature
assembled in A.D. 1844
The undersigned citizens of the County of Penobscot would represent that
they feel a deep interest in the fishing privileges on the Penobscot river
and its tributaries and believing that the law passed by the Legislature
of Maine in March 1843 would secure to the inhabitants their rights and
privileges in the fishing business. They would most respectfully remonstrate
against the repeal of the above mentioned laws believing that its repeal
would be detrimental to the fishing privilege while it would benefit no
other class of persons.
January 23, 1844"
E.B. Pierce and 32 others.
1844 Petition of Bucksport and Orland residents against repeal of fish preservation
laws
"To the Senate and House of Representatives of the State of Maine,
at Augusta assembled:
The subscribers, inhabitants of the towns of Bucksport and Orland, beg
leave respectfully to remonstrate against the petitions of 'Ware Eddy &
others, praying for the repeal of the fish law passed at last year's session.'
There are two dams only that obstruct the free passage of salmon, shad
and alewives up the Penobscot river, 'The Corporation,' owned by John Otis
and others, and the 'Great Works,' owned by Josiah S. Little and others.
These gentlemen lawyers have had the cunning to evade for years that portion
of the law as it stands in the Revised Statutes which requires them to open
a fish-way by their dams, and it is found insufficient to effect that purpose.
The law of the last year will compel these soulless Corporations to open
a passage way for said fish, which can be done without danger to those structures,
and comparatively speaking, at a small expense.
Your remonstrants also request that the operation of said law be extended
to Eastern river, and its tributary streams.
February, 1844"
Samuel Harriman and numerous others.
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