ASK, RANT OR PRAISE, BUT NEVER IGNORE

This is the heart of our web site, the place where readers reign. So many of the best ideas come from you. That's how we measure our success and draw in our advertisers who pay for this all to happen -- in our NINTH year. 

February 14
SAYS PISCATAQUA NOT GOOD FOR CRUISE SHIPS
Mr. Roach sucked you in on this one, and you should have looked around for the rebuttal before printing it. If you have  free time some day,  go down to the Portsmouth Harbor PIlots office on Ceres Street, where the tugboats tie up.  Ask them why Roach's 1,000 person capacity passenger ships cannot call at Portsmouth.

There is one major reason - the Piscataqua River. Ocean going vessels arriving at and departing from Portsmouth do so at approximately slack water.  That occurs at high tide and low tide.   Passenger ships desire to dock at 6 or 7 in the morning and sail at 5 or 6 in the evening and that simply cannot be done at Portsmouth.

Another problem is the availability of berthing space.
Portsmouth has only one pier suitable for large ships.  If there is a scrap ship on the berth, she is not going to be moved to accomodate a passenger ship.

Roach also mentions Bar Harbor, but passenger ships call there and take advantage of a protected anchorage, using their small boats to ferry the passengers ashore.  There is no current to contend with, either.  Passenger ships calling at Portland anchor off the Promenade.   Gloucester just happens to have a berth for a mid-size passenger ship, and there is no competition. 

I was the Port Captain for the YANKEE CLIPPER which ran in a weekly feeder service from Halifax  from 1979 to 1991.  Whenever a scrap ship or another type freighter was on the berth, the importers and exporters were furious, as the weekly call was forfeited.  Eventually, that is what cost Portsmouth the service.  Portland had a guaranteed berth, and Hapag-Lloyd took advantage of it, and the service existed until a few months ago.

 I am now retired and a few of my facts may be skewed, that's why I say you should run the question past the pilots.
Cordially. Capt. George W. Duffy

February 14
WHERE IS WENTWORTH GARDNER PINEAPPLE?
In photographing the Wentworth Gardner House in this morning's fine light, I noticed that the pineapple is missing from the center of the swan-neck pediment on the front door.  In looking back at some of my older photographs, it appears to be gone for at least a year.  Do your readers know what has happened to it and whether it is to be returned/replaced? The pineapple shows in photographs in Howells’ Architectural Heritage of the Piscataqua and other books,  but I can't tell if it was gilded or some other finish -- looks kind of dark to be gilding.
Jim Cerny

MUSEUM DIRECTOR SANDRA RUX REPLIES: The pineapple is in for the winter. It is gilded and your reader needs a picture of it before spring, I can arrange to meet him at the Wentworth-Gardner House. Wallace Nutting had the pineapple carved by a Portsmouth carver based on a similar pineapple in the Peabody -Essex Museum. Nice that someone is actually looking at the Wentworth-Gardner House in the winter. 

February 13
USELESS BOOTH, USELESS
I suggest a new meaning to the words "useless,  useless" in your article about John Wilkes Booth.  Perhaps Booth was naming his real killer and the man that arranged the assassination of Lincoln.  "Useless" was the nickname of General Grant.  This interpretation is as logical as the assumptions that were made in the article.
Dr. Thomas Hebel

EDITOR’S REPLY: Perhaps the tongue-in-cheek Yankee humor surrounding our famous Booth/ Hale article doesn’t translator easily. We are half kidding about Booth’s dying words, and really just trying to remind people that Seacoast, New Hampshire again plays a tiny role in this story too. We like your suggestion very much. Now if we could just get everybody thinking out loud about history. 

February 12
HAS NH LIQUOR BOTTLE
I have an  Old Mr Boston NH decanter with the seal as mentioned in your online story about changing the state seal.  Is there an estimated value for these bottles? I have No. 41, missing the stopper.
Jacqueline Lianos 

EDITOR’S REPLY: We’re going to guess that item is worth $10 on a good day. It’s one of those ugly bits of historic bric-a-brac that the state of New Hampshire uses to lure tourists into buying booze at our tax-free rates. It has worked so well that there are lots of these items around.  

