PLAGUE OF MICE The Baltic and area surrounding in the early 18th century was reported as being of superior quality and it began to prosper when a devastating attack by field mice reduced the population over a large area to a diet of fish and game. Not a blade of grass was left in its wake. Gradually as the trees around the settlement were cleared away the menace seemed to have disappeared, but in the year 1749 mice struck again and the following year locusts swept down over their fields and in the third year of anguish the wheat crops were totally destroyed by scalding. One plaque extended from this area to Brudenell . SHIPBUILDING ON THE BALTIC RIVER The Baltic River with its deep channel and low banks along its shoreline was an ideal choice for the early boat-builders. In the 1800's Baltic was a very active community and many schooners and smaller barques were launched and sailed to England laden with timber. Lumber was in great demand in the British Isles at this time, the days of the iron ship had not yet arrived, and Napoleon had closed the ports on the Baltic to British mer¬ chantmen. These ports had been the chief sources for boatbuilding for Great Britain. Sailors were known to comment that the lumber here was as good as lumber from "The Baltic ''. According to "Shipbuilding on P.E.I. 1870-1950" (Public Archives) the vessel "SUCCESS," 56 tons, Capt. Simon Deagle was launched in Baltic River in 1818, and the barque of 211 tons was launched which Capt. James Wilson named " MARGARET " in 1836, as were many others not large enough to require registration. For more than two generations shipbuilding and lumbering furnished the livelihood of a large part of the population of this province. It was chiefly from England that the shipwrights came. Young men ambitious to become shipwrights were obliged to serve an apprenticeship of seven years, their parents would bond them to a shipwright for period of time and they had to work for their masters to the end of the period or longer until they became proficient, the men were master mechanics when released. Models were built to scale generally Va inch to the foot, the whipsaw and the sawpits were an essential part of every shipyard. The sawpit was an evacuation in the ground about 20 feet long, 4 feet wide and 5 to 6 feet deep, no doubt responsible for many of the sloping areas around the river bank. The exporters passing through Bridge said this is just as good as The Baltic Sea and named it THE BALTIC.