ners and
builders imagine that they were the pioneers of an industry that would
one day place St. John in the fourth place among the cities of the
British empire as a shipowning port and lead her to claim the proud
title of "the Liverpool of America." And we may note in passing, that
at the time of the turning of the first sod of the Intercolonial
railway in 1853, employes from seventeen shipyards--1,090 men in
all--marched in the procession and shipbuilding had not then attained
its greatest development. It was an important industry indeed in its
day.

The materials used in building, the Betsy were cut almost upon the
spot, and the rigging was sent from Newburyport by William Hazen,
while about half the iron was taken from one of the company's old
vessels. One Michael Hodge agreed to build the schooner for 23 1-3
shillings per ton. Adonijah Colby was his assistant. The schooner was
launched in the autumn of the year 1769 and named the Betsy in honor
of Miss Elizabeth Peabody, who about this time was married to James
White. The little vessel sailed for Newburyport with her first cargo
on the 3d of February following, Jonathan Leavitt going in her as
master. She was sold the next year for L200, and Mr. Simonds expressed
his satisfaction at the price as better than he had expected.

This first venture in the line of shipbuilding was followed in due
course by others. Jonathan Leavitt and Samuel Peabody in 1773 built a
schooner which they called the "Menaguash," in honor of the old Indian
name of St. John, and the following year William Hazen made an
agreement with James Woodman and Zebedee Ring to build a vessel at St.
John, Woodman's wages to be art the rate of 4 shillings a day, and the
payment in part to be one hundred acres of land at two shillings an
acre. The land referred to was situated in the old township of Conway
opposite the Indian House--probably at Pleasant Point.

With a view to pursuing the business of shipbuilding William Hazen at
the time he settled at Portland Point brought with him one John Jones,
a master ship-builder. The outbreak of the Revolutionary war put a
stop to every kind of business, but it is said that Mr. Jones'
employers paid his wages for some time in order to retain his services
under the expectation that the war would soon be over and they would
be able again to build ships. Mr. Jones improved the waiting time by
taking to himself a wife, Mercy Hilderick, who had come to St. John on