February 12
WRITING A SMUTTYNOSE PAPER
i attend wilbur wright college in chicago. im doing a research paper for my english class on the smuttynose murder in 1873 and i was wondering if you could send me information about it or links to web sites that would help me in my paper, anything that will help me collect good information! thank you for you time
sincerely, ellen f 

EDITOR’S REPLY: I guess they don't have capitalization at that school. Wish I'd gone there. Not sure I can do any more than we have already. Our Smuttynose section represents 10 years of work. You can quote from but not reproduce any of it as long as you CREDIT the web site and quote the sources correctly in your paper.
Many of the articles appear here.

February 10
PRINCE AND VINCE
Your January Contest question focused on the Prince Whipple legend.  The name Whipple caught my attention.  Vince Whipple has for the last 9 years played the lead character in the longest running outdoor play, "Ramona" presented here in Hemet, Ca, every spring for the last 80+ years.  Vince Whipple's ancestry is American Indian.  I was just wondering if there is any connection between our Whipple and the legendary Prince Whipple?  It is interesting to ponder this question.
Barbara Mohler

EDITOR REPLIES: I'm no genealogist, but I'd say the chances of two people (one 18th century African and one 21st century Native American) from two parts of the nation being connected and having rhyming names is pretty close to zero. The "Whipple" surname came from Declaration signer and slave-owner William Whipple. There is, if you're more curious, a genealogy book of the WHIPPLE family available in paperback.

February 8
HOMES OF NH QUILT
The first "Homes of New Hampshire" Quilt, designed by Peggy Anne Klinker of Peggy Anne's Quilting & Sewing Co. of Concord, NH,  is growing in popularity, with quilter's as far as Florida and Hawaii interested in creating the blocks!  We are now 6 months into this beautiful block-of-the-month, and have drawn quilter's of all ages and experience from all over the state as we piece together the story of New Hampshire's lovely towns and cities.

I have been so inspired by the response, I am drafting another: next September, we will launch "FAMOUS Homes of New Hampshire", with blocks depicting Robert Frost's home, Ogden Nash's seaside retreat, the Birthplace of New Hampshire resident, and US President, Franklin Pierce, and the Frank Lloyd Wright creation- to name a few! We are asking New Hampshire residents to contribute ideas- let us know what "FAMOUS" home you'd like to see in this amazing quilt, and why.  We will select homes to visit, sketch the house, and let you know if your idea made it into the quilt!
Peggy Anne Klinker
Peggy Anne's Quilting & Sewing Co.
2 Capital Plaza
Concord, NH  03301
(603) 223-2344 

February 7
FRIENDS OF LOUIS
My name is Nina de Rochemont. I am the granddaughter of Louis de Rochemont. I just wanted to thank you for writing about him and keeping his work and life achievements on the web for other people to access. I appreciate you writing style and the time you spent. I hope you life is blessed in many beautiful ways.
Truely, Nina

February 6
NORTH CHURCH WEATHER VANE UPDATE
I ran across your page on "The Vane of the Old North Church" at the end of December 2006 and that coincided with a sunny day and a chance to use my camera to take a ground-level picture of the newly installed vane. I leave it to you or a reader to craft an updated stanza for Brewster's poem!
Jim Cerny

EDITOR’S REPLY: We love that nice clear photo and have posted it at the end of the web page with the old Brewster poem. That should wrap up the story – barring another bolt of lightning – for the next 25-50 years when the towers needs more maintenance. Following your suggestion, we also wrote a revised ending to the old poem which is included with your photo. (CLICK ABOVE TO SEE PIC & POEM)

February 5
CRUISING IN PORTSMOUTH
GREAT ARTICLE ON CRUISE SHIPS AND THEIR HUGE BENEFITS TO MERCHANTS IN PORTSMOUTH AND THE SURROUNDING AREA. I HOPE A CONTINUOS DIALOGUE WILL RESULT. IT SEEMS THE PDA IS RECEPTIVE TO CHANGING DIRECTION. KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK.
JAMES GEEKIE

