May 24,1979
Page 12849
By Mr. MUSKIE (for himself and Mr. COHEN):
S.J. Res. 83. A joint resolution to authorize the Camp Fire Girls of Cundys Harbor, Me., to erect a Memorial on Maine Avenue in the District of Columbia; to the Committee on Rules and Administration.
Mr. MUSKIE. Mr. President, I am today introducing with Senator COHEN a joint resolution to authorize the erection of a statue of a Maine lobsterman on Maine Avenue.
In 1937, the Maine State Legislature authorized the Maine Development Commission to coordinate the State's participation in the 1939 New York World's Fair. The Commissioners sought a work which would symbolize the spirit of the Pine Tree State — the sea, the fierce independence of its residents, and its contribution to the national economy.
Portland sculptor Victor Kahill was commissioned to do the work. He chose H. Elroy Johnson as his model, portraying him as kneeling while putting a plug in the claw of a newly caught lobster. After its completion, the statue was the centerpiece of the Maine section in the Hall of the States at the World's Fair from 1939 to 1940.
Maine now has three bronze castings of this statue. One stands in the entryway of the building housing the State library, museum and archives in Augusta. Another is on Casco Square in Portland. And the most recent copy is located near the shore at Harpswell, not far from the model's home on Bailey Island.
Mr. President, this statue is indeed a tribute to all Maine fishermen who have devoted their lives to the sea. I hope my colleagues will support this bill permitting the erection of a copy of the "Maine Lobsterman" here in the Nation's Capital.
The present impetus for erection of this statue in the Nation's Capital must be credited to the Camp Fire Girls of Cundys Harbor, under the leadership of Ruth Heiser. I thank her for bringing this project to my attention and ask unanimous consent that a narrative history of the statue drafted for the 1979 Harpswellian, an annual publication of the Camp Fire Girls at Cundys Harbor, be printed in the RECORD at this point.
There being no objection, the narrative history was ordered to be printed in the RECORD, as follows:
HARPSWELL'S SCULPTURE
Harpswell has but one public statue: a larger than life size bronze statue of a fisherman pegging a lobster. It is located at Land's End, the southern tip of Bailey Island, where the artist's model, H. Elroy Johnson, spent his entire life, earning his living as a fisherman in nearby Casco Bay.
HISTORY OF THE SCULPTURE
In April 1937, the Maine State Legislature designated the Maine Development Commission the agency to be totally responsible for the state's participation in the 1939 New York World's Fair and authorized an amount of $50,000 to be set aside for participation in this international exhibition.
The individuals responsible for planning Maine's exhibit at this fair were determined that it would epitomize the spirit of Maine — the sea, the fierce independence of its residents, its contribution to the nation's economy. Victor B. Kahill, a Portland sculptor, was commissioned to create a work reflecting these characteristics and Nathan W. Thompson, a Portland lawyer, with a modest blessing of Governor Lewis O. Barrows, set out to raise $10,000 by public subscription to cast this creation in bronze.
The sculptor decided a lobsterman at work would be an ideal subject and selected H. Elroy Johnson, a Bailey Island lobsterman, as his model. After some preliminary work he decided to make a statue of a kneeling man putting a plug in the claw of a newly-caught lobster. Although only $1500 was raised for casting, it did not foil the project. The sculptor reinforced his hard plaster model, 8½ feet high on a 41" x 80" base, in every way he could and then covered it with bronze paint.
When the statue was unveiled, some lobstermen expressed disappointment about the model's attire (they would have liked him to be wearing a sou'wester) and position (they insisted lobstermen typically stand rather than kneel when plugging the claw ofa lobster), but after careful inspection, everyone agreed the lobster was being held in the proper position for pegging. Other critical comments were concerned with the fact that Bruin, the model's dog, was not incorporated in the statue as representative of all dogs who go lobstering with their master. Perhaps the state, too, regretted this; at any rate, as part of the unveiling ceremony Bruin,who was said to be unerring in distinguishing "shorts" from "counters" was issued a bona fide lobster license by the Commissionerof Sea and Shore Fisheries.
The overwhelming number of comments, however, reflected a feeling that the statute was a true tribute to the hardy strain of Mainers who have contributed so much to the economy of the state and the enjoyment of lobster eaters. Shortly thereafter, the statue was sent off to the fair, where it became the centerpiece in the Maine section in the Hall of the States. There it was admired by the thousands who visited the exhibition during the two years of the fair (1939-1940).
After the fair closed, the statue was returned to Portland, where it was exhibited first in the Columbia Hotel and later in the City Hall until it was badly damaged by vandals. The state then removed it and following partial restoration, put it on display in its Sea and Shore Fisheries Museum in Boothbay, and after a time retired it to a warehouse of the state marine laboratory in Boothbay Harbor. While here it was safe from vandals, but dampness, rodents and other unfavorable surroundings accelerated deterioration.
