PORTLAND, Me, the largest city in the State, an important seaport and county-seat of Cumberland County, is situated on Casco Bay, 106 miles northeast of Boston, with which it is connected by the Boston and Maine Railroad. The Maine Central and Grand Trunk railways connect it with the eastern part of the State and the British provinces. It has direct steam ship connections with Boston, New York and other Atlantic Coast ports, and steamship lines to Europe. The government defense works here, recently enlarged, include Fort Preble, Fort Williams on Portland Head, Fort Levett on Cushing's Island and Fort McKinley on Great Diamond Island. Forts Scammel and Gorges, formerly strongly equipped, command the entrance to the harbor.
Topography.— The city proper has an area of 144 square miles and is well laid out, with beautiful shade trees lining its streets and ave nues. The site is one of great natural beauty, rising on apeninsula extending into Casco Bay, in view of many small islands, which have become popular summer resorts for Portland residents. In the vicinity are many other resorts and watering places, popular with people from all parts of the Union and an increasing num ber of tourists from foreign coinitries. The drives around the two hills at the extremities of the peninsula are not surpassed in beauty by any in the United States. The city slopes from the water front to two heights, forming a natural amphitheatre, giving the city a pic turesque appearance from the sea. The harbor is protected by a massive breakwater.
Park The extensive public park system of Portland includes over 115 acres and embraces the Eastern and Western Promenades, on the latter of which is a fine statue of Thomas B. Reed, Lincoln Park, Fort Sumner and Fort Allen parks, Deering's Oaks and Monument square, in the latter of which stands an elab orate memorial, the work of Franklin Simmons, a son of Maine, to the Maine soldiers who were killed in the Civil War. These parks will soon be connected by a boulevard extending around Back Bay, forming a driveway of about three miles and affording extensive views of sea and mountains.
Public the prominent buildings are the United States Courthouse, the City Hall, the Custom House, Post Office, Mechanics' Hall, United States Marine Hos pital, the Public Library, containing over 80,000 volumes, and the library of the Maine His torical Society of 14,000 volumes; the Portland Society of Natural History; the Maine Eye and Ear Infirmary, the New City Building, the Portland Society of Art, the Cumberland Club, the Trelawny building, the Fidelity building, Portland School for the Deaf, Old Men's Home, Home for Aged Women, Saint Elizabeth's Academy, Female Orphan Asylum, Episcopal and Roman Catholic cathedrals and several noted colonial mansions, including the Long fellow House and Deering Mansion.
The city is governed under a charter granted in 1863, subsequently amended, and later acts, by a mayor elected annually, a bicameral council, consisting of 36 members, three councilmen and one alderman from each ward, and city officials, most of them elected by the people. The city marshal, commissioner of public works and members of the board of health are appointed by the mayor. The mem bers of the board of education are elected by popular vote. The city has waterworks, elec tric lighting system and electric street railways.
The graded school system of Portland is excellent and managed by a school board of 12 members, including three women, who are elected as members at large. The mayor is chairman ex-officio of the board. There are two high schools, 19 grammar, 31 primary, nine kindergarten, besides a manual training school. The cost for maintaining the schools was for 1915 $303,822.35. The Roman Catholics maintain four parochial schools.
Fire There is an efficient fire department, under the charge of a chief and four assistants. The department is managed by a committee of the city government; the cost for the year 1915 was $157,037.93.