Thursday, April 2, 2009
First grain elevator in Portland, Maine
On page 123, I mention that it wasn't until 1866 (more than 20 years after the construction of the Dart Elevator) that Portland, Maine got its first one. Perhaps I should have said grain elevators were active in Portland as early as 1866: a large elevator can be seen, sitting alongside the water, in the center-right part of this photograph, which was taken after the Great Fire of 1866. How long had it been standing there? I don't know.
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An article in the Eastern Argus dated 14 Apr 1863 gives detail about the structure upon it's completion. This was Galt's Grain Elevator. The article states: "The main building is 100 feet long by 55 wide. The lower story is 14 feet high, supported by numerous and massive oak posts resting upon sill of the same material... Above this story the bins, 36 in number and of about 5000 bushels capacity each, are constructed, and rise so as to give a depth to those in the center of 53 feet...A railway track passes throughout the easterly side of the building, at each end of which are mammoth scales of an improved pattern from the Buffalo scale works, capable of weighing 50,000 lbs...." There is a lot more detail in the article.
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