In 1962, U.S. Representative Stanley R. Tupper (Boothbay) sponsored a resolution to have a bronze casting of this statue placed in a suitable location in Washington, D.C. The resolution was passed with the stipulation that the cost would be borne by the State of Maine. The state government, however, did not see fit to appropriate money for this purpose.
In 1967, the late State Senator Rodney E. Ross (Bath) attempted to have a casting of the statute located in the nation's capital. He proposed it be placed on the then newly located Maine Avenue, formerly Water Street,and the major highway along the Potomac River, a location to which the state owes much to the persistence of its late Senator Owen Brewster, who insisted that the street bearing our state's name should be near the water. Although the project was approved by the National Planning Commission and the Washington Commission of Fine Arts and passed by both houses of the State of Maine Legislature, it again had to be abandoned because the necessary funds were not appropriated.
Another surge of interest in this figure occurred in 1973, following the death of the statue model. In March 1974, State Senator Ross made another attempt to get a permanent display of the statue. He introduced a bill that was passed by the 106th Legislature, which authorized the state to accept the statue, the city council of the city of Portland to secure a bronze replica of it, and the State Museum Bureau to procure a bronze replica for public display within the capital area in Augusta. An appropriation of $8,000 was allocated to the State Museum Bureau to secure its copy.
Norman T. Therrien, a sculptor who lives in Boothbay Harbor, was commissioned to prepare a copy for both the city of Portland and the State Museum Bureau. When the plaster cast was brought to the studio, it was in a very deteriorated condition. The head was cracked, one hand was broken off and several fingers were missing from the other hand; squirrels had managed to set up housekeeping in several parts of the body. Therefore, much repair was necessary before the casting process could be started.
Casting is an intricate process requiring brawn, tolerance to heat and great patience as well as artistic expertise. In order to facilitate the work and reduce the monetary loss in the event of a defect in equipment or workmanship, it is customary to cut a large model into several parts. This work was cut into 17 pieces. The "lost wax" process, a technique widely used by the ancient Greeks and Chinese, was selected for this work since it generally produces objects of greater artistic quality than other casting procedures.
In this technique, the final layer of the model is made of wax and the whole is coated with a heavy outer mold of strong, heat-resistant material which is prepared with vents for the escape of gases and attached by rods to a solid form inside the mold. The form is then placed inside a kiln heated to 1,200º F. for 16 hours in order to melt the wax away and burn out all gases. Then molten silicon bronze (about 2,000º F.) is poured into the form. When the part is cooled, the form is broken away, exposing the bronze casting. The 17 parts of the statue were then joined together by heliarc (electric arc) welding with silicon bronze rods between the adjacent parts. The joined surfaces were then ground off and polished until the point of juncture was no longer noticeable.
On May 15, 1975, Governor James Longley and many other notables were present at the unveiling of the state's copy of this statue. Today, this 800 pound casting stands alone in the entryway of the building housing the state library, museum and archives.
The city council of Portland placed its copy of the statue in Casco Square. Although within a couple of blocks of the water and in a location bearing the name of the bay where the model fished throughout his life, the expanse of concrete about it, the constant tread of many feet nearby, the whir of passing vehicles, the presence of a plastic telephone booth a short distance away and still other surroundings associated with busy urban life, create an atmosphere very different from that in which lobstermen are accustomed to pegging lobsters.
In February 1976, the state legislature authorized the town of Harpswell to procure a bronze replica of this statue.
Mrs. William Rich of Bailey Island assumed the leadership role, both in obtaining permission to make the copy, and in raising money through public donation for the project. Mr. and Mrs. E. S. Hutchins, who operate the Land's End Gift Ship, gave the land on which to erect the statue. It was installed at the tip of Bailey Island atop a a knoll overlooking Casco Bay, where the model, H. Elroy Johnson, early in life learned to fish.
After the 1978 storm which destroyed this gift shop and several attacks on the statute by vandals, Mr and Mrs. Hutchins decided to move it to a less prominent location near the shore and keep it well-lighted during the night. The Harpswell Garden Club has assumed responsibility for landscaping the area around it. A plaque mounted on the base of the statue reads: A memorial to all Maine fishermen who have devoted their lives to the sea. Another plaque summarizing the history of the statue is planned for the nearby roadside.
A QUESTION
Can the residents of Maine still place a bronze of this sculpture on Maine Avenue in our nation's capital?
In 1962, the U.S. Congress passed a resolution supporting the placement of a copy in a suitable location and in 1967, the National Planning Commission and the Washington Commission of Fine Arts approved a plan to have a copy placed on Maine Avenue. In this same year, both houses of the Maine Legislature gave approval to this project but no monies were appropriated to carry it out. Therefore, money seems to be the only stumbling block in the realization of this project.
