he situation of which will be best
understood by reference to modern land marks. One was at the base of
Fort Howe hill at the head of Portland street, a second near the site
of St. Luke's church, a third near the present suspension bridge, and
a fourth on the road leading to the old "Indian House." The work of
quarrying and burning limestone was carried on in a very primitive
fashion by the laborers of the company. In the winter a number of them
were employed in quarrying the stone and hauling it with oxen to the
kilns. The wood needed for burning grew almost at the spot where it
was wanted, and its cutting served to clear the land as well as to
provide the fuel necessary. In the course of ten years Simonds & White
shipped to Newburyport and Boston more than 3,500 hogsheads of lime
for which they received four dollars per cask; they also sent lime to
Halifax, Cornwallis and other places in Nova Scotia. The facilities
for manufacturing in those days were very inadequate, the men lacked
experience, casks were hard to get, and for a time the lack of a wharf
and warehouse caused much delay in the shipment.

And now a word as to the present condition of the lime industry at St.
John. It cannot be questioned that the splendid quality of the
limestone, its vast abundance, its convenient situation for shipment
and the abundance and cheapness of the fuel needed, clearly prove that
the manufacture of lime is destined yet to become an important
industry in this community. Fifteen years ago the industry was rapidly
developing, when the McKinley tariff and the Dingley bill completely
excluded the St. John manufacturers from the United States market
which passed into the hands of their rivals of Rockland, Maine. It is,
however, only a question of time when there will be a removal of the
prohibitive tariff in the interests of United States consumers, and
this will be hastened as the deposits of limestone at Rockland are
exhausted. This circumstance, together with the increasing demands of
the Canadian market, will cause the manufacture of lime at St. John to
become eventually an industry as great as that of shipbuilding in its
palmiest days.

About the year 1888 the prospects of the St. John lime burners seemed
particularly bright. Extensive operations were being carried on at
Randolph, Robertson's Point, South Bay, Glencoe, Adelaide Road,
Brookville and Drury's Cove. Probably at least 400 men were employed
and a dozen draw kilns an