In the Champlain’s map of St. John harbor and its surroundings a lake or pond is shown at the spot where the Union depot and freight sheds stand today. At the outlet of this pond a dam and tide mill were built by Simonds and White in the year 1766. The mill was put in operation the next season and from that day to this lumber has been one of St. John’s staple articles of export. Primitive as was this saw-mill some difficulty was experienced in procuring proper hands to run it. James Simonds in his letter of June 20, 1767, to Hazen & Jarvis writes:
“The sloop Bachelor did not return from up the River before this morning. We have but few fish; the men that undertook the weirs were very slow and unfaithful, and not only neglected the fisheries but the Mill also, for which reason we have not a full load for the Sloop. The Mill we have not nor shall be able to keep at work without more and better hands; have four less than we ought to have for different branches of work, if all of them was good boys, and with those that are bad must make a bad figure. We have promised 30 to 40 hogsheads Lime to Mr. Best of Halifax and hourly expect a vessel for it, and have encouragement of a contract for the King’s works there; expect nothing but to disappoint him as that rascal negro West cannot be flattered or drove to do one fourth of a man’s work; shall give him a strong dose on Monday morning which will make him better or worse, no dependence can be put on him. * * We want three men, one that understands tending a mill and two teamsters, which we beg you will send in next vessel.”
The correspondence of the partners shows that the manufacture of lime continued to engage their attention. The first kiln was built in rear of the store and dwellings at Portland Point near the base of Fort Howe hill. When James Simonds visited Halifax in September, 1764, he wrote a very interesting letter to Samuel Blodget in which he says: “I have been with the King’s chief Mason; have shewn him a sample of our lime; he likes it well and gives me encouragement that he will take all of me that he wants either for public or private use (he is the only dealer in town) at a rate that will net at St. John’s three dollars or more pr. hogshead.”
Several coopers were sent from Newburyport by Hazen & Jarvis to manufacture hogsheads for the lime business, one hogshead being considered about as much as a man could make in a day. With the view of securing a more desirable class of employees the company began at this time to take into their service married men with families for whose accommodation they built comfortable log houses. Yet even here there were disappointments, as we learn from another of Mr. Simonds’ letters in which he says: “Our help mostly failed us last fall, and the hay season was the wettest that was ever known, which prevented our having a sufficient quantity of lime-stone dug and wood cut to employ the teams to good advantage. * * Old Abbot (the cooper) did not do one day’s work for sixty days after his wife arrived; no dependence can be placed on him, and as Stevens goes a fishing in the Spring on his own account we shall want another cooper and three labourers. It will make a material difference if these men are of a tractable disposition.”
The lime manufactured was shipped to Halifax, Boston and the West Indies, and on one occasion a cargo was sent to Newfoundland.
There is in possession of the Hazen family an inventory of the property 200 of the company at St. John, dated the 12th of February, 1767, which will give the reader some little idea of the nature of the Company’s business and the condition of their trading post at Portland Point at this time. The inventory is as follows:
LIST OF COMPANY EFFECTS AT ST. JOHN.
| Dwelling House 19 by 35, part finished | £ 90. 0.0 | |
| 1 | Building 16 by 40, Rough boarded, improved for Cooper’s Shop & Kitchen | 15. 0.0 |
| 1 | Log Store 20 by 30, without floor | 20. 0.0 |
| 1 | Barn 24 by 35 | 16. 6.0 |
| 1 | Log house 14 by 18, occupied by Black | 6.12.0 |
| 1 | House 16 by 20, occupied by Bradley | 7.10.0 |
| 1 | Well 15 feet deep | 1.10.0 |
| 1 | Necessary House | 1.10.0 |
| 1 | Lime Kiln | 14. 0.0 |
| 1 | Gondalo | 10. 0.0 |
| 1 | Wherry | 1. 0.0 |
| 2 | Large Seines | 14. 0.0 |
| 1 | Cart 100s., 2 Sleds, 18s. | 5.18.0 |
| 1 | Drag 9s., 1 Harrow 15s. | 1. 4.0 |
| 2 | Iron bars 20s., 1 Crow-bar 10s | 1.10.0 |
| 3 | Stone Hammers @ 7s. | 1. 1.0 |
| 4 | Spades @ 6s. 8d., 3 Shovels @ 3s. | 1.15.8 |
| 1 | Broad Axe 12s., 6 Narrow Axes @ 6s. | 2. 8.0 |
| 15 | Old Axes @ 3s. | 2. 5.0 |
| Whipsaw 40s., 1 Cross cut do. 30s. | 3.10.0 | |
| 4 | Augers 12s., 3 chisels 6s. | 18.0 |
| 2 | Iron Squares, 8s., 3 pitch forks 12s. | 1. 0.0 |
| 7 | Hoes @ 2s. 8d. | 18.8 |
| 1 | Set Cooper’s Tools | 2. 5.0 |
| 2 | Nail hammers 3s., 1 plough 18s. | 1. 1.0 |
| 2 | Scythes @ 6s., 2 pick axes @ 5s. | 1. 4.0 |
| 7 | Chains | 4.10.0 |
| 1 | Beetle 1s. 6d., 2 Wedges 3s. | 4.6 |
| 160 | Hogsheads Lime stone at ye Kiln @ 5s. 4d. | 42.13.4 |
| 50 | Hogsheads at the Quarry dug @ 1s. | 2.10.0 |
| 50 | Cords wood at Kiln @ 3s. 6d. | 8.15.0 |
| 80 | Cords wood in ye Woods & 1s. 6d. | 7. 6.8 |
| Wire 60s., Spruce Logs at the Water 80s. | 7. 0.0 | |
| 84 | Pine logs at the falls worth | 22. 8.0 |
| 119 | Pine logs scattered in ye River @ 3s. | 17. 7.0 |
| 8 | Oxen worth at St. John | 60. 0.0 |
| 3 | Cows | 14. 8.0 |
| 1 | Pair 3 year old steers | 9. 0.0 |
| 1 | Bull 54s., 1 do. 30s. | 4. 4.0 |
| 6 | Sheep @ 18s., 7 Hogs @ 16s. | 11. 0.0 |
| 1 | Burch Canoe | 1. 0.0 |
| 2 | Carpenter’s adzes @ 7s., 2 drills @ 6s. | 1. 0.0 |
| 4 | Pairs Snow Shoes @ 7s. 6d. | 1.10.0 |
| 2 | Steel plated handsaws @ 8s. | 16.0 |
| 1 | Set mill irons | 7. 0.0 |
| 2 | M Staves shaved and joined | 4.16.0 |
| £451.4.10 |