In this International Year of the Child, would it be too much for students in Maine's educational institutions to allocate a part of one month's spending for this project and for adult residents to demonstrate faith in our upcoming generation by providing the balance of the money needed through an appropriation of the State legislature and public contributions?
ABOUT THE SCULPTOR WHO CREATED THE STATUE: VICTOR B. KAHILL
This man, a Lebanese by birth, came to Portland, Maine, in 1909 at the age of 14 to be with an older brother, a recognized portrait painter. This youth thought he, too, wanted to become an artist and within a few years had demonstrated considerable ability. His painting of a president of the Maine Livestock Breeders Association earned him the accolade of "Young Portland artist has promising future." Shortly thereafter, he was employed in the Lynn plant of General Electric, a position that enabled him to pursue his interest in science and electricity as well as continue his study of art in nearby Boston. He studied and later taught at the art school attached to the Boston Museum of Fine Arts and the Fine Arts Academy in Philadelphia.
When the United States entered World War I, this artist, although technically an "enemy alien," volunteered for military service and served in France. After the war ended, he remained in France to pursue his art career. During this period, he also became an enthusiast of photography and flying. He was the only Mainer on hand to greet Lindbergh when he landed in Paris following his historic solo flight across the Atlantic Ocean in 1927. When he returned to Portland, he managed not only to continue his career in art and photography but also to become president of a flying club and arrange the first aviation meet to be held in Maine. His first commission from the State of Maine was a bas-relief of the head of the first Mainer killed in World War I; this work currently is displayed in the Hall of Flags in the state capital. His second state commission was for the Maine Lobsterman, which he later gave to the City of Portland.
Not too long afterward, war again interrupted his art career. As soon as our nation entered World War II, he volunteered for service in the United States Army. Most of the time he served in France and North Africa, where he was particularly useful as an expediter and interpreter — he spoke French, Italian, English and five Arabic languages.
After Casablanca he went to Nancy, France, where he opened a nightclub that made him the G.I.'s Billy Rose. In 1947, he left the army and with his family returned to his favorite city: Casablanca. There he operated one of the most luxurious and famous nightclubs along the African coast. He returned to the United States in 1965 and died in California in August of the same year at the age of 70.
ABOUT THE MODEL: H. ELROY "SNOODY" JOHNSON
Unfortunately, the specific reasons the sculptor had for selecting this man as the model for his Maine sculpture are lost to history, but he had a number of characteristics which must have been at least partially responsible. He was tall, muscular and of slender but rugged build. His weather beaten face reflected his years on the water. He was well-known throughout the state as a spokesman for lobstermen's interests. He was well liked for his unassuming but independent, self-reliant manner as well as his tongue-in-cheek humor. He was a full time fisherman, the product of several generations of men who made their living from the sea and the father of a son who continues this way of life. People who knew him claim that while he didn't think much of being a model, he faithfully followed the instructions of the sculptor and offered assistance whenever possible. For example, he brought the sculptor a lobster shell for incorporation into the figure, thereby saving hours of tedious work. His one expressed disappointment about the statue was that his dog, Bruin, his constant companion and "the smartest dog in the world" wasn't incorporated in the work. From the time this dog was a pup, until his death, he missed only five days in accompanying his master in all kinds of weather to haul traps or go fishing.
In September 1973, at the age of 79, Elroy Johnson died on Bailey Island, where he had spent his entire life, earning his living as a fisherman since the age of 14.
ABOUT THE SCULPTOR WHO CAST THE STATUE: NORMAN T. THERRIEN
This sculptor was reared in Connecticut. After completing a five-year art program at the University of Hartford, he held a two-year graduate fellowship at the Rinehart School of Sculpture in Baltimore. Later he taught at the Maryland Institute of Art.
In 1963, at the age of 28 years, he and his family came to Maine seeking the "good life" and an opportunity to pursue a career in sculpture. His first position was as a welder and brazer in a Boothbay Harbor shipyard, during which time he built a foundry and a $2000 kiln, and set up a studio in space leased from his employer. From 1965 through 1971, he taught at the Portland School of Act. Since then he has worked by preference as a metal sculptor and by necessity from time to time as a metal fitter in a local shipyard.
He feels there were two overriding considerations which resulted in his getting all three casting commissions for this statue:
1) he was the only sculptor in Maine with the equipment and the expertise required to produce a cast of this size and scale; and
2) he was willing to do it for approximately one-fourth the amount any out-of-state sculptor would have asked. He and his three full time helpers spent approximately six months doing the first casting and about three months doing each of the other two. He says he enjoyed the work very much, even though his margin of profit has no more than 5 percent. He has been disappointed but not surprised that he has to date received no other commissions for large castings.
Mr. Therrien's work, which has been exhibited in many shows, both here in Maine and elsewhere, has received much favorable comment and many awards. His latest recognition was at the 1979 Farnsworth Show of Maine artists in Rockland, where his entry won first place.