February 4
NEW BIOFUEL COMPANY OPEN IN SEACOAST
I am writing to you today b/c I am a local business owner trying to do my part to combat the present Global Warming problem. I am starting a BioDiesel and BioHeat delivery service targeting the Seacoast & Southern Maine areas. We will be focusing our attention on the residential, commercial, industrial, marine & agricultural markets. The company name is Simply Green and the website which is still under construction is www.seacoastbiofuels.com. Presently we are working with a lot of companies in the area, such as MK Murphy Construction, Chinburg Builders, Granite State Whale Watch, UNH's Isle of Shoals research vessels & UNH's other research vessels, The Golf Course of NE, Piscataqua Landscaping and many others. We are starting our delivery service on March 1, 2007. I would like to announce the new business to the area if you have a way for me to do that.
Andrew Kellar, Stratham, NH

February 3
LAST CRUISE OF JOHN PAUL JONES
My grandfather, Roy A. Schmoke was on the navy ship that sailed to Europe in the early 1900's , to dig up and bring John Paul Jones body back to the United States to be reburied. I had a book, called John Paul Jones last voyage or (journey) My history teacher did not believe that I had such a book and so I brought it to school to show him. (in 1957) He kept the book and I was afraid to tell my mother. Anyway the only people to have this book, were the members on the ship that brought John Paul Jones body back to the untied states and the national library. Is there any way to locate that book?Janet Mae (Schmoke) Hatcher

EDITOR’S REPLY: Yes, you can find this 87-page booklet in used bookstores. We suggest typing the title into Bookfinder.com which will take you to many copies available for under $20. Thousands were printed in 1906 under the title "John Paul Jones’ Last Cruise and Final Resting Place" . It is an eye-witness account of Admiral Sigsbee's mission to convey the body of the American naval hero from France to the Naval Academy in Annapolis. -- Good Luck

February 2
HOW DO YOU SAY "PISCATAQUA"?
Thank you for your information on the history of the name, Piscataqua. Could you give me the current pronunciation of the word? John Greenleaf Whittier's poem "Snowbound" suggests -- by its rhyme -- that it is pronounced "pis-kat'-a-way." Was this an early pronunciation? Is it the current pronunciation? I'd appreciate your guidance.
Dorothy Baker 

EDITOR'S REPLY: Take all that info on the derivation of the name with a massive grain of salt. The derivation in that article is merely speculation by amateur Colonial Revival historian Ralph May with assistance from a Canadian folklorist in the early 20th century. Since no one knows exactly what was happening here before European, everyone is guessing at the origin and meaning of the word. The last official source of pronunciation is Whittier whose rhyming is often less than perfect. Odiorne Point in Rye was sometimes referred to "Piscataway" but the term sometimes was applied to Strawberry Bank, a larger settlement. As to the current pronunciation -- which is the ONLY thing we can say with authority -- most people refer to the river as the "Pis-CAT-a-kwa"

February 2
WANTS TO MEET OLD BABB
i am a descendant on both sides of Thomas Babb and earlier settler (1600s) on IOS and its first constable and apparently now an active ghost scaring people for many years in the IOS. How can I visit and stay overnight there. I am now 60 years old and want to see what my ancestors saw. Thanks for your help.
douglas yearsley

EDITOR’S REPLY: It is now possible to stay overnight at the Oceanic at Star Island which, for the last 100 years, has been largely a conference center. Check with Star Island people, but don't expect to see any ghosts. We;ve been staying there and on Appledore and Smuttynose for decades and old Babb is never to be seen, expect in the purple prose of a lot of really weird writers.

February 1
WANTS GENIUS PIC
The students at Thomas Edison High School of Technology would like your permission to use the Thomas Edison picture displayed on one of your John Hancock Insurance Co. History pamphlets. We are designing a web page for our school and we hoped we would be able to alter and incorporate the picture into our homepage. We at Thomas Edison High School of Technology would like to thank you for your time and for hearing us out.